Project Hail Mary Review

Project Hail Mary Review 

By Kai Leo 

*Minor spoiler warning *

Project Hail Mary, directed by Phil Lord and Chris Miller, was released in theaters on March 20 of 2026. Project Hail Mary is based on a sci-fi novel written by Andy Weir. The story follows a former scientist-turned-science teacher named Dr. Ryland Grace. He is called back into action upon the discovery of a star-eating microorganism called Astrophage. A plan to stop it, called Project Hail Mary, is put into place. If the people working on it are unable to succeed in their research, the whole Earth and its population are at stake. Grace finds himself getting involved in Project Hail Mary and ends up as a main scientist. The next thing we know, Grace wakes up from a coma in a spaceship, humanity’s survival falling on his shoulders. He continues his research alone as he regains his memory. But he is not alone on the journey. Grace makes contact with an alien, whom he calls Rocky. Rocky’s home is also facing the same threat. They must work together to save both of their worlds. 

Ryan Gosling is cast as Ryland Grace, the human lead. He is witty and smart, but apprehensive about the responsibility he is forced to hold. Throughout the movie, he describes how he doesn’t believe he has the “brave gene” everyone else does. In my opinion, Ryan was a great casting choice for this role; he captures both sides of Grace’s character—witty, funny, but also caring and courageous. The second lead, Rocky, is played by James Ortiz. Ortiz is not only the voice of Rocky but also the puppeteer. Many of the audience had a deep love for Rocky’s character, his funny, straightforward dialogue, curiosity about humankind, and the deep friendship with Grace. James Ortiz is less well-known than Ryan Gosling but has excellent skills for acting. He is an American puppeteer, actor, and director working in both opera and film. He is responsible for bringing this strange alien creature to life. 

There are many amazing actors in this film, who sadly don't get that much screen time. Honorable mentions are Sandra Huller playing Eva Startt, Lionel Boyce playing Officer Carl, Ken Leung playing Yao Li-Ji, and Miliana Vayntrub playing Olesya Ilkukhina.

The cinematography of a sci-fi/space movie is critical. Think of all the iconic space shots you’ve seen throughout your life, from Star Wars to The Martian to Alien. While most sci-fi movies with complicated backgrounds use green or blue screens, Millar revealed that Project Hail Mary did not. They built the entire spaceship, which creates a more personalized look as Ryland explores the ship and conducts his research. In addition, the cinematography by Greig Fraser ensures every shot has a purpose. There are so many different shots that are impactful and beautiful, but I would like to focus on the lighting in the tunnel. Ryland and Rocky have a tunnel to connect their ships. When Grace first crosses the tunnel it is extremely dark. He is scared of the unknown and doesn’t know what he is stepping into. That is why it is dark at the start to demonstrate Grace’s fear. Later, as he develops a relationship with Rocky, the lighting brightens, and the tunnel is less creepy but welcoming. My first favorite shot is when we see the outline of Grace in the spaceship staring in awe at the planet they just discovered. This team makes a great choice of colors in every shot; it means something. When we, the audience, should be stressed, we have an extreme close-up of Grace and orange/red lighting. When we feel joy, we have bright lighting and a shot between Rocky and Grace.

One of my favorite parts of the movie is the karaoke scene where Stoneheart Eva Stratt sings “Sign of Times” by Harry Styles, a beautiful performance with symbolism considering the circumstances around the party. But by going into the actual soundtrack, from my analysis, I think the songs represent different parts of Rocky and Grace’s journey together to save their worlds and each other. I don’t have time to go over the whole soundtrack, so I’ll highlight some of the most impactful parts of it. To start, during the meeting of Rocky and Grace’s ships, playing in the background is “El Amancer”. El Amancer translates to the dawn in English. It has quite a silly tone, as the spaceships go forward and backward in confusion. This song represents the discovery, hope, and the start of Rocky and Grace’s relationship. As they make it further in their research and relationship, so does the music. At the height of their discovery, they have “Time Go Fishing”. They are preparing to catch some specimens in a planet’s atmosphere to help their world. When preparing for this extremely dangerous mission, which both of their worlds rely on, “Time Go Fishing” is the perfect choice. It is an extremely intense and suspenseful moment that the song portrays. Along with stress, the song choices can betray the joy and beauty of certain scenes. For example, when Ryland Grace goes out and sees all the Astrophage in different lighting, “A Moment” is played as he sees the beauty in space. He uses this as a way to breathe and absorb what he is seeing; the soft-paced music draws the audience in. The very end of the Rocky and Grace song is marked by “Amaze Amaze Amaze”, a phrase which Rocky consistently uses. At this moment, Ryland finally found belonging with Rocky, their friendship as strong as ever.

Now, no movie is without its faults. Some criticism stems from pacing, a one-dimensional supporting cast, and flaws in narrative structure. There are more criticisms from the book fans, but I have yet to read the book, and so I will not touch on those concerns. The first criticism is the lack of character development from the supporting cast. I do think a part of this is intentional, not the writers/directors being lazy. Ryland Grace is stuck in space; he feels isolated both in space and when he was on Earth. The setting has a big part of the movie, rather than the cast, which gives the audience more tension. But I do understand the curiosity about the supporting cast and frustration with the lack of development. Another criticism is the pacing, which many audience members reported to be confusing or too slow. I do understand this sentiment, as there are time skips that are confusing for us, the audience. But I think it makes us more curious; how does a school teacher end up in space? On the complaint about it being too slow or long, I think it comes from the shortened attention spans that are present today. I will say some parts are slow, and it was a long movie, but the whole movie wasn’t as slow as some claim. To the last major criticism, the narrative structure: some have said that the structure tends to be a repetitive loop of problem solving, but they’re scientists. They’re experimenting and using the scientific method to do so. The narrative arc just follows.

Although the movie is not perfect, it has a lot of unspoken pros in my mind. It has amazing visuals, emotional depth in the lead relationships, great acting, detailed sci-fi, and, according to some book readers, it is faithful but still fresh compared to the book. I have already talked at great length about the visuals, soundtrack, and acting. I would now like to respond to the emotional depth of the story. The movie tackles themes of morality, courage, friendship, and discovery within a tense setting. All these factors make the pros outweigh the cons in my opinion. 

I can’t lie; I really liked this movie. I’ve noticed a trend in movies: if it is a remake, live action, or sequel, it lacks creativity and depth. I am so bored with bland movies that have no spark to them, no impact for the audience. This movie had a spark; it moved me a lot. I have had a deep love of sci-fi movies ever since I was a kid, and this movie gives me hope for the genre and the future of movies. I can’t wait to rewatch this when it comes out on streaming services.

Project Hail Mary, a box office review success, overrated or underrated, I’ve made my opinion clear. I highly recommend checking out this movie and forming your own opinion. Pursue movies with a spark and people who care about making the movie good or impactful. They might not succeed in your opinion, but it’s the effort behind it that matters. Don’t settle for lazy filmmakers; it makes for bad pop culture.