PG-13 | 2h 36m | Comedy, Drama, Science Fiction | 2026
Here’s another all-alone-in-space movie, crossed with another learning-to-communicate-with-aliens movie. It’s also another cinematization of an interstellar-sci-fi-engineering puzzler book by Andy Weir.
First there was “The Martian” starring Matt Damon. Now, “Project Hail Mary” stars Ryan Gosling as Ryland Grace, a grade school science teacher with the know-how to save the universe—a true guardian of the galaxy, he is. The entire film depends on a mostly solo Gosling who charms viewers with his own brand of self-deprecating humor.
Waking Up in a Galaxy Far, Far Away
Grace awakens from an induced coma in his little zipper-pod thingie in a space station, a long way from Earth. He’s groggy, of course. He slowly remembers the mission.
Scientists on planet Earth had figured out that a star-snacking interstellar microbe parasite called an Astrophage has infected the galaxy of Earth’s sun. If it continues to munch the sun unthwarted, Earth will cool and become uninhabitable in about 30 years.
Off jets a little crew of three into outer space, with a plan to fix everything, knowing they probably won’t be coming back.
Those with the ability to make sense of the pseudo-astrophysics may exit Phil Lord and Christopher Miller’s rather goofy film understanding just what in the lab rat and the Bunsen burner is going on here. The rest of us will admit, like the Thomas Dolby song—“It blinded me with … science!”
But “Project Hail Mary” is less about scientifically rescuing the human race and more about a buddy road trip between Ryan and a wee, chatty alien (voiced by James Ortiz). It has a similar planet-saving mission. This alien looks like a three-legged spider made of rock, and Ryland names him Rocky. Rocky has the humor of a precocious and impatient 14-year-old.
Unlike Matt Damon’s Mars-marooned astronaut sending video messages back home, or joking around with a crew of humans back on Earth, Ryan’s Ryland interacts primarily with Rocky.
Ryland and Rocky—between the moments of nearly dying—move from cautious curiosity, to buddy banter, and then to maudlin declarations of cross-species friendship. Their joint efforts to jerry-build ways to get back home, along with a solution for astrophage mayhem, have an “Apollo 13”-lite feel.
All in All
Despite all the pseudo-scientific lingo, this isn’t brainy science fiction similar to 2016’s “Arrival.” It’s more of a heartwarming and life-affirming spectacle.
Gosling charms as Grace, because Ryan Gosling is always a charming fellow, but “Project Hail Mary” begins to bore at about the 20-minute mark. It has no riveting, scary, science fiction edge to it. It’s pretty clear from the outset that the happy ending will last 30 seconds after viewers leave the movie theater.
‘Project Hail Mary’
Directors: Phil Lord, Christopher Miller
Starring: Ryan Gosling, Sandra Hüller, James Ortiz
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Running Time: 2 hours, 36 minutes
Release Date: March 20, 2026
Rating: 2 1/2 stars out of 5
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