Is Phil Lord and Christopher Miller’s “Project Hail Mary” a new sci-fi classic, or did it end up lost in space?
The film is already a hit, having grossed a sizable $80.6 million domestically in its opening weekend, making it the second highest non-franchise opening in the last decade, just behind “Oppenheimer.”
It currently sits at a worldwide gross of $301 million and is holding strong. It is the second highest grossing movie of 2026 thus far and is on every corner of the internet.
But does this make it good?
Paul’s mission report
I am a sucker for a good space adventure. Attaching Lord and Miller already had my hopes high. They were always putting out some of my favorite films growing up, and it was quite a shame to not see them in the directing chair for so long.
Safe to say, they still got it.
“Project Hail Mary” sees the directors stepping back up to the plate like they never left. Along with screenwriter Drew Goddard, they brought Andy Weir’s book to life in a way I could only have dreamed of.
Ryan Gosling as Ryland Grace is an inspired casting decision. I truly do not think there is another actor working today who could have embodied him as well. Everyone knows he can play a quirky goofball, but at the same time Gosling brings a subtle sadness to the performance.
His relationship with Rocky the alien is beautiful as well. They stellarly play off of each other, which is made all the more impressive since Gosling is essentially talking to nothing. Rocky provides a cute factor that can be a hook for general audiences; however, I would be lying if I said their relationship did not make me tear up many times.
One of the best moments added to the original story comes in Sandra Hüller’s Eva Stratt. Hüller is already one of the best actors working today, and she is a delight in this film.
A truly euphoric moment comes in halfway through the film. The crew of the Hail Mary ship is having a party in the leadup to space launch. Grace opens up to Stratt about how messed up this all is and it must be hard for her to ask everyone to go on a suicide mission. She gives practical answers and avoids really opening up about the events unfolding around her.
After we return inside, she gives a quick but impactful rendition of “Sign of the Times” by Harry Styles. The lyrics echo her mentality and the situation she finds herself in — a rare moment of vulnerability that works even better with Hüller’s performance.
My only criticisms come down to the writing not always being on point. The humor can get a little grating at times. It suffers from a similar trend in many films leaning into ironic humor. Many emotional or impactful scenes cannot help but be undercut by a joke similar to a lot of those in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Not to mention the film is not paced all that well. While a good chunk of it has a decent flow, the first and last 30 minutes can be quite a drag. Every 10 minutes of the last third feels like they are setting the film up to end, and it honestly could have ended on any of those moments and it would have felt earned.
Still, this movie excels with flying colors in its cinematography.
Director of photography Greig Fraser is no doubt going down as one of the best of a generation. In the last five years, he has crafted some of the defining shots of the 2020s with his work on “Dune,” “The Batman” and “Dune: Part Two.”
This film is no exception. In several moments of this film, I sat up in my seat in awe of what I was looking at. Any moment to do with Adrian is a feast for the eyes with vibrant colors and seamlessly integrated special effects.
I really appreciate the commitment to shooting on film and desperately wish I could have seen it in that format. Even on a digital projector, the texture of the images is so rich. Moments in space have this sense of realism to them, with intricate lighting and a constant, subtle shaky cam.
They make choices I adore when switching back and forth between space and Earth. To give the sense of Grace’s mental state, the flashbacks feature a hazier look, smaller aspect ratio and a more washed out color palette. Even with less intense colors, the film still looks great here. Lord & Miller employ unique ways of spinning the camera to add to the disorientation.
Overall, “Project Hail Mary” is an early strong outing for film this year. It has a lot of heart, is flat out gorgeous and features many great performances. If you are one of the 10 people who have not seen this yet, put it on your calendar.
Paul’s score: 8/10
Sarah’s mission report
It is only March and I can say with almost full confidence that “Project Hail Mary” is going to be the most visually stunning film of the year. With its immense and fully realized design elements, mixed with Ryan Gosling’s natural charm, the film is definitely one of the best of the year.
So many of the filming choices for this film were not only executed well, but they also gave the film so much personality that will be remembered for far into the future. Some of the best features were the sound design and music choices.
Instead of going with a classic and easily predictable space movie score, a fun and sonically new sound was created for this film. Daniel Pemberton is no stranger to stylized film, as he worked on the iconic “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” movies and brought the same talent and inventiveness to this project.
Pemberton and his team used many unique techniques to create the distinct auditory worlds of Earth and outer space. For example, they created drum machines based on human voices, squeaky taps and all kinds of odd instruments, including something called a Cristal Baschet.
The set design and visuals within this film are nothing like anything I have seen recently. The detailing and depth on the spaceship sets alone are worth fawning over. During filming, there was a heavy emphasis on practical sets, and it completely pays off.
If there is the choice between seeing this film in digital, IMAX or Dolby, pick Dolby. Not only did the film sound amazing, but it looked incredible. In the 21st century, especially after living in the decade that popularized galaxy leggings, seeing replications of space may seem unappealing, but “Project Hail Mary” does it right.
There is such an awe this film creates for the natural world. Not just for space and all of the stars, particles and planets that exist, but for Earth’s land as well.
As someone in the sciences, I can’t help but also love this film on a narrative level. Grace reminds me so much of my middle school teacher — kind, goofy and wanting the best for others, even if it is sometimes hard.
Grace is funny, and his millennial humor was an absolute gem to watch, especially the moments in the lab on earth. Personally, I need the cool scientist who loves their work to become a film trend.
What I loved about this movie was Grace’s emotional journey, especially through his relationship with Rocky. They are so cute together, and the connection between these characters is hard to match. In the way of criticism, there aren’t many. For me, there are moments where the plot lags and lacks tension, especially near the beginning. What else could have stayed at home was some of the humor, which took away from getting to the depth of Grace’s character.
The light-hearted tone of the piece sometimes created a lack of depth during important moments. Spoiler alert: When Grace learns he was forcefully made to join the team, the audience doesn’t have enough time to connect to that. It may be the way the film is so nonlinear, but the massive betrayal Grace experienced was barely understood.
Overall, there is something truly endearing about this film. Ryan Gosling, the directors and everyone else on the team clearly put so much love and care to this film’s creation, and it shows in every frame.
