Ryan Gosling shines in a thoughtful and visually stunning sci-fi adventure
Author Andy Weir (The Martian) seems to have a fascination with outer space and isolation. In his first published novel, The Martian, Weir tells the story of an astronaut named Mark Watney (Matt Damon; Good Will Hunting) who is left for dead on Mars when a dust and wind storm requires the team to abort their mission. Watney awakens to find himself alone on the planet with little food. He finds a way to survive while trying to alert NASA that he is alive. Weir's third novel, Project Hail Mary, has now been made into a major motion picture and will be available in theaters on March 20, 2026.
Dr. Ryland Grace (Ryan Gosling; La La Land) is an infamous molecular biologist who teaches middle school science when the European Space Agency comes calling to help solve the problem of Earth's sun dying. However, when the Astronauts and the science team heading to outer space die in an explosion, the EPA asks Dr. Grace to go and then put him in a coma when he refuses to willingly go. Years later, he awakens as the only surviving member of the crew to find himself linked up to an alien spaceship and trying to communicate with the only surviving member of their crew, an alien he has named "Rocky" (James Ortiz; The Woodsman). Together, Dr. Grace and Rocky solve the problem of what is killing the Earth and Rocky's planet and send the results back to fix it.
Project Hail Mary is directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller (21 Jump Street) from a screenplay by Drew Goddard (The Cabin in the Woods), and the team certainly has its work cut out for them. Besides envisioning what an alien would look like, they also had to portray Dr. Grace in outer space realistically. Luckily, they pull it off beautifully, with sets that accurately portray a spaceship.
They were also very lucky to cast Gosling as Dr. Grace, as he does an excellent job as the perplexed astronaut/scientist. While I am not generally a fan of Gosling, he manages to pull off the role that is somewhat reminiscent of Tom Hanks in Cast Away. Actor Sandra Hüller (Anatomy of a Fall) is the next most notable member of the cast, who plays Eva Stratt, the head of the EPA, who puts Dr. Grace in a coma and sends him on a one-way trip to outer space.
Cinematographer Greig Fraser (Dune: Part One) handles the seemingly insurmountable task of making outer space seem less vast than it is. His framing of particular shots, such as when Dr. Grace is in the tunnel bridge between his and Rocky's spaceships, is incredible. He gives the viewer stunning visuals that are as memorable as the story itself.
Weir certainly knows how to write a compelling and thought-provoking story, and Goddard's interpretation of the source material is excellent. He infuses humor into the script, especially on Rocky's end, and he captures the poignant and touching moments between Dr. Grace and Rocky with grace and ease. Just like with The Martian, adapting the novel into a theatrical film seems like a no-brainer, and the team that did it should earn high marks.
With a two and a half hour run time, Project Hail Mary is a tad bit too long, but I feel there only needs to be about 10 minutes cut out to make the movie more precise. Otherwise, the acting, the visuals, and the storytelling are beautifully done, making this one of the top films of 2026 to date. I can see Project Hail Mary as part of the dialogue during next year's award season.
If you enjoyed The Martian, you will more than likely enjoy Project Hail Mary as well. I did.
Grade: A-
