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Finally, a Movie Worth Seeing: ‘Project Hail Mary’ Delivers

Amy Curtis
Amy Curtis  |  March 23, 2026 6:30 PM

Amaze! Amaze! Amaze!

"Project Hail Mary," the latest sci-fi adaptation from "The Martian" author Andy Weir, hit the box office this weekend, and it's a refreshing change of pace from the stale, franchise-riddled, woke Hollywood slop that we've been force-fed the last several years. And there are lessons for the film industry here, if they're willing to learn them.

I saw the film on Friday, in a nearly sold-out theatre, something that hasn't happened for a new film offering since 2019's "Avengers: Endgame." The closest I've come to sold-out were the times I saw older movies that were re-released in theaters, including Steven Spielberg's "Jaws" and, closely related to "Project Hail Mary," Christopher Nolan's sci-fi saga "Interstellar."

Audiences have been starved for more original offerings, and — when given them — they show up. "Project Hail Mary" had an opening domestic box office of $80.6 million domestically, putting it behind "Oppenheimer" (which, like "Interstellar," was directed by Nolan). Globally, it earned just over $140 million.

The film, including marketing, cost $248 million. To break even, it will have to earn at least $750 million and I would not be surprised if it did, in fact, break a billion.

(Warning: Spoilers ahead)

"Project Hail Mary" tells the story of Ryland Grace, who wakes up on a spaceship with no memory of how he got there or — more alarmingly — why he's there. He finds he's alone, with the two other crewmates deceased in their bunks from some unnamed cause.

Through the clever use of earth-bound flashbacks, we learn more about Grace and why he's floating somewhere near Tau Ceti, some 11.9 light-years away from Earth. Grace, a middle school science teacher with a doctoral degree, is tapped by Eva Stratt (Sandra Hüller), head of the eponymous project. Earth's sun is dying, and Stratt — leading a global team of scientists — isn't sure why. She picked Grace to help with the project because he had once written a controversial paper claiming that life could exist without water.

When that paper drew harsh criticism from the scientific community, he left to teach middle school science. Grace, burned by his previous rejections, enters the project hesitantly. But he soon learns the sun is being eaten by Astrophage, a black organism with an exponentially increasing population. Astrophage isn't only targeting the sun; it's consuming all the stars in the solar system save one: the aforementioned Tau Ceti.

Stratt assembles a team that agrees to a one-way suicide mission to Tau Ceti to figure out why Astrophage doesn't consume it, hoping to save the Earth from catastrophic global cooling that will end humanity. 

While in space, Grace encounters an alien lifeform he dubs Rocky because of its rocky, multi-legged appearance. Rocky is from a planet called 40 Eridani, and it too is facing extinction as its sun is consumed. Like Grace, Rocky is the only survivor on his ship.

Together, the pair face interstellar dangers as they work to figure out how to defeat the Astrophage.

What works is that Grace is a deeply flawed and downright selfish character. When a disaster takes out some of Stratt's carefully-selected crew, Grace is the only one who knows the science well enough to join the remaining astronauts on this suicide mission. Throughout his journey in space, Grace learns to work for something bigger than himself, to take risks, and to make the sacrifices needed to complete the mission.

The other thing that makes "Project Hail Mary" stand out is that, despite the budget and the cosmic setting, the film uses practical effects. Rocky? He's a puppet, built and controlled by puppeteers. The Hail Mary is a physical set that rotated to simulate gravity. That attention to detail and dedication to the craft pays dividends.

Compare this to, say, the horrible CGI in 2017 live-action remake of "Beauty and the Beast." The Beast looks fake, dated, and aged and the movie isn't even a decade old.

By contrast, "Project Hail Mary" feels real, lived in, and believable. 

Ryan Gosling and James Ortiz, the human voice behind Rocky, shine. Gosling's performance is not only vulnerable, funny, and human, but deeply emotional. The connection and rapport between the two is incredibly warm and fun to watch on screen. With a two-and-a-half-hour runtime, the movie doesn't lag, and that's because of them.

It is a film you must see on the big screen. Much like "Interstellar" built interesting alien worlds, the visuals are beautiful and cannot be appreciated on your home TV. The score, written by English composer and songwriter Daniel Pemberton, is beautiful as well.

I left the theater feeling uplifted, hopeful, and happy.

I also read the book prior to seeing the film, so my view is admittedly clouded, but I wish the film had delved a little deeper into the science and dedicated more time to the third-act conflict that defines the movie and the rest of Grace's life. Will you lose out if you haven't read the book? No, not at all. But the book can only enhance your experience. 

There are also times when the film nears what I call the "Marvel problem" — injecting humor to offset the emotional weight of scenes. Sometimes, those moments just need to land without a laugh. 

But those are minor flaws in an otherwise outstanding film. I cannot recommend "Project Hail Mary" enough, and everyone who can see it, should. And Hollywood should make more films like it.