Project Hail Mary (2026)

Starring: Ryan Gosling, Sandra Huller, Lionel Boyce

Directed by: Phil Lord, Chris Miller

Where It’s Available: MGM+ (a special channel on Amazon Prime) 

On the surface, Project Hail Mary is a simple premise - a sci-fi story about a ‘normal dude’ (Ryan Gosling) trying to save the earth from doom (the sun is slowly burning out - leading to a potential cascade as the earth cools and falls into a permanent ice age).  The ‘regular dude forced into becoming an astronaut’ trope has been done before (Armageddon and Space Cowboys come to mind) but for my money, it has never brought this level of thoughtfulness and heart along with it. Ryan Gosling’s Ryland Grace is an ex-scientist working as a science teacher in middle America when he’s recruited by Sandra Huller’s no-nonsense nameless-government agent, Eva Pratt, to assist with Project Hail Mary - the last-ditch attempt to save humanity by slinging a few astronauts across the cosmos in the hope that whatever they find out there is useful enough information to allow them to stop the sun from burning out and prevent a permanent ice age.

Grace awakens after being put in suspended animation for the trip (4 years at 90% of the speed of light) with no memory of how he got there or what he’s supposed to be doing. As the initial fog clears (imagine waking up with the worst hangover in human history and then trying to piece together what you did the night before) his backstory is revealed through flashbacks. The back-and-forth narrative, slash editing and snappy, tight direction by Lord and Miller helps the film zip along (it has a rather imposing 161 minute runtime, but it just flies by) as the audience gazes at beautiful vistas and some of the most gorgeous cinematic visions of space in recent history (this film is a real treat to look at and if it’s not nominated for a cinematography Oscar, there should be an interpol investigation).

The Good: As you’ve probably picked up if you’ve seen literally any advertising for this film, Grace is not the only hero in this story. He meets an alien called an Eridian (a rock-like creature whom Grace names ‘Rocky’) who is also trying to save their planet and about a third of the way through the movie it effectively becomes a buddy-cop comedy. The dialogue and interplay between these two characters is incredible - and Gosling does some of the best work of his career playing off what I can only assume was a small green-screen blocker about the size of a cocker spaniel.

The Bad: This isn’t really a criticism, so much as a lamentation that Sandra Huller’s ‘Eva’ really doesn’t have much to do. Shes a phenomenal actress (watch 2024’s ‘Anatomy of a Fall’ - one of the greatest neo-noirs of the 21st century - for proof). The scenes she’s in she carries the right amount of clearly autistic-coded weightiness, but I can’t help but feel she had a little more in the tank in a few scenes that were cut to try and trim the already-hefty runtime. I get it - it’s Grace’s story, and the space scenes not only are the primary driving factor to the plot, but also look absolutely incredible - but I’m hoping there are some extra deleted scenes with her on the physical bluray when it’s released.

The Ugly: There is a scene when Rocky comments on how disgusting it is to watch Grace eating. … then proceeds to show him how Eridians eat and it’s… uhh… 

Is It Suitable for Kids?: There are a few hairy moments that might be a little scary for very small children, but generally speaking, I think kids will love Rocky and there is minimal foul language (Grace mutters to himself a few times). This is a very solid PG-friendly film.

The Verdict: Project Hail Mary is, quite simply, one of the best original sci-fi films in a ‘long’ time (certainly since Interstellar in 2014). It’s thoughtful, smart, hopeful, funny and Ryan Gosling’s best performance as a leading man (he carries the entire film on his broad, Canadian shoulders for 75% of the runtime). Directors Lord and Miller keep the film moving and the cinematography and CGI is utterly top-notch. It’s ‘hard’ sci-fi with a gooey middle and it’s fantastic. Highly recommended. 9/10.