*Disclaimer: This review will contain spoilers*

I don’t usually read books, unless it’s for school, but when I heard Project Hail Mary was taking the world by storm, I thought to myself that I might just have to make an exception because the story is just that good.

Obviously, the book must be great because they’ve made a movie which is drawing rave reviews. The movie, which is based on the book by Andy Weir, who also wrote The Martian, deals with the world undergoing a global crisis and having one shot, or a Hail Mary, to save the planet. 

Even though I haven’t actually read the book yet, I decided to see the movie. After seeing the movie, I bet the book is just as good, if not more! 

Released on March 20, 2026, Project Hail Mary is a science fiction adventure film directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller also directed The LEGO Movie, and Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs.

The movie focuses on Ryland Grace (Ryan Gosling), who was a middle school science teacher before being sent on a mission to space to save the Earth. 

He wakes up on a spaceship with no memory of his past and finds out he is the only human left to save Earth because the sun is dying. He’s millions of miles away from Earth and his crewmates are dead.

This is explained through flashbacks he has throughout the film. These flashbacks are very important because they help both Grace and the audience understand how he ended up there. 

At first, you think he’s a brave volunteer, but the movie reveals a huge twist, he was actually forced against his will to go on this mission by a woman named Eva Stratt (played by Sandra Hüller). He didn’t sign up for a suicide mission, and he was actually terrified to go, yet he became a hero anyway. 

Seeing his relationship with Stratt, who is very tough and bossy makes his journey feel more real because he wasn’t a perfect soldier; he was just a regular guy in a bad spot.

The movie takes place mostly on a ship called the Hail Mary. While trying to solve the mystery of Astrophage, the element eating the sun, the main character comes across an alien ship. He teams up with the alien, who he later names Rocky, to find a cure for Astrophage.

One thing the movie does really well is explain how Grace figures out how Astrophage works. It’s a tiny organism that holds a lot of heat, and it actually powers both his ship and Rocky’s ship. There are some scenes where the Astrophage almost kills them because it is so powerful and hard to control.

Something I liked was the bond between Grace and Rocky. The story could’ve felt lonely, but their relationship added humor to it. Even with a language barrier, they found a way to talk. Rocky doesn’t speak with words, he uses musical notes. At first, it’s funny to watch them try to understand each other, but it eventually feels very real and believable. It was also very sad to learn that all of Rocky’s crew died from radiation. Rocky was all alone for a long time until he met Grace, which makes their friendship feel even deeper.

The special effects for the movie were really cool to see. With a huge budget, the movie’s visuals are incredible. The bright stars and seeing them in space looked realistic; if you were to show me a picture of this movie of them in space, I would think it’s actually space. The way the alien moves is very smooth and detailed, like a mix between a spider and a crab made of stone.

The acting was great because the lead actor made the character feel natural during intense scenes. This was impressive to me because he mostly acted with a puppet instead of a real person.

One specific example is when he first realizes he is alone. He switches from being confused to being terrified, and you can see it in his eyes. 

Another moment is when he teaches science concepts to the alien. He uses a specific teacher voice and gets excited about math. It felt like watching a real teacher in a real classroom, which made the character very likable.

I would recommend watching the movie for the adventure and the great story about friendship. The way Lord and Miller directed the film keeps it fast and exciting, even when they are just talking about science. I give the movie a 9/10. If you liked Project Hail Mary, you should definitely watch The Martian, since both movies have a hero who uses science and his brain to stay alive against all odds.