Wednesday, March 25, 2026

Movie Review: “Project Hail Mary” is Amazing


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: 


“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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Thursday, February 26, 2026

Book Review: "Without Sanction" By Don Bentley


By Jon Brooks  

This review is long overdue. 

I have been following Don Bentley since his debut novel “Without Sanction” was published in 2020. 

I have subsequently purchased all four novels in his Matt Drake thriller series, the four Jack Ryan, Jr. novels he wrote for the Tom Clancy estate, and the two Mitch Rapp novels he has written for the Vince Flynn estate (a third — titled “Double Tap” — is on the way later this year). 

I first read “Without Sanction” in 2023. In fact, I tweeted on March 27 of that year that I was gearing up to write my review. 


My plan had been to read and review all of Bentley’s novels leading up to the publication of his novel “Capture or Kill” (his first contribution to the Mitch Rapp franchise — read my review). 

So what happened? Why didn’t I stay on course?

I’m not exactly sure. A lot was going on at the time. 

We were still dealing with the aftermath of my dad’s death. It was also the last month of college hockey season (we run a fan site and do a podcast in support of the University of Nebraska at Omaha Maverick Hockey team). 

And — let’s face it — my mind darts from one thing to another like a cat tracking a laser pointer. 

As a result of all this, I didn’t get my review done, and have been in something of a holding pattern ever since. 

I’ve wanted to read and review the Matt Drake novels Bentley has penned, but the “completionist” in me couldn’t move forward until I reviewed his first contribution to the literary world. 


The particulars of “Without Sanction” had started to fade in my mind during the intervening years. 

I don’t often re-read novels, but a few weeks ago I said, “I think I’m going to read ‘Without Sanction’ again.” 

So I spent a week doing that very thing. 

I was immediately reminded what a terrific debut novel it is. (I was also reminded how many details I had forgotten.)

“Without Sanction” introduces readers to Defense Intelligence Agency case officer and former Army Ranger Matt Drake. 

As the novel begins, we find our protagonist sitting at a shoe-shine stand in Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, having hallucinations about a Syrian toddler he had met while he was working with her family in the field — a family that ultimately ended up getting murdered.  

As a result of his psychological trauma, our hero has abandoned both his job and his wife Laila.

It has become a Monday/Friday ritual for Drake to hang out at the stand as he attempts to reunite with his wife, who travels through the airport each week. 

Each time he sees her, she morphs into a vision of Abir’s dead mother — something he just can’t deal with. 

As he is sitting at the shoe-shine stand on this particular day, weighing whether or not to board the plane to D.C. with his wife, he is approached by a man with a gun and he receives a phone call from his former boss, DIA Branch Chief James Glass. 

A CIA paramilitary team’s covert mission to take down a chemical weapons lab in Syria went awry, resulting in the loss of operators and a Black Hawk helicopter. 

A new chemical weapon was discovered during the operation, but the team failed to get a usable sample. The facility itself wasn’t where the weapon was being developed. 

The Pakistani scientist who created it, code named Einstein, contacts the intelligence community. He is willing to turn over the weapon and reveal the location of the lab. 

But he will only do it on the condition that former handler Matt Drake is the individual who extracts him. 

Drake, having no desire to get pulled back into his former life, soon finds himself in the Middle East. 

As he maneuvers across Syria, he learns that things aren’t as they seem. The mission is anything but cut-and-dry. To make matters worse, there are forces beyond his control that would like to see the operation (and Drake) fail. 

The disillusioned Drake will have to fight tooth and nail as he tries to stay alive and save the free world. 

”This operation was going to be one for the record books.”  

Bentley does a good job weaving various plot threads together throughout “Without Sanction.” 

He uses an alternating “first person/third person” structure for the novel’s narrative. 

Drake’s chapters are told in the first person point of view, employing the character’s voice in those passages. 

The other chapters — largely centered around White House Chief of Staff Peter Redman — are written in the third person point of view. 

You don’t often see alternating points of view in the same novel, but it is a technique that I have enjoyed in the past. 

The first time I read a novel structured in such a manner was Nelson DeMille’s 2000 thriller “The Lion’s Game.” It was DeMille’s second novel featuring protagonist John Corey, and it created a distinct contrast between the protagonist and the antagonist in the story. 

The technique works well in “Without Sanction.” Having read numerous novels in this genre, you’ll sometimes find that authors’ protagonists start to blur together. The first-person voice helps Matt Drake stand out among his literary peers. 

The supporting cast in “Without Sanction” is also pretty compelling. 

Drake’s friend, colleague, and former bodyguard Frederick Cates — call sign Frodo — is one such character. 

The former Delta Force sniper was “on loan” to the DIA when he sustained debilitating injuries during an operation with Drake. 

Frodo lost an arm and walks with the assistance of a cane, but the former operator still has Drake’s back (albeit, in a much different capacity). 

Protagonists in these sorts of novels often have a sidekick, and Frodo is one of the more uniquely drawn characters I’ve seen in this space. 

Another supporting character I enjoyed was Zain. Zain is one of Drake’s Syrian assets — a rough-and-tumble businessman who transports weapons to rebel groups across the country. 

I also enjoyed the chapters featuring the “political maneuverings” in “Without Sanction.” 

Watching Peter Redman (who is working to get President Jorge Gonzales re-elected) go toe-to-toe with CIA Director Beverly Castle (who has presidential aspirations of her own) reminded me of the kind of D.C. scheming we’ve seen in the best Vince Flynn and Brad Thor novels. 

“Men like us don’t quit. We stay until they carry us out in a wooden box.” 

Bentley also isn’t afraid to put his protagonist through the wringer. 

As I mentioned earlier, Matt Drake has to fight “tooth and nail” during his operation (and sacrifices a few teeth and nails along the way). Our hero has flaws and weaknesses, and Bentley wisely avoided making his protagonist invincible (which is all too tempting in this genre). 

It takes skill to do that using a first person point of view for the lead character, and Bentley did a masterful job creating doubt about Drake’s fate as he got tossed around Syria like a rag doll. 

Through my affiliation with the Mitch Rapp Ambassador program, I have been able to get to know Bentley a bit in recent years. It is fun to get to meet the authors behind the books I enjoy. 


Bentley’s publisher just released the cover art for his next Mitch Rapp thriller (for the Vince Flynn estate) titled “Double Tap.” I am looking forward to reading that book and am excited to see Bentley on tour later this year. 


In the meantime, you might want to dive into Bentley’s Matt Drake series. 

I really enjoyed “Without Sanction.” It is a solid debut that introduces a compelling protagonist in Matt Drake. The story is crisp, fast-paced, and is a great example of why I love this genre so much.

Highly recommended! 

To learn more about Don Bentley, visit his website at donbentleybooks.com. 

Click here to order “Without Sanction.” 

Click here to order his upcoming thriller “Double Tap.” 

>> If you enjoyed my review of Don Bentley’s “Without Sanction,” be sure to follow me on Twitter/X: @TheJonCrunch 

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Sunday, February 1, 2026

Book Review: “Cold Zero” By Brad Thor and Ward Larsen


By Jon Brooks 

Aviation-centered thrillers have certainly grabbed the public’s imagination recently. 

Whether we are talking about T.J. Newman’s thriller “Falling” (read my review) or the Netflix movie “Carry-On” (which ranks as one of the streamer’s most-watched movies), we’ve seen some terrific stories built around airplanes, airports, and the world of aviation. 

Brad Thor and fellow novelist Ward Larsen have entered the fray with “Cold Zero.” 

Both writers have had fruitful careers in the thriller genre — Thor with his venerable Scot Harvath series and Larsen with his David Slaton thrillers. (Larsen has also published a number of standalone novels.) 

I have read and reviewed books by both authors on this blog and was thrilled to receive an advance reader copy of “Cold Zero” from the publisher.  

The narrative in “Cold Zero” centers around Hemisphere Airlines Flight 777, an ultra first-class carrier geared toward high-end clients. 

In the opening pages of the novel, the CIA manages to extract Dr. Chen Li (a computer scientist) from China and puts him on the Hemisphere flight— a flight that is bound for New York City. 

Along for the ride is a technology he invented called Sky Fire — a suite of software that has the ability to give geopolitical superiority to those who control it. 

Dr. Li is under the watch of a CIA officer named Kasey Sheridan. 

When the airliner crashes in the Arctic Circle under mysterious circumstances, Li and Sheridan find themselves in a fight to survive and a fight to keep Sky Fire from falling into the wrong hands. 

Forces from the United States, Russia, and China are soon in the game as the fate of the world hangs in the balance. 

“Cold Zero” is a survival story with touches of Tom Clancy’s “The Hunt for Red October” and Alistair MacLean’s “Ice Station Zebra.” 

Despite the novel’s frigid setting, “Cold Zero” is a cool “beach read.” The chapters are short and snappy and the overall story chugs along at top speed. 

Larsen’s experience as a pilot is on display in the novel. He flew more than 20 missions while serving in the U.S. Air Force during Operation Desert Storm. He has also been an airline pilot and is a trained aircraft accident investigator. 

Aviation-related sequences have been solid in his previous novels and they are strong again in “Cold Zero.”  

Thor recently announced on NBC’s “Today” that “Cold Zero” is set to be made into a movie by Netflix. 

According to Deadline, “True Detective” creator Nic Pizzolatto will adapt the screenplay and Peter Berg (who directed “Lone Survivor” and the underrated thriller “The Kingdom”) is set to produce under his Film 44 banner (which has a first-look deal with Netflix). 

Overall, the Thor/Larsen “team up” for “Cold Zero” has resulted in an action-packed novel that serves as a terrific introduction to two of today’s best thriller writers. 

Highly recommended. 

Click here to order your copy of “Cold Zero” 

To learn more about Brad Thor, visit bradthor.com. 

To learn more about Ward Larsen, visit wardlarsen.com. 

>> If you enjoyed my review of “Cold Zero,” please follow me on Twitter/X - @TheJonCrunch 

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Friday, January 23, 2026

Book Review: "Cry Havoc" By Jack Carr


By Jon Brooks 

If there’s one thing Jack Carr understands, it is the pop cultural zeitgeist that defined a generation of boys born in the late 1960s and early 70s. 

When I was in my preteen years, movies like Sylvester Stallone’s “Rambo: First Blood Part II,” Chuck Norris’ “Missing In Action,” and the Gene Hackman vehicle “Uncommon Valor” epitomized the type of macho, blood-and-guts cinema that stirred imaginations.  

As I was reading the pages of Jack Carr’s latest novel “Cry Havoc,” I couldn’t help but see those influences at play. 

Carr has become something of a phenomenon in the world of thriller novels. He has crafted eight bestselling novels (seven featuring his venerable protagonist James Reece). 

But what sets Carr apart is the fact that his stories pay homage to the literary and cinematic heroes so many of us enjoyed in the 1970s and 80s. 

Carr has made it no secret during his writing career that the TV show “Magnum, P.I.” is deeply influential to him. 

I grew up watching “Magnum, P.I.” with my parents on Thursday nights. I own the series on DVD. And I purchased the digital version of the series in HD as I was reading Carr’s latest novel. 

“Cry Havoc” takes place in 1968. Our protagonist is Gunner’s Mate First Class Tom Reece, a Navy SEAL who is working with the highly-classified MACV-SOG in Vietnam.

Tom Reece is the father of James Reece (the protagonist Carr introduced in his 2018 novel “The Terminal List” — read my review). 

His full-name is Thomas Sullivan Reece (an obvious nod to Thomas Sullivan Magnum in “Magnum, P.I.”).

The MACV-SOG (which stands for “Military Assistance Command, Vietnam — Studies and Observations Group) conducted a number of “audacious operations” (as Carr puts it) during the Vietnam War (every MACV-SOG operator was wounded in 1968, and close to 50 percent were killed that year). 

Reece’s work with this group provides the narrative’s focal point in “Cry Havoc.” In addition to our hero’s journey, there are a number of interesting subplots and characters that add global intrigue to the novel.  

“Cry Havoc” is structured as a frame story, introducing our protagonist during a particularly thorny mission in Laos. We are left uncertain about the fate of Reece as the prologue concludes. 

The narrative then shifts back in time to four months earlier. The real-life capture of the spy ship USS Pueblo by Communist forces off the coast of North Korea informs the core of the story, setting off a cloak-and-dagger game between Cold War powers.

Carr interweaves various plot threads to build tension and suspense as he lays out the events that put our hero in the Laotian “predicament” presented at the beginning of the novel — threads that lend depth to the Cold War-era intrigue that “Cry Havoc” is built on. 

Overall, the structure works. 

Tom Reece finds himself at the center of things, trying to stay alive as he navigates various interests jockeying for control and influence as the war between North and South Vietnam rages. 

There are a number of interesting supporting characters introduced along the way. 

One in particular character I want to highlight is Ella DuBois, the daughter of a wealthy rubber plantation owner named Gaston DuBois. The CIA tasks Reece with figuring out where the loyalties of father/daughter lie as it regards Vietnam — past, present, and future. 

I wondered if Ella was partly inspired by the character Michelle Hue on “Magnum, P.I.” — Magnum’s former wife (and mother of his daughter Lily) who he wed during the Vietnam War. Michelle was played by actress Marta DuBois in various episodes during the show’s eight season run. If nothing else, I thought the name “Ella DuBois” might be a nod to the actress who played the character. 

Regardless, Ella serves as a love interest for our protagonist. She is also a vessel representing the mixed loyalties in Indochina during the war. It is a relationship that seems right at first, but causes Reece to question the ethical boundaries of his personal and professional life. 

Readers will find themselves treated to all sorts of little details that take you back to that era (and pop culture influences of the time). 

For example, Carr describes a Fulton Recovery System during the course of events (a person with a harness is connected to a miniature blimp that is then grabbed by an airplane passing overhead for extraction). 

It immediately took me back to the 1965 film “Thunderball” (the fourth entry in EON Productions James Bond series). The final scene in “Thunderball” employed a Fulton Recovery System. I know Carr is a connoisseur of the 007 movies, and I wonder if that might have been why the Fulton Recovery System got a nod in “Cry Havoc.” 


Carr has discussed the extensive research he did for “Cry Havoc,” which delayed the book’s release date to the fall of 2025. He wanted to try and write a novel that felt authentic for the time — not a revisionist tale crafted with the benefit of hindsight. His efforts are fully on display as you turn the pages, giving readers what might be Carr’s most detailed thriller to date. 

I’ve always had a soft spot for espionage novels centered around the Vietnam War. Tom Clancy’s 1993 novel “Without Remorse” is a personal favorite (I might need to revisit that novel again). I also loved Nelson DeMille’s 2002 novel “Up Country” (a novel that I have recommended to numerous readers over the years). 

Likewise, “Cry Havoc” will hold a special place in this reader’s heart. I had been looking forward to its release, and pre-ordered one of Carr’s special “Shot Through” Edition autographed versions (for this one, he used a Colt clone of a Vietnam-era CAR-15 rifle — like the one Tom Reece carries in the novel). 


Carr’s fascination with the Vietnam War and the cultural underpinnings of 1960s-era society is evident in “Cry Havoc.” His enthusiasm for the material helps set this novel apart from his previous thrillers. 

I hope this isn’t the last time we see Tom Reece at the center of a Carr-penned novel. I’d love to see him in action again. 

Highly recommended. 


To learn more about Jack Carr, visit https://www.officialjackcarr.com  


>> If you enjoyed my review of Jack Carr’s “Cry Havoc,” be sure and follow me on Twitter/X — @TheJonCrunch 

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