Spoiler warning: This review contains spoilers for “Project Hail Mary” (2026) 

We recently watched “Project Hail Mary” a few weeks after it was released, after all the buzz had reached social media. The film used real world examples and careers, and created a fantasy filled with science, aliens and hope. As we hadn’t read Project Hail Mary before watching, we walked in not expecting much–other than Ryan Gosling–but walked out of that theatre knowing we saw a film that achieved science fiction, humor and heart on all levels.

Plot

The movie opens with Dr. Ryland Grace (Gosling) coming out of a hibernation chamber, as if he were being reborn. He struggles with simple motions such as climbing around, walking, and talking, just like a newborn baby. In all honesty, Ryan Gosling’s acting was simply incredible. He genuinely made it seem like he had lost all function and coordination within his body. We slowly learn that Grace had lost all of his memories, including those of the two other crew members who had died while in induced comas. The plot of this movie is far from straightforward and linear, as it alternates between fragments of his memory and the present. Soon, the viewers learn about Grace’s life before the spaceship, where he was a discredited scientist turned junior high school teacher, who was then recruited by an international task force to save the sun from dying at the hands of a mysterious interstellar mold, called astrophage.

As Grace slowly recollects his memories and his true mission, Grace encounters an enormous alien spaceship looming in the distance. At this point, Grace meets Rocky, a rock alien, called an Eridian, who had also traveled far from his planet in order to save his planet’s sun. Together, Grace and Rocky embark on the same mission to help solve the sun-eating crisis together, forming a beautiful connection between two vastly different species. 

In a scientific aspect, it was very interesting to see how Rocky’s life form was basically dependent on xenonite, a fictional material that is a solid version of the noble gas xenon. This material was used for virtually everything that pertained to building for the Eridians.

We won’t reveal anything further than that, but from these memories and interactions with Rocky, we can really see both Rocky and Grace’s true personality and character emerge.

Characters

When we were first introduced to Grace before the spaceship, he’s energetic, optimistic and humorous. His playfulness brought refreshingly humorous breaks into the film, especially when the fact that the sun was dying and consequently the Earth was looming over everyone within the task force. We found ourselves laughing multiple times at his crude jokes, such as when he exclaims “Oh my God,” having everyone intrigued, before nothing happens. Grace’s colloquial language and realistic personality made him relatable to us on several levels. One moment that really stuck with us was when he tried to run away from the large meeting with international delegates held on the aircraft carrier because of his social anxiety. 

Beyond the humorous and playful scientist, he is also an intelligent and sympathetic human being who was not afraid to communicate his fear and discomfort in certain situations. In these moments, he really portrays the duality of a human being who wanted to help save the human race, but was also afraid of dying and wanted to keep living. Overall, the way Grace was written by the directors and delivered by Gosling was an incredible mix of emotion and humor that really connected the viewers with the movie.

This film also wouldn’t be complete without the side commentary from Rocky, whose calm and blunt communication added a layer of humor throughout the film. Much of the conversation between Grace and Rocky was both simple and unusual observations that made communication feel primitive and profound simultaneously. Despite the language barrier between Grace and Rocky, they slowly start to understand each other and form a strong partnership filled with humor, which makes this connection feel so genuine and real, even tear-jerking in some moments. Even though Rocky only spoke in short, simple sentences, they carried much weight and meaning, like when he would sacrifice time on his trip back home in order to give Grace a chance to travel back to Earth. Moreover, when Grace introduced Rocky to some elements of life on Earth through the spaceship, Rocky’s reactions were filled with short, simple phrases that made those discoveries so much more meaningful. The work put into making Rocky come to life was also very fascinating, where several puppeteers worked together to control each limb and create realistic movements. The connection between Grace and Rocky was genuine and meaningful, adding so much humor and emotion to the film.

Cinematography

“Project Hail Mary” introduced many unique, interesting environments, especially in Grace’s spacecraft and Rocky’s vessel used to reach Adrian. The design of both Grace and Rocky’s ships were incredibly detailed and vivid, making the technology feel realistic and not purely fictional. Furthermore, the scene when Grace gazes towards the planet they named Adrian was so visually stunning and colorful. The glittering lights and glowing emerald green were so breathtaking. We thought the imagery was so beautiful, only describing words cannot capture the feeling of seeing this masterpiece on screen. It is evident to the viewers that the directors and visual artists put an exceedingly amount of effort into making this film come to life through the visuals, and it has truly paid off.