Star Cast: Ryan Gosling, Sandra Hüller, and James Ortiz
Director: Phil Lord and Chris Miller
What’s Good: Ryan Gosling’s amazing comedic timing shines throughout the entire film, and the heart inside the film is truly cozy.
What’s Bad: The film might be a bit too long for its own good; there’s a shorter and stronger film somewhere, but it is a minor issue.
Loo Break: Go to the loo in the first act before the film truly starts, and you can actually miss a couple of things.
Watch or Not?: Yes, this is a fantastic blockbuster that understands the value of a laugh and the need to care about the characters.
Language: English (with subtitles)
Available On: Theaters
Runtime: 156 minutes
User Rating:
Blockbuster season is finally here, and 2026 will try to do better than last year, which, in my opinion, was a very weak year for cinema, especially commercial cinema, but here we are, a new year and a new movie, a good one, from the same writer as The Martian, Andy Weir, but directed by one of the most talented comedic duos in Hollywood and with one hell of a leading man, Ryan Gosling, an actor that, while famous, often passes without much glory at the box office.
Project Hail Mary Movie Review: Script Analysis
Drew Goddard comes back as the screenwriter for Project Hail Mary, which is another adaptation of a novel by Andy Weir, a writer that definitely has a formula, but a good one so far, as for all intents and purposes, Project Hail Mary feels like a retreat or a copy of The Martian. and it is in there that the story and the script might disappoint a little, because while different, there is definitely the sense that Project Hail Mary is tracing The Martian to a big extent.
This sensation doesn’t make the film a bad one, not at all, but it doesn’t feel fresh either, but thankfully all other aspects of the project are on point, from dialogue and exposition to character development, and of course, the humor, which was a huge part of The Martian’s tone and comes back again with force in this one. It seems that Goddard truly understands this type of movie, and he definitely has tapped completely into Andy Weir’s sensibilities.
The movie is long, but that is just a consequence of adapting the book in the most faithful way possible, but it could have been shorter for sure, and yet, thanks to the source material being already pretty cinematic, many important scenes from the book are here almost intact; things flow pretty well after the introduction of a surprise element after the first act, and from there it is all pretty amazing, even if it is too familiar.
However, if something was done right with the script, it was preserving the relationship between the two main characters; it is quite heartwarming, funny, and exciting, and it makes the core of the movie. Without it, the film would be pretty boring and just a copy of The Martian, but from a writing point of view, everything that needed to be done was done in this regard.
Project Hail Mary Movie Review: Star Performance
Ryan Gosling has been around for a while; he is a known commodity, but one of his greatest assets, his comedic timing, hasn’t been used as well as it could have. Project Hail Mary does take matters into its own hands and exploits Gosling’s fantastic comedic timing, making him the best actor to play Grace, our main character, as he is just charming and sells the dramatic bits just as well as the humor. The film is all his, and he makes it worthwhile.
Sandra Hüller is the other main character in the film, and she is definitely supporting Gosling’s character, but she is very interesting, and the actress is just so good that you believe that this woman is the only capable one when trying to save the planet from annihilation. There are a couple of other actors here and there, but the plot doesn’t allow for too many other characters, and the other important one doesn’t even have a face, so it is Gosling’s and Hüller’s show, all the way.
Project Hail Mary Movie Review: Direction, Music
Phil Lord and Chris Miller have also been around Hollywood for a while, and at some point, they were the most promising directing duo out there, until they took the Solo: A Star Wars Story gig and things went sideways. Thankfully, with Project Hail Mary, they prove that the solo project was doomed from the start and that they are talented enough to do a lot of cool stuff that keeps itself within the confines of the mainstream.
Visual effects are pretty amazing, but the scale feels small sometimes, which might help to the sense of intimate claustrophobia, which is essential to the plot. Nevertheless, the film is gorgeous to look at and will probably be nominated for something in the future in this regard, unless the familiarity angle ends up hurting its chances.
Project Hail Mary Movie Review: The Last Word
Project Hail Mary is a fantastic blockbuster; it is fun, insightful, and heartwarming, and it has just good vibes all around. Even in its most dramatic moments, it opens the door to being amazed by the universe and its endless possibilities. Ryan Gosling is just amazing in the role, and his comedic timing might be the film’s greatest asset. While the movie is a long one, it is never boring and is an excellent choice for the weekend.
Project Hail Mary Trailer
Project Hail Mary released on 20 March, 2026.
Share with us your experience of watching Project Hail Mary.
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