Project Hail Mary marks a second major blockbuster adaptation of an Andy Weir novel. The sci-fi guru crafted a smash hit that pretty much everyone loves. Plenty of people will tell you it’s the best book they’ve ever read, and for good reason. It combines heart, scientific jargon, and humanity into an epic tale about a last-ditch effort to save the world.

Directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller, known for directing the 21 Jump Street movies and The Lego Movie as well as creating the Spider-Verse franchise, came together with The Martian (Weir’s other sci-fi hit that’s made it to the big screen) writer Drew Goddard and Dune cinematographer Greig Fraser for this one.

All signs, based on the crew behind it, having Ryan Gosling in the lead role, and the source material, made it seem like there was no reality where Project Hail Mary wasn’t excellent. It’s with a big thumbs down and an “amaze, amaze, amaze” that I confirm that is indeed the case.

Project Hail Mary Review

Project Hail Mary already has a chance to be the movie of the year, and yes, that’s with The Odyssey and Dune: Part Three coming later. Much like Sinners last year, the story of Ryland Grace, Eva Stratt, and Rocky has a real chance to dominate the conversation after coming out much earlier than the other big movies in 2026.

So many people would argue that Project Hail Mary is a perfect book. I won’t quite go that far, as I had just one minor complaint that held it back. The theme of self-sacrifice is huge in this story, and it’s hammered home even more with the revelation that Grace did not voluntarily join the mission. It’s all about sacrifice.

Yet, Grace and Rocky end up with a happy ending, which I believe undercuts the message a little bit. One could argue that living on a planet that requires a huge dome to even survive with no other humans around is not a happy ending, but the book makes it pretty clear that Grace had literally nothing tying him to earth.

That ending is still present here, and it was an opportunity to provide a major change from the book that I believe would’ve been for the better. If we had even left it ambiguous after Grace returned to Rocky and the tapes made it back to Stratt on Earth, then we could’ve had some semblance of consequence for Grace.

A happy ending is great, and it’s probably why the story is so beloved and widespread. It’s a lot easier to enjoy and feel good about a movie or book that ends on a blindingly happy note. I guess I’m a sadist, but I just don’t think it quite aligns with the messaging.

So that remains the only complaint I have about this story, but the visual grandeur of the movie is more than enough to make up for it. I landed on the same score for Project Hail Mary the book and the movie (more on that below), but if pressed, I’d say I prefer the movie (I know, sacrilege).

There is an outstanding level of craft here, which doesn’t surprise me since I detailed above how star-studded the crew was. I didn’t mention this there, but Daniel Pemberton (Spider-Verse movies) did the score, and it’s exemplary. Fraser’s work as DP is phenomenal again. Mark him down for at least an Oscar nomination, although Hans Zimmer, Ludwig Goransson, and John Williams are all composing scores to be released this year.

There is an utterly glorious scene that combines the powers of Pemberton and Fraser in impeccable fashion. It’s the kind of career-defining moment that would forever stand out if the two of them didn’t also have incredible work elsewhere. Regardless, I cried at the magnificence of it all, and it’s not even a particularly emotional scene.

Ryan Gosling has to do a ton of the heavy lifting here. It’s pretty much a one-man show. There are flashbacks to the past with Sandra Huller’s Stratt that are great. Those two have good chemistry. However, at least 80% of Project Hail Mary involves Gosling on his own or acting alongside a puppet rock alien. If nothing else, it’s a technically impressive performance.

But he also manages to elevate everything. We know by now that Gosling is very funny, evidenced by his work in The Nice Guys and Barbie. He’s funny here, too, but it’s much more of an all-around performance. The emotional beats don’t work if Gosling falls flat, and he’s bringing his A-game here. It would be fantastic to see an Oscar nomination in his future.

Movies are a medium that involves the best of three different fields. There’s writing, music, and photography. The movie looks amazing. Fraser was really in his bag here, and the result is one of the best-looking space movies ever. Pemberton is fantastic, too, really driving the emotional and tense scenes forward with a terrific score.

The writing is also outstanding, which is no surprise given that it’s an Andy Weir-Drew Goddard collaboration. The result is what we go to the movies for. We go to be wowed by impossibly awesome visuals. Check. We go to be blown away by unreal sounds. Check. Perhaps most importantly, we go to be moved by a story that matters. One that shows the best of humanity in ways we can all relate to. Big check.

As such, while it’s certainly not the best movie of all time or anything, it is a wondrous reminder of what movies are meant to be. It’s rare to find that in something that’s sure to blow away the box office (looking at you, A Minecraft Movie).

Conclusion

Minor complaint about the story (which comes from the source material anyway) aside, Project Hail Mary is outstanding. It’s the biggest reason to go to the movie theater so far this year, and for casual movie-going audiences, it’s the biggest reason in quite some time. Amaze, amaze, amaze, indeed.

Score: 4/75/5