After the success of The Martian in 2015 with 91% Rotten Tomatoes, Andy Weir is back in the film industry once again with the adaptation of his 2021 novel Project Hail Mary. Starring multi-Academy-Award-winner Ryan Gosling as Ryland Grace, this feature follows the witty molecular biologist turned middle school science teacher who finds himself as one of two souls responsible for saving the world. However, this ‘other soul’ comes from a foreign planet – coming together for a common goal. This film embodies friendship, bravery, hope, and sacrifice – and is everything that one could want from a book adaptation.
Upon reading Project Hail Mary for the first time last year, it was not difficult to quickly fall in love with the story and its characters. Weir perfectly captures the camaraderie between Grace and Rocky, a “rocky” alien from the planet Erid, and makes the complex science behind the scenes appear simple to his audience.
After Grace wakes up with amnesia, on a spaceship alone, around 11.9 light-years away from Earth (70 trillion miles), the movie develops chronologically, both through the present and as he regains his memory of his life back on Earth.
Despite having read the book prior to watching the film, this is one of my favorite features to see be adapted on the big screen. The audience gets to experience Grace’s memory recovery along with him, feeling the same shockers, heartbreakers, and epiphanies, while also piecing together the mystery of how he ended up in this position to begin with.
The science of Project Hail Mary however, is really what ties the film all together. I loved how this movie portrays the celestial features of the plot. The cinematography of every scene is beautiful, and paired with the score, creates multiple captivating, emotional moments that move the audience collectively.
From Rotten Tomatoes, one critic says, “A visually dazzling space odyssey that’s carried along effortlessly by the gravitational pull of Ryan Gosling at his most winning, Project Hail Mary is a near-miraculous fusion of smarts and hearts.”
Another reads, “Project Hail Mary is one of the best original cinematic adaptations to date in a crowded field of franchises, sequels, and derivative cash grabs.”
Additionally, I’d argue that Project Hail Mary has earned one of the top spots for needle drops in films with “Two of Us” by The Beatles and “Sign of the Times” by Harry Styles, among many more. Each song is perfectly chosen for the moment in the movie, especially with “Two of Us” highlighting the relationship between Grace and Rocky and their interstellar travels together.
However, some have said that, as the film runs at a length of 2.5 hours, it’s a little too long. Critics say this led to pacing issues in the last quarter of the movie. Others say the film stays too focused on the humor aspects of the story, rather than the science and high-stake situations that the characters are placed in.
Additionally, as I have read the book prior to watching the film, I felt as though they missed some key points of the novel that would’ve made the movie all the better.
To finish off, one of the most significant aspects of the film that stuck out to me upon watching it for the first time was how it balances the portrayal of both cosmic disasters, but also the development of a meaningful connection between the two life forms. Project Hail Mary will leave you in tears in multiple parts throughout the movie, but will make you laugh out loud directly after.
So far, Project Hail Mary has been ranked the second-highest-grossing film of 2026 with over $655.7 million globally, and directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller can definitely expect some major film awards in their near future.
