Project Hail Mary (dirs. Phil Lord and Christopher Miller)

by Jack Martin | Mar 18, 2026

Certificate: 12A

Running Time: 157 mins

UK Distributor: Sony Pictures

UK Release Date: 19 March 2026

WHO’S IN PROJECT HAIL MARY?

Ryan Gosling, Sandra Hüller, Lionel Boyce, Ken Leung, Milana Vayntrub, James Ortiz, Priya Kansara

WHO’S BEHIND THE CAMERA?

Phil Lord and Christopher Miller (directors, producers), Drew Goddard (writer), Ryan Gosling, Rachel O’Connor, Amy Pascal, Aditya Sood and Andy Weir (producers), Daniel Pemberton (composer), Greig Fraser (cinematographer), Joel Negron (editor)

WHAT’S IT ABOUT?

A science teacher (Gosling) finds himself in the depths of space on a humanity-saving mission…

WHAT ARE MY THOUGHTS ON PROJECT HAIL MARY?

Witnessing Phil Lord and Christopher Miller’s masterful sci-fi epic Project Hail Mary is also like taking a glimpse into an alternate reality. Specifically, one where the directing duo behind The LEGO Movie, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs and the Jump Street films weren’t abruptly fired midway through production on Solo: A Star Wars Story and went on to become some of our brightest sci-fi filmmakers, the same way that Jordan Peele successfully graduated from comedy to horror, or even how Peter Jackson became a fantasy movie pioneer after grossing his audience out with films like Bad Taste and Meet the Feebles.

Lord and Miller may not have had that exact path in our much bleaker reality, but with their first directorial outing since getting the boot from that Star Wars spin-off, they have set a new course for themselves with a smart, funny and above all heartfelt film that truly is, to borrow a painfully overused phrase, out of this world.

Adapted from Andy Weir’s 2021 novel by screenwriter Drew Goddard, who also translated Weir’s debut novel The Martian to the screen back in 2015, Project Hail Mary opens with scientist and humble schoolteacher Dr. Ryland Grace (Ryan Gosling) waking up from an induced coma on board a ship that is currently floating about in the depths of space, light years away from Earth. Initially amnesiac, he slowly regains his memory as to why he’s there: back home, Grace was part of an international task force led by Eva Stratt (Sandra Hüller) to determine what may be causing an unusual interstellar phenomenon that is dimming the sun and therefore setting the planet on the course for extinction, with the space mission being humanity’s only opportunity to examine it and possibly find a solution. But very soon, Grace realises that he’s not the only being that’s been thrust onto this life-saving mission, as he encounters and eventually teams up with a rock-like alien dubbed “Rocky” – an exceptional creation brought to life via a mixture of puppetry and CGI, with puppeteer James Ortiz providing its automated voice – that is similarly trying to save its own species from the cosmic phenomenon.

Like some of the best deep-space-set movies in existence, from 2001: A Space Odyssey to Interstellar, there is true majesty in watching the mysterious realm of the universe play out in front of your eyes during this film. Lord and Miller, as well as cinematographer Greig Fraser, bring such vibrant colour and life to a largely black and predominantly lifeless void, where planets are draped in luminescent green and even the interiors of certain spacecrafts are filled with fascinating metaphysical surprises, that you feel a sense of euphoric wonder every time they show glimpses of what may lie beyond our solar system. There is something quite profound in how the space scenes themselves are shot, with incredible effects making things like ship exteriors and planet surfaces that we know deep down aren’t real feel, well, real, all with touches of Lord and Miller’s quirky sense of humour that offer striking personality to the overwhelming beauty (something that you’ll definitely catch if you choose to see this film on IMAX, and especially with 15/70mm projection).

Yet for all the wondrous cosmic phenomena that Project Hail Mary presents its audience, the real awe lies within the central pairing of Grace and Rocky. Like Elliott and E.T. or even Lilo and Stitch before them, theirs is a cinematic human/alien friendship that is impossible not to fall in love with, as their fantastic odd-couple chemistry brings as many laughs as it does some genuinely sweet moments, a few of which you might actually cause you to get all choked up. Rocky, in particular, might well be one of the finest supporting characters to come along in a movie for quite some time, as the alien is not only instantly lovable with his adorably grotesque design but also, thanks to Ortiz’s deadpan vocal delivery, genuinely funny while also possessing the extra dimensions required for him to feel like a well-rounded character, to where you’ll spend a good chunk of the film secretly praying that nothing bad happens to what is essentially a puppet (an excellently designed one, at that). On the more human end, Gosling puts in one of his finest lead performances as he utilises his natural comedic skills as well as his legitimate grounded charm to create a likeable and interesting protagonist who, like Rocky, you’d blissfully follow to the very edge of the universe.

Together, they form an unstoppable on-screen team that provides Project Hail Mary with the heart and soul that it needs to keep the audience invested all throughout its two-and-a-half-hour runtime. Luckily, you don’t feel the length that much (except for once or twice nearer the end), because you are so emotionally invested in these characters and their high-stakes mission that you could even do with the film being at least another half-hour longer, if only so more time can be spent watching these two work off one another. Even when they aren’t on-screen together, such as in a series of Earth-set flashbacks framed within a thinner widescreen aspect ratio, Lord and Miller know exactly how to elicit some earned emotion as Gosling and Hüller shine just as well opposite each other as the weight of their life-or-death mission becomes more and more apparent, to where even a simple karaoke rendition of a Harry Styles song can be a devastating display of humanity. The directors, along with screenwriter Goddard, maintain a necessary pace with their focus on all the right ingredients, particularly character, story and scope, while also giving the viewer an incredible sensory experience that can in parts overwhelm but always holds your firm attention with its majestic filmmaking beauty.

Because of that, in a slightly ironic twist, Project Hail Mary feels more like a classic Star Wars movie that what they probably would have done with their own Star Wars movie had they been allowed to complete it. But beyond that, this is the kind of high-concept sci-fi blockbuster done extremely right, as it provides intellectual and emotional intelligence from all angles while leaving you eager to look up at the stars and imagining what may be out there, even if it turns out to be a pentapod rock monster named after a famous movie boxer.

SO, TO SUM UP…

Project Hail Mary is the kind of phenomenal sci-fi storytelling done exactly right on the screen, as directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller bring Andy Weir’s novel to dazzlingly colourful life with pure heart and soul that is plentifully provided by the effortlessly charming central pairing of Ryan Gosling and a rock-like alien who may be about to become your new favourite supporting character.