Project Hail Mary
March 9th, 2026
MOVIE: PROJECT HAIL MARY
STARRING: RYAN GOSLING, SANDRA HÜLLER, JAMES ORTIZ
DIRECTED BY: PHIL LORD, CHRISTOPHER MILLER
AMovieGuy.com’s RATING: 3 ½ STARS (Out of 4)
RATED: PG-13
RUN TIME: 156 MINUTES
When Ridley Scott made The Martian, it felt like one of the last moments where the world could unite around a single story- one man stranded on Mars, with all of humanity rooting for his survival. Project Hail Mary, the second adaptation of Andy Weir’s work, flips that premise. Instead of the world saving one man, it’s one man sent into space to save the world. Along the way, he finds an unexpected friend, but at its core, it remains a story of ingenuity, resilience, and a deep love of science. Project Hail Mary is a miraculous achievement- one that highlights the enduring power of the human spirit.
Directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller- the team behind The Lego Movie and the 21 Jump Street films- the movie strikes a unique balance between science, comedy, and the gravity of its premise. We meet Ryland Grace (Ryan Gosling), who awakens alone in space, bearded from prolonged sleep and with no memory of how he got there. His two crewmates are dead, and with his mind clouded, Grace must piece together both his mission and his past- not exactly an ideal situation.
The screenplay, adapted by Drew Goddard (who also wrote The Martian), proves once again that Weir’s material is firmly in his wheelhouse. The narrative moves fluidly between past and present, revealing Grace as a once-disgraced scientist turned high school teacher, passionately explaining solar flares to his students while Earth faces a slow, catastrophic decline. His expertise in the mysterious substance threatening the sun brings NASA- and Dr. Eva Stratt (Sandra Hüller)- to his doorstep. Through this dual timeline, we see Grace’s brilliance, his capacity for discovery under immense pressure, and the flaws that keep him grounded and human.
It’s in the second and third acts where Project Hail Mary evolves from a survival story into something closer to a buddy comedy. Grace encounters an alien- real or perhaps imagined- named Rocky (voiced by James Ortiz), a rock-like being who lives within a transparent enclosure. What follows is a surprisingly heartfelt friendship, as both rely on each other for the survival of their species. There’s a Frank Capra-esque sincerity here, reminiscent of the emotional connection audiences formed with Wilson in Cast Away. If that emotional investment was the goal, Lord and Miller exceeded it. This dynamic also allows Gosling to showcase his range- balancing sharp comedic timing with genuine vulnerability. It’s one of his strongest performances.
Some may argue that Project Hail Mary plays things a bit too safe or lacks sustained conflict, but the stakes are ever-present- from the fate of a lone astronaut to the awe-inspiring mysteries of the universe, and ultimately, the impossible choices one must make when everything is on the line. Lord and Miller have crafted a compelling companion piece to The Martian. It may not unite the world in quite the same way, but it will inspire audiences to believe that, even against insurmountable odds, survival is always within reach.
Project Hail Mary rocks.
3 ½ STARS
PROJECT HAIL MARY IS PLAYING IN THEATERS FRIDAY, MARCH 20TH, 2026.
Written by: Leo Brady
