Project Hail Mary, based on the best-selling 2021 novel by Andy Weir (The Martian), is a sci-fi adventure epic coming to cinemas this week. Directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller (The Lego Movie), and produced by Amazon MGM Studios, Project Hail Mary aims to deliver an intelligent space survival story while still functioning as an accessible, feel-good crowd-pleaser.
The film follows Ryland Grace, played by Ryan Gosling (Barbie), a disgraced middle-school science teacher who wakes up alone on a spaceship light years from home with no memory of how he got there. Slowly piecing together his past through flashbacks, Grace discovers he’s on a desperate mission to save Earth from a cosmic threat that’s causing the sun to dim and potentially wipe out all life on the planet.
Related: Read our interview with cinematographer Greig Fraser discussing the making of Project Hail Mary .
Going in, I was expecting a smart sci-fi movie in the vein of The Martian — something science-heavy, a little nerdy, and probably full of explanations I wouldn’t fully understand. The trailers made it look big and emotional, but I wasn’t sure if the science would be convincing or if it would just sound convincing enough to get away with it.
What Project Hail Mary absolutely nails is the feeling of a true sci-fi epic. It’s one of those sci-fi movies that throws around complex ideas and equations that sound smart, but honestly I’m not bright enough to question whether any of the science actually works. Instead, the film focuses on making the journey exciting and emotional, and it succeeds on both fronts. The tone balances tension and humour in a way that keeps things moving even during the more technical explanations.
Visually, the film is stunning — especially in IMAX. Seeing it in IMAX was a genuinely transformative experience. It was my first time watching a movie in that format and it felt almost overwhelming in the best possible way. The film uses the full extent of both the massive screen and the theatre’s sound system, creating sequences that feel truly like I’m aboard the Hail Mary. Combined with the practical effects, which feel like a real masterclass in tactile filmmaking, the movie has a sense of weight and realism that a lot of CGI-heavy sci-fi films lack.
A huge part of why the movie works is Ryan Gosling. Carrying a film where he’s alone on screen for long stretches is no easy task, but he absolutely pulls it off. It’s a tour de force performance that manages to be funny, vulnerable, and surprisingly emotional. He keeps the audience engaged even when the story becomes very internal and reflective, which is impressive considering how much of the movie depends entirely on his reactions.
The emotional side of the film is another major highlight. This is very much a feel-good movie despite its apocalyptic premise, and the emotional moments feel genuinely earned rather than manipulative. At one point I glanced around the theatre and there didn’t seem to be a dry eye among the audience. The story builds toward these emotional payoffs carefully, so when they land they hit hard.
From a filmmaking standpoint, the movie is gorgeous. Cinematographer Greig Fraser (Dune) once again proves he’s operating on another level. His work here makes space feel vast, lonely, and beautiful all at once, turning the spaceship interiors and cosmic vistas into something visually striking.
That said, if I had to name a flaw, it would be that at times it leans a little too heavily on familiar sci-fi tropes, and some plot beats feel a bit cliché. These moments occasionally dampen the epic feeling the film spends so much time building toward. It never completely derails the experience, but you can definitely feel when the story falls back on genre conventions.
Despite a few cliché story beats, Project Hail Mary is an epic, emotional, and wildly entertaining sci-fi adventure. It’s the kind of movie that feels designed to bring a crowd together — big laughs, gorgeous visuals, and powerful emotional moments all centred around an outstanding performance from Ryan Gosling. Combined with breathtaking cinematography and a truly immersive IMAX presentation, it ends up being one of those rare sci-fi films that feels both intimate and enormous at the same time. It might not actually be as scientifically brilliant as it sounds, but it absolutely knows how to make space feel magical.
Score 9/10
You can also read or listen to our interview with Cinematographer Greig Fraser here.
