“Project Hail Mary“ blasts off into theaters worldwide as the first blockbuster movie of a busy 2026. Actor Ryan Gosling, known for his roles in “La La Land“ and “Barbie,” returns to the big screen as a middle school science teacher who is tasked with saving the world. Producers Phil Lord and Christopher Miller clearly used every dollar in the budget to produce their first live-action film following their success with “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. Based on the 2021 sci-fi novel written by Andy Weir (author of The Martian), “Project Hail Mary” has already made $141 million in its opening weekend worldwide.

Plot

“Project Hail Mary”” is wonderfully paced, providing continuous action throughout the movie. The movie follows Ryland Grace, a man chosen by the United States government to help save the world from an invasive microorganism called Astrophage. Astrophage consumes the energy of stars, which causes the sun to start dying. As a result of Grace’s loss of memory, the film alternates between past and present in a way that deepens the emotional gravity of living isolated in space. During his journey, Grace comes across an alien he names Rocky. As they grow closer, Grace learns that Rocky is tasked with the same mission, so they work together to save both of their planets.

Casting

Although the movie does not contain many big names, outside of Ryan Gosling, each actor plays their role impeccably. Sandra Huller, nominated for an Oscar for her role in Anatomy of a Fall, delivers an outstanding performance as the ambiguous Commander Eva Stratt. Voiced by James Ortiz, Rocky is given a comedic personality that provides much-needed laughter in such a perilous storyline. Along with providing the voice for Rocky, Ortiz was also the main puppeteer who controlled Rocky’s movements. My favorite minor character is Carl, the security guard who watches over Ryland while he researches Astrophage. Played by Lionel Boyce, Carl was originally supposed to have a much smaller role in the movie, but his laid-back attitude and countless jokes only added to the comedy of the film.

Visual Effects

The visuals of “Project Hail Mary” are absolutely stunning. Without using the tools of computer-generated imagery (CGI) or visual effects (VFX), Lord and Miller were able to deliver the best representation of deep space travel since Christopher Nolan’s “Interstellar”. All sets were fully built without the use of green screens. By using 360-degree screens and practical effects, Ryan Gosling was able to produce genuine reactions filled with emotion for the camera. The cinematography was done by Oscar-winning Greig Fraser, famous for his work in “The Batman“ and “Dune.“ Through the camera, Fraser managed to capture both the intimacy of Ryland and Rocky, along with the vastness of space.

Action

The film switches back and forth between calm and intense moments. However, every scene contains important elements that contribute to the plot, whether it is a life-threatening breach in the hull or quietly doing science experiments to discover the secrets of Astrophage. Although Science-Fiction movies have a bad reputation for being confusing or slow-paced, this movie goes against the critics by perfectly balancing both the science and the action. Compared to “Interstellar”, which is easy to get bored or lost while watching, this movie is very easy to keep track of and always has a monumental event that keeps viewers focused. Lord and Miller did not waste a scene adapting a story that will keep viewers on the edge of their seats until the credits roll.

Accuracy

Having read the book earlier this year, I was skeptical about how accurately this film would stick to Weir’s original novel. To my surprise, this is the closest book-to-movie adaptation that I have ever experienced. Other than a few minor changes, the storyline follows the same pacing and path of events as in the book. The biggest change that I noticed was when Ryland went onto Rocky’s ship. In the book, Rocky insists that his air is too dangerous for Ryland to survive in, so he never sees the inside of Rocky’s spaceship. The movie also removed a majority of the scientific details that, for some readers, make the book hard to track. However, all of the science needed for interstellar travel was 100% accurate to real-life physics.

Conclusion

During their trip to New York, The Feather attended the “Project Hail Mary” World Premiere at Lincoln Center and watched the film on opening night. Journalist Garrett Alvis, ’26, was a part of the group that watched the film in New York.

“I already had high expectations for the movie because of the advertising and the past films from Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, but this still blew my mind out of the water,” Alvis said. “Every joke landed, and not one scene was wasted, and the faithfulness to the book was outstanding.”

“Project Hail Mary” gives movie-goers hope that Hollywood is moving back to making films that people want to watch. I do not doubt that this movie will be nominated for multiple Oscars and Golden Globes. In my opinion, Project Hail Mary is an amazing start for a year loaded with movies that include “Michael”, “The Odyssey,“ “Avengers: Doomsday,” and “Dune: Part Three.“

For more from The Feather’s Arts and Entertainment page, visit Gabriel: Trial by Fire, Issue No.2 or Book Review: ‘Fantium’ smashes magic and merits together.

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