Released in theaters March 20, 2026, “Project Hail Mary”, a remarkable novel originally written by Andy Weir in 2021, almost perfectly replicates the contents of the novel, capturing the same charm and engagement the novel managed to convey. 

When I originally saw the trailer, I had my doubts. The trailer did not impress me too much with the overall energy, and the trailer spoils a part of the book that was meant to be a way bigger reveal which relatively upset me. All I saw this movie to be was another “Hollywood-having-no-ideas-and-turning-any-book-into-a-movie” moment where they would completely disregard the heart of the book for a quick cash grab. I could not have been more wrong. 

This film truly captured the original soul of the book with the help of two fantastic directors, Chris Miller and Phil Lord. Without further ado, here’s my overall review of the movie adaptation of “Project Hail Mary”.

ACTING 10/10

It is no secret that Ryan Gosling’s acting is one of a kind. I truly believe that he was the perfect choice for this role. I was a bit uncertain about the choice to cast him as Dr. Grace, but I do not think there could have been a better choice. Gosling did a phenomenal job in bringing this character to the screen. A good actor can bring a character to the screen without having to do any elaborate, over-the-top emotions yet still conveying a powerful character. Gosling did just that.

Gosling gave a realistic performance of a middle school science teacher that unexpectedly needed to save the world. His charm and effortless humor in his small gestures comes together to create this character to be exactly what he was meant to be. 

Although there were not too many moments for other actor’s appearances, these few moments allowed actors/actresses such as Sandra Hüller or Lionel Boyce to shine. Even most of the less focused characters did a great job in bringing such a realistic atmosphere to the movie just with little mannerisms and reactions. 

Film reviewer Julian Lyte in a Comics Beat article says that “Hüller’s stoic yet warm performance works well with Gosling’s Grace’s more over-the-top, lovable science guy performance,” which perfectly sums up Hüller’s contributing performance that brings a great dynamic to this movie.  

The most incredible thing about acting to me is when you can’t tell someone’s putting on a show, and you are able to see these characters beyond a stale one-dimensional personality trait, and the acting in this film did a beautiful job on making me believe that these people were real. 

PLOT 10/10

My rating of the plot was practically a given, as the movie closely followed the original novel’s creative and fresh storyline. The story is also incredibly realistic with many complex explanations and realistic circumstances presented throughout the movie that give this story such a fresh feeling. 

This story is all about parallels: the plot mainly centered around the cultural differences and joined knowledge of Rocky and Dr. Grace which I can truly appreciate in a story. Any story with the option to explore any sort of parallels or compare and contrast elements and is used to its full potential is a win in my book. 

CINEMATOGRAPHY/VISUALS 8/10

I feel this film did a great job in coloring. The consistent hues of deep yet bright oranges and blues really brought a great atmosphere to the movie that I hadn’t considered before. 

Of course, any movie with the potential to show off space in any form should absolutely be using this potential to the fullest extent. With so many beautiful options for shots in this movie, I feel it certainly lacked but there still certain points that met this expectation. Even the prolonged empty shots of deep space with the lone spaceship were some of my favorite shots yet, I felt there could’ve been a little bit more to give regarding the potential in the beauty of space. 

With that being said, the scene where Grace and Rocky discover Adrian (an exoplanet orbiting the star Tau Ceti) was just phenomenal. I wish more scenes like that were seen throughout the movie.

OVERALL 9/10

This movie absolutely exceeded my expectations. This movie was everything I could’ve ever wanted from this adaptation and more. 

I truly encourage you to watch this film and bask in the soulful art piece that is “Project Hail Mary”. Especially if you do not feel like giving the book a chance, this movie is certainly a great representation of what you are missing out on. 

“As I watched the movie, I was overwhelmed by a formative and foundational scent from my youth: the way new science fiction paperbacks smelled back when I was 11 to 13 … that scent of clean, fresh paper and ink,” reviewer Michael Marano in The Arts Fuse said.

If you’re a huge fan of sci-fi and witty, realistic movies, this film is the thing for you with such a great representation of what sci-fi means and the possibilities this genre can explore.