Opening in theaters on March 20 is ‘Project Hail Mary,’ directed by Phil Lord and Chris Miller (‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse’) and starring Oscar nominees Ryan Gosling (‘Barbie’) and Sandra Hüller (‘Anatomy of a Fall’), as well as Lionel Boyce (‘The Bear’), Ken Leung (‘Joker: Folie à Deux’), Milana Vayntrub (‘Ghostbusters’), and James Ortiz.
BCcUFMWbBHOY3zv0jhK5J4Related Article: Moviefone’s 2026 Theatrical and Streaming Spring Movies Preview
Initial Thoughts
It’s been years since Phil Lord and Christopher Miller directed a feature film (they’ve produced plenty in the meantime) and their last attempt at a space epic, ‘Solo: A Star Wars Story,’ saw them replaced on the project by Ron Howard. Well, it’s clear that Lord and Miller have the vision for such an undertaking, because their return to the director’s chairs, ‘Project Hail Mary,’ is an often stunning, visually gorgeous sci-fi epic and perhaps the best film of its kind since Christopher Nolan’s ‘Interstellar.’
Based on the novel by Andy Weir (‘The Martian’), ‘Project Hail Mary’ also offers up something else that’s been missing from a lot of sci-fi in these dystopian times: hope. While the movie falters here and there, it also suggests that sentient beings, human or otherwise, can find enough common ground to bring out the best in each other, even at the bleakest moments.
Story and Direction
Former molecular biologist turned middle school science teacher Ryland Grace (Ryan Gosling) wakes up disoriented on a massive space vessel light-years from Earth, with no memory of who he is, why he’s there, or where he’s going. The only other two crew members – including the captain — are dead, and as Grace’s memory gradually returns (via flashbacks), so do the details of his journey.
It turns out that a vast string of micro-organisms, stretching from the Sun to Venus and dubbed the Petrova line, consumes electromagnetic radiation and is essentially draining our star of its energy and dimming it. The same colony, dubbed by Grace as an ‘astrophage,’ has done this to other stars – with the exception of Tau Ceti, which has resisted the infection.
When Grace discovers that the energy of the astrophage can be harnessed to power faster-than-light travel, a massive global consortium constructs a starship and sends a crew – with Grace as a reluctant, last-minute substitute for the science officer, who’s killed in an accident — to discover how Tau Ceti has survived and hopefully save our sun and civilization.
Once Grace arrives at Tau Ceti, however, he’s met by an even larger alien spacecraft and its sole occupant, a rock-like being with whom he initially struggles to communicate. But as they develop a means to interact, Grace discovers that the creature – who he dubs Rocky – is there for the same reason as him, and the two of them join forces to discover what is protecting Tau Ceti and whether they can use it to save their own planets.
Scripted by Drew Goddard, who also adapted the 2015 film of ‘The Martian,’ ‘Project Hail Mary’ is in many ways a mashup of a number of other iconic sci-fi properties, including ‘Interstellar,’ ‘E.T.,’ ‘Contact,’ ‘Star Trek,’ and ‘2001: A Space Odyssey,’ among others. But Lord, Miller, and Goddard make the film a unique celebration of science fiction itself – as well as science. As hard as the science can get, the film presents its premise with terrific clarity. Science and the way it can bring out the best in humanity (and other species) are important elements of the story.
It does sometimes feels like Goddard tried to get every page of the book onscreen – the movie’s 160-minute runtime might have been shortened by 20 minutes or so — and the tonal shifts as Grace navigates his initial terror and uncertainty, followed by his whimsical relationship with Rocky, sometimes undercuts the stakes. But the movie rallies for a thrilling, emotionally moving climax, buttressed by some truly amazing visuals. From top to bottom, the craftsmanship in this film is nothing less than exceptional. Charles Wood‘s production design, Greig Fraser’s eye-popping cinematography, the visual effects and creature creation all make the universe of ‘Project Hail Mary’ tactile, immersive, and believable. This is truly a movie to see on the biggest screen you can.
Cast and Performances
This is initially a Ryan Gosling solo joint – he’s onscreen alone, especially in the film’s first half, for long stretches of time. Ryland Grace is a man who runs away from responsibility in every aspect of his life – his career, his relationships – but eventually learns not just to run toward it, but embrace it, becoming a hero along the way. Gosling shows us perhaps his widest range to date, taking Grace through disorientation, fear, cowardice, grief, despair, and eventually hope and purpose, giving a performance that anchors the film and may be his best yet.
But ‘PHM’ is also a two-hander in its second half, as Grace and Rocky get to know each other, becoming collaborators and eventually friends. Rocky was played on set by James Ortiz, and it’s his voice we hear as the Eridanian as well – and Ortiz delivers, giving Rocky real personality where a more recognizable actor’s voice might have simply given him that thespian’s persona. It’s a nuanced performance that combines seamlessly with the digital and practical effects used to bring Rocky to life.
The rest of the cast is relatively small, but the always welcome Sandra Hüller is excellent and soulful as the leader of the project, while Ken Leung and Milana Vayntrub provide some effective moments as Grace’s doomed crewmates.
Final Thoughts
Like ‘The Martian,’ ‘Project Hail Mary’ feels like it’s grounded in real science, and features a lone protagonist in a seemingly hopeless situation at the center of its narrative. But ‘Project Hail Mary’ expands on the themes in both of Weir’s stories, with Lord and Miller’s direction, Goddard’s screenplay, and the relationship between Grace and Rocky making this a deeply humanist experience amidst all the filmmaking razzle-dazzle.
This is a movie that says that an answer is possible, even in the darkest of times, and that collaboration and understanding, rather that mistrust and division, is the only way forward for any species. And all of that is couched in a science fiction story as exciting and awe-inspiring as any we’ve seen in recent years. Its relatively minor glitches aside, ‘Project Hail Mary’ may end up becoming a genre classic of its time.
‘Project Hail Mary’ receives a score of 85 out of 100.
What is the plot of ‘Project Hail Mary’?
Science teacher Ryland Grace (Ryan Gosling) wakes up on a spaceship, light-years from home, with no recollection of who he is or how he got there. As his memory returns, he begins to uncover his mission: solve the riddle of the mysterious substance causing the sun to die out. He must call on his scientific knowledge and unorthodox ideas to save everything on Earth from extinction — but an unexpected friendship means he may not have to do it alone.
Who is in the cast of ‘Project Hail Mary’?
- Ryan Gosling as Dr. Ryland Grace
- Sandra Hüller as Eva Stratt
- Lionel Boyce as Officer Steve Hatch
- Ken Leung as Yáo Li-Jie
- Milana Vayntrub as Olesya Ilyukhina
- Priya Kansara as the voice of the Hail Mary
- James Ortiz as the voice of Rocky
Photo credit: Jonathan Olley. © 2026 Amazon Content Services LLC. All Rights Reserved.
List of Phil Lord and Chris Miller Movies and TV Shows:
- ‘Clone High‘ (2002-2003)
- ‘Extreme Movie‘ (2008)
- ‘Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs‘ (2009)
- ‘21 Jump Street‘ (2012)
- ‘The Lego Movie‘ (2014)
- ‘22 Jump Street‘ (2014)
- ‘Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse‘ (2018)
- ‘The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part‘ (2019)
- ‘The Afterparty‘ (2022-2023)
- ‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse‘ (2023)
- ‘Project Hail Mary‘ (2026)
