Project Hail Mary

Project Hail Mary
Stars: Ryan Gosling, Sandra Huller, Lionel Boyce, Ken Leung, Milana Vayntrub and Priya Kansara
Director: Phil Lord and Christopher Miller
Scriptwriter: Drew Goddard based on the novel “Project Hail Mary” by Andy Weir
Cinematography: Greig Fraser
Composer: Daniel Pemberton
Pascal Pictures/Amazon MGM Studios
Running Length: 156 Minutes
Rating: PG 13

Here is my gem film of the spring about a middle school teacher who is a former molecular biologist and he is tasked with the job of saving Planet Earth. The planetary systems have life on them, we all know that from “Star Trek,” but there is trouble in the galaxies and Ryland Grace (Ryan Gosling) is literally kidnapped to find how to save Planet Earth. Imagine waking up a gazillion miles from home and you don’t know how you got there or what to do. The person who sent him there is Eva Stratt (well played by Sandra Huller) and she is head of the European Space Agency. Save Planet Earth, or else we all die.

OK, so during the journey to wherever they are headed, Ryland wakes up after 13 years and discovers many things about himself. He can live alone, he is smart enough to figure things out, and he has to bury two people who were on the ship with him, but didn’t survive. Touching moment there.

Half-way through, the fun starts, as Ryland meets a creature from another world. Looking like a combination spider and moving dust ball is “Rocky,” so named by Grace and voiced by James Ortiz. They become friends, manage the language barrier and find they are fighting the same enemy; A sort of fungus is growing through the galaxy and devouring star systems. What to do?

At 156 minutes, the film is a bit long and even the special effects are somewhat the same in sections, but this is a moot point with the acting of Gosling who fills the screen with problem solving, and “Rocky” (artificially constructed). On Rocky’s planet, he is an engineer, so between biology and engineering, they are quite a pair.

I found the film thoroughly enjoyable from sad moments to bits of humor that both creatures enjoy. The cinematography by Greig Fraser is stunning and not too early to say “Oscar Nomination” for next year? The same for musician Daniel Pemberton who has just the right tone for that precise moment. Good soundtrack.

There is light humor here and also a depth of friendship between what is really two aliens. The word “love” could cover part of the script, but we will take “friendship” that lasts and lasts. Worlds are now at stake and how to control this fungus with an appetite. The best moments come when Ryland is alone before meeting Rocky, and finds that his fellow travelers have perished and must have a space burial. The depth of aloneness leaves the screen and covers the audience.

Copyright 2026 Marie Asner