By Jon Brooks
The last time I watched a movie in the theater was July 2025. We took our nephew to see “Jurassic World Rebirth.”
It was one of only two movies I viewed in a theater last year (the other was “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning”).
My movie habits have certainly changed in recent years. But for most of my life, attending movies in the theater was a near weekly occurrence.
I’m not going to be one of those people who complains that there “aren’t any good movies anymore.” There are plenty of movies I enjoy.
But the reality is that I yearn for the sort of original, non-sequel “popcorn movies” we saw in the 1980s and 90s.
Studios desperately cling to the idea that viewers want 52 Marvel Cinematic Universe movies that — with each passing year — feel more and more like homework to keep track of than a light, fun movie-going experience.
“Project Hail Mary” arrived in theaters this past weekend, reminding viewers how much fun a standalone spectacle can be at the movies.
“Project Hail Mary” is the theatrical adaptation of Andy Weir’s 2021 novel of the same name.
Weir also wrote “The Martian,” which was adapted into a hit 2015 film starring Matt Damon. His second novel “Artemis” (read my review) is also being developed into a movie.
Weir has a knack for writing sci-fi novels with likable characters and intriguing premises, mixing it all together a heaping dose of techno jargon. Through three novels, the concoction has proved itself to be surprisingly compelling.
Each time I read one of his novels, I’m curious to see how they are going to adapt it for the big screen.
“Project Hail Mary” centers around middle school science teacher Ryland Grace (Ryan Gosling). Grace is also a former molecular biologist.
But in the early stages of the story, our protagonist doesn’t recall those facts… or any salient details of his life. He wakes up from a medically-induced coma on a space ship — a vessel heading to a distant solar system far away from Earth.
His two crew mates died at some point during the ship’s multi-year journey. Grace is alone, confused, and scared as he tries to wrap his head around his current predicament.
The movie (like the book) alternates between present day scenes and a series of flashbacks as our hero pieces together details of his past and tries to solve what brought him to this point.
Overall, the narrative structure works.
We soon learn that Grace and his compatriots were sent on a mission to save Earth. Specifically, the Sun is dimming. A mysterious microorganism dubbed “Astrophage” is causing the problem. If it isn’t stopped, the amount of sunlight reaching Earth will be too dim to sustain life in its present form.
This effort creates the main hook for the storyline in “Project Hail Mary.”
I know what you’re thinking. The plot sounds fairly similar to Christopher Nolan’s 2014 film “Interstellar.”
While “Project Hail Mary” does hit some of the same beats, the tone is decidedly less brooding in nature.
The stakes are just as high, but “Project Hail Mary” infuses doses of humor and levity to keep the audience engaged.
It’s a smart choice that sets it apart from similar sci-fi fare.
Directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller deserve much of the credit for that.
Lord and Miller have directed family-friendly flicks like “The Lego Movie” and the comedic “21 Jump Street” franchise. They produced and co-wrote the animated “Spider-Verse” movies for Sony (read my review of “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse”).
They were also originally at the helm of “Solo: A Star Wars Movie” (read my review), but were fired after four-and-a-half months of filming. Ron Howard was brought in to reshoot much of that movie. I have always wondered what the Lord and Miller version of “Solo” would have been like (had they been given leeway to do what they wanted to do).
The talented pair has shown an ability to bring a stylistic flair and energy to the projects they work on.
Those talents are certainly on display in “Project Hail Mary.”
The movie is bright and colorful, and the set of the Hail Mary spaceship is fascinating to look at.
The screenplay adaptation of Weir’s novel was written by Drew Goddard. Goddard also wrote the screenplay for Weir’s 2011 novel “The Martian.”
Having read all three of Weir’s novels, it seems like it would be quite a challenge to synthesize his stories into a sensible screenplay. “Project Hail Mary” is Weir’s most ambitious novel to date (the book is more than 500 pages long).
But Goddard seems to have the “Midas touch” in that regard.
While there are certain parts of the novel that were tweaked and/or removed for the movie, Goddard did an excellent job whittling things down to fit in the 156-minute runtime.
The film is paced well and it retains the unique DNA of Weir’s novel.
In my opinion, the biggest challenge for the filmmakers was the alien creature Rocky. The character is encountered by Grace during his mission and has been featured in various trailers and promotional materials for the film.
Weir spent considerable time in the novel describing the melodic language of the character (musical notes were used in the book’s printed text) and put a lot of effort into creating a rationale for the creature’s physiology.
I wasn’t sure how it would translate to the screen, but they did a credible job pulling it off. It could have been really cheesy, but the character worked. It is an impressive feat considering the fact that the filmmakers opted to primarily use a puppet for Rocky (with CGI enhancements where needed).
There were also a few nice supporting performances in the movie.
One character that should be highlighted is Eva Stratt (Sandra Hüller). She leads the international task force addressing the global Astrophage crisis and is the individual who recruits Grace for the project.
Hüller does a good job creating the “blunt school marm” vibe of the character in the novel. You can see the weight she carries as she’s tasked with saving humanity.
(In the movie, the character mentions that she grew up in East Germany. In the book, she was Dutch.)
One other aspect of the production I’d like to highlight is the film’s score by Daniel Pemberton. I’m actually listening to the soundtrack as I type this.
Pemberton’s score takes a different approach than the soundtracks often featured in these sorts of films. It would have been very easy to do some sort of grandiose orchestral score that sounded like a cheap Hans Zimmer ripoff.
Instead, Pemberton’s score has moments of electronic bouyancy and whimsy. There are also passages that sound almost tribal in nature.
In addition, there are some haunting choral arrangements in the soundtrack that bring a religious flavor to certain heady moments in the movie.
Put together with the pop music featured in the film (such as Harry Styles’ hit “Sign of the Times”), the musical underpinnings give “Project Hail Mary” a unique spirit.
I want to mention what a fan of Ryan Gosling I’ve become the past decade.
I remember thinking how much presence he had (with very little dialogue) in 2017’s “Blade Runner 2049” (read my review).
While he has proven his chops doing brooding protagonists, he’s also shown considerable range creating endearing characters in broad comedies like “The Fall Guy” and the stylish hipster musical “La La Land” (read my review).
In an age where people say there “aren’t really any movie stars anymore,” Gosling is one of this generation’s most compelling actors.
He did a terrific job balancing the comedic, poignant, and tragic moments in “Project Hail Mary.”
Ryland Grace epitomizes the “reluctant hero” in fiction. Gosling’s performance fits the character’s self-effacing demeanor to a T.
Gosling is starring in the upcoming film “Star Wars: Starfighter” (directed by Shawn Levy). I’m curious to see if he can infuse new life into the “Star Wars” franchise (which has had its struggles in recent years). He might just be the actor to pull it off.
I could probably type a thousand more words about “Project Hail Mary,” but I’m going to leave you with this thought.
Numerous fans online have pointed out the religious undertones in “Project Hail Mary.” In particular, the ship in the movie is called the Hail Mary and our protagonist’s name is Ryland Grace.
It has been theorized that it could be a nod to the Catholic prayer "Hail Mary, full of Grace."
At a time when movie theaters are struggling to bring back audiences to pre-pandemic levels, “Project Hail Mary” reminds us what a magical experience it can be to watch an original, energetic, and lovingly-crafted “popcorn movie” at the cinema.
Gosling himself addressed this issue to fans at a recent screening of “Project Hail Mary.” The video clip has gone viral, and what he said to the attendees has struck a chord:
Ryan Gosling just casually dropping in to surprise your theater? Anything is possible when you see #ProjectHailMary — now playing in theaters and IMAX everywhere. Get tickets at link in bio. pic.twitter.com/hBm5BeQErq
— Project Hail Mary (@projecthailmary) March 21, 2026
“It’s not your job to keep [theaters] open, it’s our job to make things that make it worth you coming out…”
“Project Hail Mary” is one of those movies that’s worth the price of admission.
See it on the biggest screen you can find (I watched it on an IMAX screen… and it was amazing!)
Totally recommended.
Rated PG-13, Runtime: 2 hrs, 36 min
>> If you enjoyed my review of “Project Hail Mary,” be sure to follow me on Twitter/X: @TheJonCrunch
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