Director duo Phil Lord and Christopher Miller deliver an inspiring story of collaboration and camaraderie in their 2026 film “Project Hail Mary,” starring Ryan Gosling and “Anatomy of a Fall” lead Sandra Hüller.
Adapted from Andy Weir’s 2021 novel of the same name, the movie hit U.S. theaters March 20, garnering a whopping $80.6 million at the box office over opening weekend. The film hits all the hallmarks of a science fiction flick — spaceships, aliens and impending catastrophe — but takes a unique angle, leaning into hope rather than despair.
I left the theater feeling energized and moved. Its messages of optimism and friendship were a refreshing take on sci-fi, and Gosling’s acting immersed me the entire time. He pulled other audience members and me into the film, eliciting laughter, sniffles and the occasional heart eyes.
The film follows middle school science teacher and former microbiologist Ryland Grace, played by Gosling, as he tries to discover how to save Earth’s rapidly cooling sun.
He wakes up from a coma on a spaceship with no recollection of who he is or why he’s floating through the universe. As he maneuvers around the ship, his memories return in sporadic bursts, with Grace eventually realizing the severity of his mission: If he can’t find a way to stop the sun from cooling, crop failure and mass starvation will affect the entire planet.
The gloom doesn’t persist for long. Help comes in the form of a bulbous, rocky alien, which Grace aptly names Rocky. The pair learn to communicate, cohabitate and care for each other, shifting the tone of the movie towards heartwarming and inspiring.
“It’s a novel about how in order to save the planet, you have to make a friend,” director Lord told NPR. “It had all these opportunities to be visually exciting, but the fact that it comes down to this intimate relationship story is the thing that really made us realize we wanted to do it.”
Forging new friendships isn’t easy, especially across species, but Grace and Rocky find a way. The pair hilariously talks through a combination of charades and translation software, sharing their ideas in unorthodox yet effective ways.
To them, a thumbs down means thumbs up, and abbreviated versions of words carry an understood meaning — including Rocky’s “amaze” in place of “amazing.”
Collaboration is the core of this film. In addition to Rocky and Grace’s inspiring friendship, leaders from around the globe come together to make the mission possible in the first place.
In a world that increasingly stands at odds on topics like climate change and food insecurity, the movie offers a much-needed optimistic take on what can happen when everyone works together, both political leaders and normal people like Grace.
“Project Hail Mary” tells audiences that difference is an asset, not a disadvantage. Grace and Rocky have their obvious differences, but their distinct knowledge plays a huge part in their success.
Gosling’s performance is the highlight of the movie for me, landing as humorous and heartfelt. He has the difficult task of playing a lone man in space, yet he does so while maintaining a funny and intelligent personality. At the same time, Gosling is unafraid to show vulnerability, making audiences share in his affection for Rocky.
Part of why Gosling’s performance feels so natural is that his scene partner, Rocky, wasn’t created with CGI. Instead, a team of actors operated a puppet of Rocky, which they later touched up with animation.
Grace himself defies the image of a traditional, stuffy academic. He wears cheesy t-shirts with science slogans like, “I wear this shirt periodically” under a periodic table. Yet it’s his outside-the-box thinking that makes him the perfect candidate for this mission.
Many science fiction films are remembered for their stunning shots of planets, space and spaceships, and “Project Hail Mary” is no exception.
Rocky’s spaceship is rendered as something otherworldly yet intriguing, adorned with wall carvings and long metallic poles that make up the ship’s structure. It’s not over-explained, instead just another thing that Grace marvels at as he continues his mission.
Even the universe itself is fascinating. Grace goes on multiple spacewalks, and one of them situates him in the middle of a swarm of glimmering red organisms called Astrogphage. It’s a pause in the action, foregrounding the beauty inherent in exploration.
Grace himself acknowledges the breathtaking scene within the movie, telling Rocky, “I’m having a moment,” as he takes it in.
Despite clocking in at two hours and 36 minutes, the film trimmed down parts of the book, including removing a subplot about nuking Antarctica. Narrowing the focus allowed the action to progress at a captivating pace.
