In the lineup of the 2026 films, the public could interpret “Project Hail Mary” as a studio filler trying to ride off the coattails of Andy Weir’s last hit, “The Martian”. After all, the book by the same title was published less than five years ago, and the studio rights to the film were purchased before the book was even released. Despite this, the film debuted worldwide for $141 million, Amazon MGM Studios’ biggest debut to date, and was highly received globally.
“Project Hail Mary” follows the story of Ryland Grace (Ryan Gosling), a middle school science teacher who is sent into space on a do-or-die mission to save the sun. During his time, he meets an alien whom he aptly names Rocky, and the two work together to save both of their stars. The film beautifully portrays their relationship, creating an authentic relationship between the two of them from the very groundwork of communication to becoming inseparable friends.
The first standout feature of the film is the way it breaks away from industry standards and relies on true creativity and craftsmanship to create an atmosphere unlike any other movie I’ve seen. Most notably, “Project Hail Mary” uses no green screen or blue screen in the creation of its effects, instead relying on building the entire ship as a set and utilizing puppetry to create Rocky. This means that most of the film was created with long on-set days where Gosling was nearly isolated, which contributed significantly to the atmosphere of the film itself. The craftsmanship and attention to detail stem from the passion put into the project by the producers. The star, Gosling, was on the project during the manuscript phase and treated it as a passion project, and the author, Andy Weir, stayed on the project as both a consultant and a producer.
Alongside this, the score contributes heavily to the ambience of the film. Daniel Pemberton, who composed for “Into the Spider-Verse”, produces an exceptional score that can both make you cry and keep you on the edge of your seat. The most notable tracks include “Time Go Fishing” and “The Moment”, which hit at emotional highs of the film and complete the truly fantastical atmosphere.
“Project Hail Mary” is an exceptional film and has cemented its name alongside other legendary sci-fi films such as “Interstellar” and “The Martian”. The score, craftsmanship and attention to detail on the project have created an extremely well-rounded film that is enjoyable to anyone who steps into the theater.
