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A Review of Project
Hail Mary by Nick Olszyk
Distribution Service: Theatrical
FCC Rating, PG-13
OSV Rating, Not rated at the time of this review
Reel Rating, Five Reels
There are
few things as remote, extreme, or beautiful as outer space, despite it comprising
most of our Universe. Space has no air, water, food, or other resources, so any
narrative set in this location unfolds like a castaway narrative. Recently,
there have quite a few good “stuck in space” films including Moon,
Interstellar, Passengers, and The Martian. Project Hail Mary
not only exceeds these fine films but is probably the best science fiction
movie of the decade so far, combining both hard technology with incredibly
entertaining writing and Spielbergian wonder. It’s first good contender for
Best Picture of the year and may even remain so by December.
Dr. Ryland
Grace (Ryan Gosling) wakes up from a decade long coma in a spaceship with
limited memory of his identity or purpose. As he combs his interstellar vehicle
for food and clues, he gradually starts to piece together how he arrived in
this situation. After failing as a serious researcher in microbiology, he
became a middle school science teacher. One day, his monotonous schedule is
interrupted by Eva Stratt (Sandra Huller), a powerful government bureaucrat who
informs him that the Sun is mysteriously losing energy and recruits him to help
unearth the reason before humanity dies in a global cooling. Grace discovers a
new lifeform hanging out between Venus and the Sun he calls “astrophage,” which
is eating the sun’s fuel and converting it to electromagnetic energy. Their
team of scientists discover that every star in our neighborhood also has these
parasites except for one: Tau Centi. They initiate Project Hail Mary, a journey
to this star eleven light years away to discover why it isn’t being eaten and
relay the information back to Earth.
In a film
with many incredible qualities, the performances of the two lead characters
steal the show. Grace has one of the best character arcs in recent memory. He
starts as a sad, pathetic shell of a man who, despite his obvious talents, is
sure he will fail at everything he tries. This stems from the lack of
recognition from his initial research and a broken relationship with an
ex-girlfriend. As the film progresses and he manages to solve problems, he
gains more confidence, not just in his own abilities but in the necessity of
acting “brave” in the face of adversity. He is helped by the second performance
which, for the sake of huge spoilers, will have to remain somewhat vague.
Suffice to say, he is fun, eager, and brings out the best in Grace when he
feels overwhelmed or impotent. He’s wingman that everyone needs. They work in
tandem to find solve the mystery of Tau Centi’s immunity and their mutual work
provides some of the best movie banter in years.
While the
film is largely absent of explicit religiosity, it thoroughly promotes a
Western theistic worldview and ethic in a way that was common sixty years ago.
One virtue is mankind’s God given ingenuity. Creative work predates the Fall
when Adam was commanded to “dress and keep the garden.” Humans have always been
problem solvers. God doesn’t give us an easy world but one filled with danger
and the opportunity for heroism. Grace’s efforts are continually frustrated but
as he makes the decisions to keep trying new avenues, he learns the value of
persistence. Solving one problem often creates another, but if you keep solving
enough problems, you can make real progress and eventually reach a conclusion.
Ultimately, it’s God’s decision when you’ve done enough and can rest, ours is
to keep working in the world.
The film also highlights the most distinctly
Christian quality of all: self-sacrificial love. Both Grace and his companion
make incredibly brave decisions at their own expense to save each other and
their people back home. There’s one particularly horrifying scene where Grace’s
friend experiences his own “passion” as his body is horribly mangled in a
desperate attempt to save his friend. People often forget that this philosophy,
now assumed in all societies, is a direct creation of Christianity.
All of
these lessons are packaged in a magnificently entertaining movie that never
feels dull or haphazard. Directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller are masters
of fast editing, humorous situations, and funky musical backgrounds. Unlike the
still silence of 2001, Project Hail Mary contains rapid fire
dialogue that echos locker room talk between twentysomething college students
at an ivy league school and blaring sound design in the vein of Inception
and Interstellar. The art direction of the spaceship combines technical
gadgetry of Apollo 13 but with a punk ethos of a college dorm room. It’s
a weird combination but works incredibly well.
Project Hail Mary is an
experience of pure joy: an exciting, funny space story that is deep and sticks
with you as one leaves the theater. The film has only one brief throwaway line
about the divine, but His handiwork is everywhere. The random coincidences and
all the crazy mess of things that must go right to reach the conclusion clearly
point to divine providence, yet done through the free action of individuals.
This feels like the first truly post-Covid film, where the audience can relax
and breathe freely, trusting that our problems can be solved both by our own
creative power properly directed by God’s love.
This article first appeared in Catholic World Report on April 7th, 2026.
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