| Worth seeing: | for the interactions between two very contrasting lifeforms as they work together to save the universe they share |
| Director: | Christopher Miller, Phil Lord |
| Featuring: | Ryan Gosling, Sandra Hüller, Aaron Neil, James Ortiz, James Wright, Ken Leung, Lionel Boyce, Liz Kingsman, Milana Vayntrub, Orion Lee |
| Length: | 156 minutes |
| Certificate: | 12A |
| Country: | US |
| Released: | 19th March 2026 |
WHAT’S IT ABOUT?
Ryland Grace (Ryan Gosling) wakes up on a spacecraft, with no idea who he is, where he is, why he’s there – or why there’s no-one else there.
As he starts to explore his surroundings, bit by bit, his memories return. He recalls being a science teacher, going nowhere, until he receives a visit from a stranger, Eva Stratt (Sandra Hüller), who knows why he was kicked out of academia.
She tells him almost every star in the universe – including our Sun – is dimming. Only one known star looks like it might be able to keep burning and someone needs to go there to investigate why, to find out whether there’s a way to save our Sun – and all life in the known universe.
Luckily for him, another civilisation has had the same idea and he encounters the solo representative from the planet Erid – a five-limbed character who appears to be made of rock – so he calls him Rocky.
First, the pair have to learn to communicate with each other – next, they have to help each other save the universe.
WHAT’S IT LIKE?
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Project Hail Mary has much in common with The Martian – another film adaptation from a novel by Andy Weir; a bold scientist, stranded millions of miles from home, keeping himself – and us – occupied and entertained with his scientific prowess, undoubted charm and wry sense of humour.
But unlike The Martian, where Matt Damon finds himself stranded as a consequence of a natural disaster out of his hands, in this case someone has made an active decision to place the future of the universe in the hands of a high school teacher, which is quite a difficult construct to accept from the outset.
Gosling is always likeable and the comic touch he displays here is an unexpected but welcome diversion from his usually more serious fare. The way his reading glasses hang from one ear when he’s not using them – something that might resonate with middle aged audiences – makes him feel like a cuddly uncle.
It’s an interesting juxtaposition, having a film about the almost certain implosion of the universe being peculiarly warm and fuzzy – largely down to the odd-couple relationship between these wildly different life-forms as they befriend each other and help each other save live as we know it – and live as we don’t.
Watching Grace and Rocky learn to communicate, work together and share each other’s inhospitable environments are among of the highlights of an already interesting concept. The camaraderie – both in the present day in space and in flashback down on Earth – contrasts sharply with one unexpectedly dark moment when we learn the truth about this apparent solo suicide mission.
The pseudo-science works to an extent, but some of it feels a little contrived, becoming less convincing and the plot flip-flops a little too much in the closing act, as questions are raised about whether he might be able to make it home.
It won’t disappoint fans of the book, while newcomers to the material will find it brisk, charming and entertaining, if not always scientifically convincing.