“Project Hail Mary” is a bold gambit. At least now, in 2026, it is. Because we live in a cynical age. Or rather—with our planet dying, government violence in the streets at home and abroad, images manipulated to lie to us, news shredded to control us, and so much more—we live in an age where cynicism may be the most pragmatic approach to the world around us. We all know it’s bad out there in ways we can’t even enumerate without collapsing into a quivering ball of fury and sorrow. And yet, what “Project Hail Mary” does is openly, defiantly, ask you to put that aside for two and a half hours and instead give in to your latent humanism. Directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, alongside screenwriter Drew Goddard and original novelist Andy Weir, boldly bet we aren’t just these shades of awful we feel but instead that something bigger and better burns brighter in all of us. It rejects the apathetic and the pessimistic to fully embrace hope, bravery, and love with a genuine sincerity that will leave audiences changed. It’s a risky bet to ask viewers to put that sheer terror aside for a few hours, but it’s one that pays off beautifully.“Project Hail Mary” is one of the best movies of 2026 and a film that will inspire and amaze for ages.
Ryland Grace (Ryan Gosling) has woken up from a coma in space. Part of a global mission to save the universe by finding out how to stop our sun from dying, Grace must reassemble his memories as his shuttle blasts through another solar system. Bacteria is consuming the sun (and all neighboring stars) which will plunge the Earth into a new ice age in about 30 years. Well, *almost* all the stars, as there’s one very far away that is not somehow defying the bacteria. So, it’s up to the memory-scattered Grace to figure it all out. Except he soon learns the bacteria isn’t the only organism out there with him in space.
“Project Hail Mary” is not a perfect film. There are some shots/edits that could have been managed better to further align Grace’s emotions with the audiences. Some narrative elements from Andy Weir’s original book (particularly the slow discovery of Grace’s circumstances/melting of his amnesia) could’ve been better utilized. And there are other quibbles…but they are ultimately minor when compared to how much of an absolute triumph “Project Hail Mary” is. Sure, there are lots of similarities with “The Martian” (also originally written by Weir), with its solitary scientist hero—who is charming and funny—facing down some space calamity. But “The Martian,” with its cross-cutting between Mars, Earth, and the shuttle, showed various interactions and relationships at work. There are a handful of such relationships in “Project Hail Mary,” with really one (that I’m intentionally being vague about) being at its core. So the speculative science fiction niche of “Project Hail Mary” does carry very reminiscent vibes from “The Martian,” but I still wouldn’t lay that as a detriment to either tremendous movie.
There are two possibilities in which I can see people not liking “Project Hail Mary”:
- You don’t like Ryan Gosling.
- You can’t put aside the need to indulge your cynicism.
For (1)…that’s hard to overcome as he is this movie. For 156 minutes, you cannot escape him—there’s not a single scene without Gosling. If he’s not your cup of tea, then this movie will not be your preferred cinematic teatime. Everyone else, though, gets to enjoy an incredible performance and veritable charm offensive by the constantly impressive actor. Yes, he’s funny and endearing, but also awkward and human as he goes through the full gamut of emotions. It’s his aloneness that makes this even more impressive. With nothing but practical sets and puppetry work to bounce off of, Gosling finds a depth of vulnerability and rage and confusion and pain that is never overplayed and always feels authentic.
As for (2), I would suggest that you accept “Project Hail Mary” as a fantasy. Even with all of its accurate and research-based science…this is a fantasy in which the world comes together to be greater than a few individuals and not give in to our hegemonic natures. And if you can come to terms with that, then you can see just how incredible a film Lord & Miller and company have made. You can see the astounding visuals they have created, the exploration of humanity they have wrought, the emotionally true journey on which they have brought us. Because “Project Hail Mary” truly is fantastic in all the ways that word can mean. And it is deserving of huge praise for its gutsy approaches to all of these elements and to finding an emotionally harrowing (in a good way) experience.
But maybe it doesn’t end with the credits.
One of my favorite tropes is the “big speech changes minds.” I’m a sucker for a scene where the unlikely protagonist gives a long monologue and everyone shuts up for all of it and truly listens and then things shift. Do I know it’s another cinematic fantasy? Of course. But I delight in it because it suggests a world where we actually allow ourselves to change and be changed by another and that the power of words can move mountains and revolutionize the world. “Project Hail Mary” does a lot of familiar narrative tropes with its characters, but not the big speech. Because it is the big speech. It’s the moment where millions of people are shutting up for 156 minutes and listening – and maybe they’re the ones that change the world. Our world. The real world. “Project Hail Mary” can’t completely expunge cynicism from our lives, but it is such a joyful, humanistic endeavor that maybe it can inspire us to evolve. To dream bigger and brighter again. To reach beyond our grasps to something spectacular and be greeted by something unexpected and even more incredible than we could have ventured to guess.
But even if it doesn’t change our collective trajectory, it’s a really good film that will move, entertain, and delight viewers immensely. Even that’s an accomplishment worth celebrating.
4.5 / 5 Stars
Starring: Ryan Gosling, James Ortiz, Sandra Hüller, Lionel Boyce, Milana Vayntrub, Ken Leung
Directed by: Phil Lord and Christopher Miller
