Project Hail Mary is the film adaptation of Andy Weir’s hugely successful novel and is a spectacular journey into deep space starring Ryan Gosling at his dramatic and comedic best that remains gripping throughout its whole 156 minutes as he tries to save the dying Sun which will freeze the Earth.
Project Hail Mary is set in the near future and begins with Ryland Grace (Ryan Gosling) coming out of an induced coma in a space ship who can’t remember where he is and what he is doing in the ship. As he stumbles around the ship, he discovers two other crew members that have died but he can’t remember who they are either. Then he discovers that the ship is approaching a star system that is light years away from Earth.
As his memories start to come back to him, he recalls that he is a school teacher but was once a scientist that published a paper in which he proposed that water wasn’t needed for the creation of life but the proposition was rejected by the scientific community. He also remembers that there had been a discovery that our Sun is suffering from a mysterious Petrova Line connecting the Sun and Venus containing a species called Astrophage which is causing the Sun to dim and will also cause deadly cooling of the Earth.
Grace is co-opted into joining an international scientific group by its leader Eva Stratt (Sandra Hüller) to study the Astrophage where he learns of the Project Hail Mary mission to the distant star of Tau Ceti which is the only star not infected with a Petrova Line to find out why. In space, Grace discovers that Earth is not the only planet to send a mission to Tau Ceti and he meets an alien he calls Rocky.
Directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller with Oscar winning Australian cinematographer Greig Fraser gloriously bring the story to the screen and the action scenes particularly in the second half of the film are impressive. Screenwriter, Drew Goddard, adapts Wier’s original story faithfully.
This role is almost perfect for Ryan Gosling who delivers a brilliant balance of drama and comedy for the many funny moments of the film. Sandra Hüller is an excellent actor and her role in Project Hail Mary, although perfectly acted, seems to be a little below her standing however she does add gravitas to the film.
Project Hail Mary is at its heart a buddy film about two unlikely space travellers that are their planet’s only hope of survival. The action particularly later in the film is genuinely thrilling and striking on the big screen. The story is engaging from the start to the finish making Project Hail Mary unmissable for all those you like outstandingly well-made action sci-fi.
Reviewed by Rob McKinnon
Rating; 4 out of 5
YouTube trailer: PROJECT HAIL MARY – New Trailer – In Cinemas March 19, 2026
Project Hail Mary opens in cinemas on 19 March 2026
Distributor: Sony Pictures
Spectacular buddy film on a mission to save the world.
More News
