As one of the most anticipated films of 2026 thus far, Project Hail Mary officially released in theatres on March 20th and has been setting records ever since it hit the big screens. Directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, the screenplay has set the record for the highest grossing Amazon MGM film ever ($300 million+ in 2 weeks), as well as the record for the second highest grossing non franchise film of the decade only within its first two weeks of release and has been regarded by fans as exciting and even awe-spiring.
Although the movie is directly adapted from Andy Weir’s 2021 novel, the rights to the screenplay were actually acquired by MGM studios in 2020 before the book’s 2021 release and Amazon’s 2022 purchase of MGM studios. Once acquired, Ryan Gosling was almost immediately cast as the movie’s protagonist and the five plus years of development commenced. Previous to Project Hail Mary, Weir was most revered for his other beloved sci-fi novel The Martian which was adapted into a screenplay in 2015.
Project Hail Mary launches right into the action by immediately introducing the viewer to the charming Ryland Grace as he wakes up as the only crew member alive on a space mission over 10 light years away from earth. At first, Grace is disoriented, and stumbling around the spaceship unable to recall the purpose for his mission or any details about his own life prior to waking up in the ship. Throughout the course of the movie however, both Grace and the viewer are introduced to Grace’s background and how he got involved in “Project Hail Mary” through a series of flashbacks. As it turns out, the purpose of the mission is to save the human species on Earth as the Sun inexplicably begins to dim. Alone, hurling at 92% of the speed of light through the solar system, Grace is faced with arduous challenges testing his resilience and will to persist. However, deep into outer space Grace stumbles upon an unlikely friend turned crew mate (Rocky) with a very similar mission to Grace himself. Subsequently, the pair work together to maximize their shared strengths and to fulfill their respective missions.
With a 95% score on Rotten Tomatoes, critics are deeming the film a “must see” with its perfect blend of sci-fi nature, comedic charm, and top notch visuals. Indeed, the exquisite cinematography of the movie has been one of the main selling points of the movie since opening day and has been renowned for its lack of green screen use – instead opting for full scale ship models and set building combined with CGI effects. HHS junior Mason Ross was also blown away by the visuals while watching the movie, even stating that “I thought it was really cool, and also really sad and I really enjoyed the cinematography.”
Although the novel may be geared towards science fiction enthusiasts, you don’t have to have a profound understanding of molecular chemistry or even astronomy to follow the plot of the movie and understand the decisive intentions of the main characters. The movie explained the scientific ideas in a way that felt attainable for the viewer, but not too dumbed down so as to feel hollow. HHS junior Coco Berube commented on the nature of this truth explaining that “Even though I didn’t know that much about space and that stuff beforehand, I also liked the movie and I would definitely watch it again.”
In addition, the film added culturally relevant pieces to draw in a larger audience beyond just that of sci-fi fans such as the decisive incorporation of both Harry Styles’ pop song “Sign of the Times,” and Oasis’ “Champagne Supernova.”
Overall it seems to be Ryan Gosling’s intriguing comedic performance that really drove the movie to become the smashing success it has proved to be despite some previous notions that he would not be a good fit for the role of Ryland Grace. The only widely held criticisms of the movie at this time seem to be the idea that the running time of the film (2hrs and 36 mins) was a bit too long, with some critics noting that the first hour lacked any real action followed by several rapid climaxes towards the end.
While the 2027 Oscar (99th Academy Awards) won’t occur until March of 2027, Project Hail Mary is already looking to be a favorite in multiple categories if it continues to sweep the nation in the manner exhibited thus far. Altogether, Project Hail Mary is most definitely worth the watch and should be on your radar as one of the best pictures of the entire year.
