Man, was I late to the party on this one! The fact that Project Hail Mary came out in March and my theatre still had multiple showings during the first weekend of May tells you that this movie really caught on. I saw the trailer for this a long time ago and thought that it looked very cool. It has a kind of 80s sci-fi vibe, the kind of movie that I would have rented over and over again from the video store when I was a kid.
Where to Watch Project Hail Mary
Project Hail Mary was released on March 20, 2026. You can stream the film from a digital platforms, for example from Amazon Prime Video.
The Movie Review
I went to see this on my own, on a Saturday morning, armed with a bag of Cadbury Chocolate Orange buttons, Haribo Star Mix, and a large Cherry Pepsi Max, and I just knew that I was going to have a great time. This movie did not disappoint, and it ended up being even better than I thought it would. A friend of my wife’s went to see it a couple of weeks back, and she said she liked it, but felt that it lasted a little long. I will admit that was a little bit of a concern of mine going in, but the time just zoomed by.
Storytelling and Plot Structure
The way the story of Project Hail Mary is presented is pretty interesting. Our main character, Ryland Grace, is a middle school science teacher, and he awakens on a spaceship with no idea how he got there. The movie actually has flashbacks intertwined with the main story to show how Ryland got here, and it all works really well. It is kind of hard to explain, and it may sound like it would be weird or make things hard to follow, but that is not the case.
Ryland freaks out at first as he has no idea where he is or how he got there, but slowly, it starts to come together. It was revealed that the sun is in danger of losing its power, which will cause devastation on Earth, due to global cooling in around 30 years. Ryland was part of a three-person crew that was sent into space to try to put a stop to the cause of this.
Alien Encounters and Emotional Depth
The way that he ends up being part of this team is pretty shocking, and you truly do feel for the guy. Speaking of shocking, Ryland finds out that he is not the only person sent there to try and stop this; he meets an alien lifeform who has been sent on the same mission. I am not going any further into the plot here, but let me just tell you, it is fantastic! They end up having to work together, and they end up bonding, despite being so different to each other. Trust me, do not read anything about the plot or the relationship, just go into this as blind as you can, and you will have a great time.
Ryan Gosling’s Performance
Ryan Gosling pretty much carries this movie, and I would put Ryland up there as one of the most likable characters that Ryan Gosling has ever played. The movie also looks incredible; you truly do feel like you are on this mission with Ryland. I wish I could have seen this as a kid, as it would have really captivated my imagination. Hell, if freaking Space Camp managed to make me feel like I was on an outer space adventure, I could only imagine how I would have felt about this.
Final Thoughts on Project Hail Mary
As I said, I was so sure that I was going to like Project Hail Mary, but this movie was something very special. I guess if you went with really young kids, the runtime of over two hours may be a little bit of an issue. However, I think that most kids will love this. It is a great movie for a family movie night or even if you just want a fun and thrilling sci-fi movie to enjoy on your own.
