Project Hail Mary (2026) Review: A Deep-Space Buddy Movie

Is Project Hail Mary worth watching?

Yes. Project Hail Mary is the rare blockbuster that is smart, funny and deeply moving at the same time, and it ranks among the most satisfying mainstream science fiction films in years. Phil Lord and Christopher Miller turn Andy Weir’s novel into a survival story that runs on curiosity rather than explosions, and Ryan Gosling gives one of his most engaging performances. The only caveats are a long runtime and a structure that keeps cutting back to Earth just as the space story gathers momentum.

What is Project Hail Mary about?

Ryland Grace (Gosling) wakes up on a spaceship with no memory of who he is or how he got there. As fragments of his past return, he learns that he was a middle-school science teacher, and that Earth’s Sun is dimming at a rate that threatens all life on the planet. He is, it seems, part of a desperate mission to find out why, and to find a way to stop it.

Alone and far from home, Grace must use everything he knows about science to work out his situation, and his mission takes an unexpected turn when he encounters an alien engineer he comes to call Rocky. The two cannot speak each other’s language, but they share a problem, and their attempts to understand each other become the heart of the film.

Project Hail Mary is directed by Lord and Miller from Weir’s novel. It is an American production in English, runs 156 minutes, and co-stars Sandra Hüller, with James Ortiz bringing Rocky to life.

Science as a source of suspense and joy

Weir’s great skill, carried over from The Martian, is making the scientific method thrilling. The film follows suit. Grace’s attempts to understand his situation, run experiments and solve problems are gripping because the audience can follow his reasoning, and each small breakthrough lands like a victory in a battle scene. Lord and Miller have a gift for making complex ideas clear and fun, and they never talk down to the audience.

The visual design supports that sense of wonder. The ship feels practical and lived-in, and the vastness of space outside is rendered with a beauty that makes Grace’s isolation and the stakes of his mission feel real. The film’s scale is huge, but its focus stays on one man’s mind at work.

Gosling and Rocky, an unlikely great double act

Ryan Gosling is perfectly cast. His Grace is funny because he is scared, likeable because he is not a natural hero, and moving because he gradually discovers the courage he did not know he had. Gosling’s gift for comedy, which he showed in The Nice Guys and Barbie, is used brilliantly here, but he also brings real depth to Grace’s loneliness and doubt.

The friendship with Rocky is the film’s great achievement. Rocky is not a cute sidekick or a monster, but a fully realised character with his own intelligence, humour and courage, and the slow process of building a shared language between the two is both hilarious and touching. Their partnership, built on trust and problem-solving, gives the film its emotional core and its biggest laughs.

A long flight with a few detours

At 156 minutes, the film is long, and the flashbacks to Earth, while necessary to explain Grace’s mission, sometimes interrupt the flow of the space story. Sandra Hüller is excellent as the formidable official driving the mission on Earth, but those scenes are more functional than the ones aboard the ship. These are minor quibbles in a film that earns its length.

Who should watch Project Hail Mary?

It is a natural pick for fans of science fiction, readers of Weir’s novel and anyone looking for a smart crowd-pleaser. It works well for families with children around ten and up: there is peril and some mild language, but no graphic violence. It is best seen on a big screen, with time set aside for its length.

For more:

• Star Wars, the classic space adventure that set the standard for sci-fi wonder and unlikely friendships.
• Back to the Future, another crowd-pleaser that blends science, comedy and heart.
• Toy Story, for a very different buddy story about two mismatched partners learning to trust each other.

The verdict

Project Hail Mary is a triumph: a blockbuster that celebrates intelligence, curiosity and friendship without sacrificing entertainment. Gosling and Rocky make one of the great screen pairings of recent years, and Lord and Miller have made a film that is as thrilling as it is warm-hearted.