Film Review: Project Hail Mary: A sign of the times.

Article by Karlee Lyons

Ryan Gosling as Dr. Ryland Grace / Photo Credit: Amazon MGM Studios

A movie that sets itself apart from other sci-fi epics in the best way possible, Phil Lord’s and Christopher Miller’s Project Hail Mary is for all the people whose self confidence is in the negatives. This story follows Dr. Ryland Grace (played by Ryan Gosling) as he is sent to outer space as a last ditch effort to save earth's dying sun, he's our hail mary if you will. We follow his mission to save the planet as he meets a new friend, light years away from home. 

Great! Your classic astronaut goes to space story- only its not... because Ryland Grace is not an astronaut. He's a middle schools science teacher. In his own words “I'm not an astronaut, I've never done a spacewalk-I can't even moonwalk”. It's this fact that sets Project Hail Mary apart from its counterparts as it breaks away from the chosen one narrative. 

The lack of a “chosen one” element gives the film a bit of a quiet calm, an inspirational twinge of humanity, because Grace really is the last person you would think to choose for the mission. In fact, he wasn't chosen. Not initially at least because he isn't the right man for the job. He isn't trained for it, he makes simple mistakes that trained professionals wouldn't. He's smart, and capable for what it's worth but he lacks the confidence. The bravado needed for something like this. To say sending Grace on the Hail Mary mission was a last ditch effort is a wild understatement. He really was the LAST resort. 

He's a man who's suddenly faced with something he never wanted, responsibility. This movie sets out to say a simple enough statement. No matter what you do or where you come from, you can do it. You don't need to be the most confident to be capable and it says it in an unexpectedly wholesome way, by giving Grace someone to be brave for. 

Under the crushing weight of the expectations held for him, Our unlikely hero meets Rocky (played incredibly by James Ortiz). A character that proves Ryan Gosling could quite literally have chemistry with a rock. Rocky is from Erid, a planet that much like earth is in peril due to the dying sun. Grace and Rocky are in the same tough spot. Alone on their ships, the last survivors of the planet's respective efforts of self preservation. 

Grace and Rocky's unlikely friendship / Photo Credit: Amazon MGM Studios

It's this friendship that is the lynchpin for the story. The existence of an alien in this story is not really a spoiler. I think of Rocky as a costar, not a twist. The real story doesn't really begin until the two meet, and once they’re acquainted, they soon grow close. close enough that when push comes to shove, Grace chooses to save his friend over returning to earth. In the end Grace is a hero, but he never set out to be one. until he had someone to be brave for. 

‍ ‍Project Hail Mary is if anything, a sign of the times. A sign that now more than ever, connection matters. Grace’s and Rocky's relationship is proof of this, they find each other in the darkest of times and fill a missing piece for one another. It also acts as a sign for the people like Grace, the people who keep their heads down, those who may not feel like their capable of bravery. 

A sign to remember that no matter if they're 4 feet away or 11.9 million light years from you, there is someone, somewhere, going through the same thing. Waiting for you to stumble upon them in a moment of need. Waiting for someone to be brave for.

So in the end, I give Project Hail Mary 5 thumbs down out of 5 (in a good way) for its ability to provide a rare moment of hope and a breath of fresh air. If this film is an indication of what's ahead for movies in 2026, there is no doubt in my mind that we're in for a good year.

Photo Credit: Amazon MGM Studios