AMAZE AMAZE AMAZE!
WHY SO MANY SPOILERS, QUESTION?
There are few things finer in life than a great adapation of a written work. Andy Weir, author of The Martian and Project Hail Mary already had a pretty great version of his first novel come out, directed by none other than Ridley Scott. It was also the same year that they had to rescue Matt Damon twice (fun fact, someone did the math on that) but I recently watched The Martian again and it still holds up as fantastic.
So was I really surprised when Project Hail Mary jumped up to be my best film of 2026 so far? Not really.
Let me gush for a moment, if you will. Ryan Gosling is astounding in this project, and I think I adore him here more than I did when he played Ken in Barbie. He just has this easy-going charm that’s also funny and staggeringly easy to relate with. When reading the book, I never imagined him as Ryland Grace, but now I honestly can’t picture him any other way.
I got a chance to see this in tiny-format IMAX (you know, one of those middle of the road, “sort of big” IMAX theaters) and the visuals were stunning. There is a scene that comes close but not quite to the docking sequence in Interstellar that was mind bogginly good. Daniel Pemberton gets extra credit for a beautifuly haunting / hopeful score that apparently started off life as a screeching drain pipe he heard when he was visiting a friend.
Drew Goddard also proves once again that only he should write adapations of Andy Weir’s work (which, I think Andy Weir himself has confirmed will be the case). And of course, Phil Lord and and Chris Miller knocked it out of the park with directing duties, which really makes me wonder if they hadn’t been fired from Solo, what we could have gotten…
This film has so much heart, so much levity, small bits of tension to keep you rooted in your seat, and a relationship with a rock that felt better than the books. Rocky is of course, the one that steals the show once he appears. James Ortiz is the main pupeteer and voice, and I think him and his team did a fantastic job of bringing something to life that I honestly thought was CG until someone I saw the movie with pointed out that was a puppet.
In fact, kudos to Lord and Miller for delivering a movie that felt as grounded as possible with real props. The Hail Mary Cabin? That whole tunnel of buttons, lights, and screens? All real. All practical. They were even able to spin the set around to make it transition from centrifuge mode to non-centrifuge mode. AMAZE!
Now, there are some small quibbles. Rocky being able to suddenly understand Grace even though Grace needs translation is a bit of a stretch. I can see why it would be annoying for you (the audience) have to wait for it to send Rocky’s clicking noises back for Rocky to understand. I get it. I am willing to not knock points for this reason.
There’s also some slight differences in pacing–it felt like the ending of the movie where you learned they had been breeding the predator in Xenonite tanks was just like a blink and you miss it dialogue choice–but overall, I can’t fault the movie too much here. Lord knows the movie was long enough. I don’t think I’ve had to pee so bad while in the theater in a long, long time.
Overall, if you want to watch a movie that will make you swell with joy in such dark and troubled times, I can’t recommend it enough. Ryan Gosling, you are my hero and please don’t let me down.
We’re all counting on you.
Now please don’t fuck this up and deliver a sequel that isn’t neccessary. I’ve heard rumors here and there, Andy Weir. Do the right thing…
Leave this standalone.
