Project Hail Mary Review: Ryan Gosling’s Wholesome Sci-Fi Drama Demands Introspection!
Ryan Gosling's Project Hail Mary is directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller. Read our review here.
4.5 / 5
One of the best films of 2026, I’d say, YES! Ryan Gosling’s Project Hail Mary is yet again a reminder of why we love movies. And this experience in theatres is quite rare. Directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, the film is based on a book written by Andy Weir. The story goes beyond space and technology, and becomes a sweet message about friendship and brotherhood. Something the world desperately needs today. And here’s a quick review of this one-of-a-kind Ryan Gosling film. Read on.
Plot
The story begins with Dr Ryland Grace (Ryan Gosling) waking up in space, clueless about how he got there. The first few minutes are spent building up our curiosity about Ryland’s space, with the storytelling structure shifting between past and present. The story simultaneously moves to tell us how Ryland finds himself on this space mission- Project Hail Mary. It moves forward to show the scientist’s experiments in space, and then slowly transitions into this beautiful story about brotherhood when Grace befriends an alien, whom he names Rocky. Rocky, too, is left alone on his spaceship after his fellow Eridians die. Both Grace and Rocky work together to save the stars that are at risk of dying due to a microorganism called Astrophage. During this mission, they also discover a new planet and name it Adrian (there is a story behind that, too!). But do they get to go home after this mission? Well, we are not spilling everything!
Screenplay
The exceptionally well-written screenplay doesn’t let you blink an eye. It’s a perfect balance of humour, friendship, humanity, science and technology. I loved the constant shift from past to present, and not once did this structure feel out of place. I found myself equally invested in Grace’s current situation in space, with Rocky, while being deeply curious about his life before space. The characters, not many, but each of them has a separate impact on the audience. Sandra Huller, the head of Hail Mary Project, has this hard on the outside but soft on the inside personality. The scene where she sings ‘Sign Of The Times’ to keep the hopes of her colleagues alive is one of the most hard-hitting moments in the film, among others, of course. The different emotions that are explored in Project Hail Mary never overpower each other. The film made me sob and smile with every frame featuring Grace and Rocky. The camaraderie that Rocky shares with a rock seems more emotionally tight than one shared with a human. The sequences where they learn how to communicate or when Rocky turns up on Grace’s ship to live with him are some hearty moments in the film, which I am not forgetting about anytime soon!
The dialogues appealed to me too, and I still find myself quoting them. And for my one-liner, I would quote Rocky, “Amaze, Amaze, Amaze.” Ryan Gosling’s one-liners are hilarious, especially during the beginning of his journey on the Project Hail Mary mission. It gets better when Rocky joins him!
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Performances
Ryan Gosling handles his quirky, humorous character like it’s a piece of cake. But the actor also conveys the deeper emotional beats convincingly. Ryan Gosling easily makes us shed a tear with his effortless conviction in emotional scenes that do not require anything but a hug! It’s a performance that has to be experienced and felt deeply!
Sandra Hüller is exceptional again. The character does not have a lot of emotions to be expressed though face, it’s poker face throughout, as simple as that sounds, to convey so much with just that is not an easy task. But the actor makes it flow seamlessly in the narrative.
Rocky is great, and I’d like to have a friend like him!
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The Visuals Are Breathtaking!
The visuals in Project Hail Mary transport you to space. It makes us curious and wonder about this unexplored part of the universe. From the beautiful and enchanting depiction of Adrian to the red Petrova Line, or Rocky’s spaceship, the visuals are ecstatic. I can visualise that world while writing this review, sitting in my boring office chair, and that’s the level of impact the visuals have had on me!
Verdict
Ryan Gosling’s Project Hail Mary is a wholesome watch. We are living in times when there is so much war and violence happening around. This will ask you to stop and introspect, and ask yourself, what kind of human do you want to be? And I think it’s a question we desperately need to ask ourselves. The film hits theatres on March 26, 2026, and I would recommend you experience it in IMAX!
First Published: March 25, 2026 5:37 PM
