In a movie-going era dominated by remakes, sequels and franchises, Project Hail Mary gives viewers a breath of fresh air with an original movie-going experience that stands among “Interstellar” and “The Martian” as one of the best science fiction stories of the last decade.
Middle school teacher Ryland Grace (played by Ryan Gosling) wakes up on a spaceship in a different star system with no memory of who he is or how he got there. Through flashback scenes, the audience slowly learns how he ended up there, and as his memories return, he realizes he is humanity’s last hope for survival. In this epic space odyssey, Grace encounters an alien named Rocky who is out in space on a similar mission to save his planet. Based on the novel by bestselling author Andy Weir (author of “The Martian”), this movie serves as a mostly faithful adaptation that will please both fans of the book and casual movie-goers.
Since its theater release on March 20, as of now, it has grossed an impressive $500 million worldwide, making it the third highest-grossing movie of 2026. The movie has also been a smash hit among critics, with a 94% Rotten Tomatoes score and with audiences, ranking as the 87th highest rated movie of all time on IMDb.
One of the huge draws of the movie is the director duo of Phil Lord and Chris Miller, of projects such as “The Lego Movie” and “21 Jump Street,” who keep their signature lighthearted tone, with humorous moments scattered throughout. Gosling delivers a masterful performance as the lead in this movie, as well as a quality supporting performance from Sandra Hüller, who plays Eva Stratt, the person in charge of the Project Hail Mary mission. Despite acting across a CGI alien, Gosling’s charisma helps create one of the most charming on-screen friendships in recent memory. Lastly, the movie’s stunning visuals, excellent score and fitting soundtrack build up all the best moments even more.
As for the negatives, it’s over two and a half hours long and drags on a bit in the third act, and its constant flashback scenes affect the pacing of this movie. Also, while its cheerful tone is the central tone of this movie, it does tend to take away from the heavy premise, and it would help the movie if it were just a bit more serious. Lastly, many of the mystery elements that made the book so enticing to readers are either made worse or flat-out removed in the movie simply to make the plot easier to understand.
Despite some pacing issues and frustrating changes to the source material, “Project Hail Mary” delivers a heartfelt, thrilling sci-fi story that stands out against the usual Hollywood cash grab. With heartfelt friendships, stunning visuals and a balance of humor and tense moments, “Project Hail Mary” is a must-see for all movie fans.
