Project Hail Mary was one of the most anticipated films of 2026 as the year began, but the March release was one of those that put it on the fence for me. The first quarter of the year tends to be the “dumping ground” for studios of films that they don’t have a lot of faith in, but the further into that three-month period you go, that trust goes up a bit. The trailers had me intrigued, but the over two-and-a-half-hour run time gave me pause. Luckily, directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller are just the guys to take this on.
Ryan Gosling plays Ryland Grace, a man who wakes up on a space station headed across the galaxy VERY confused. As he gets his bearings, his memories come back to him as a science teacher that is sent to a distant star to find out its secrets and send them back to earth in order to stop our sun from going dark and ending life as we know it. Along the way, he encounters a being he names “Rocky” who is on the same quest, and they team up to try and save both of their worlds.
Is this long? Yes.
Is this slow? Also, yes.
Is that to the detriment of the enjoyment factor? Absolutely not.
Before this film released, Lord and Miller did a video where they explained the different presentations that would be available for it to help the audience decide how they wanted to see it. I was able to screen it in IMAX, and let me tell you it is more than worth it. The visuals are dazzling, especially knowing that there is NO green-screen techniques and very little CGI used. That alone was enough to keep my eyes glued to the screen, but this film is SO much more.
Gosling is more than up to the task to carry this film on his back for the overwhelming majority of it in that “was he awakened too early for this quest, and what must he do in order to complete this mission” way. The concept of being able to act against anything and sell it to its core is on full-display as the emotion between is character and “Rocky” is powerful and palpable to the point that I got emotional more than once as this story unfolded.
When it comes to the run time, this is the rare occasion where I knew how slow things were going, but it did not really affect me negatively. There is not a ton of action involved here, but there also does not need to be; this is more about a story of perseverance and friendship than it is to be just another sci-fi-adventure. The flashbacks have some great performances that serve more than just filler, bringing the emotion to a much higher level, defining the stakes not only for Grace but for everyone involved and even on the planet.
Project Hail Mary can be considered a moder epic in that way that the large-scale films of old are. I am not prepared to compare them to things like The Ten Commandments or Ben-Hur, but there is a vibe here that at least makes me think about it without a lot of the pomp and circumstance that comes with those two: just solid visuals, great performances, and an amazing story.