Project Hail Mary

Project Hail Mary (fiilm)

Released March 20, 2026

[Note: This review contains spoilers for both the book and for the film.]

Let me start by saying that I loved the book. LOVED. I laughed, I cried, and I felt like I was saying goodbye to a friend when I finished the book. It was a book that I readily and heartily recommended to anyone who would listen. And if you haven’t read it… well, what are you waiting for? Though I didn’t listen to it, I do know for a fact that the audiobook version is amazing, if that’s more your thing. Either way, go experience it!

Anyway, I initially had mixed feelings when I heard they were adapting it into a movie. Book-to-movie adaptations are notoriously hit or miss (and more often than not, it’s a miss). That being said, when I saw that Phil Lord and Chris Miller were producing and directing, I felt hopeful. Then I saw that my fellow Canadian Ryan Gosling was going to play Ryland. I dared to hope even more that the movie would be good.

Fast forward to when the first teaser trailer for PHM dropped. I watched with bated breath. I thought that the visuals were stunning. My jaw dropped the first time I saw Rocky’s ship. The scale of it was unbelievable. When I first saw Rocky, I think I squealed out loud. He looked almost exactly how I saw him in my mind when I was reading. I couldn’t believe they’d nailed the aesthetics. As March 20 loomed closer, I grew more and more excited and anxious. I hadn’t been this excited for a move in an incredibly long time. I bought tickets for an IMAX screening on opening night (Thursday night, March 19th), and counted down the days.

To my delight, I saw that the theatre was full of people. Normally I hate when I’m in a crowd, but this felt different. There was a buzz of excitement and a feeling of reverence overall. I think the last movie I saw with a full theatre was probably No Time to Die back in 2021. Anyway, the lights began to dim, and the crowd fell silent, gripped with anticipation.

First off, the visuals… oof. They’re so good. I don’t even know how to describe how amazing it looks, especially in IMAX. The filmmakers used zero green screen for this film. You are so fully immersed in the world because what you’re seeing is real - it’s not a computer graphic that’s been added in post. Rocky is a real puppet, operated by a crew of highly skilled puppeteers. He’s a living and breathing entity that pulls at your heartstrings. Ryland and Rocky are the heartbeat of this film, and seeing them interact in real-life with each other is just magical. You know that Ryan isn’t staring at some tennis ball or mocap, but rather a real Rocky. It adds such a rich depth to the film. And seeing the spaceship? Holy cow, it’s SO COOL. I recommend checking out some of the behind-the-scenes videos on YouTube… it’s incredibly impressive how the crew achieved all those special effects, and created the world.

Since I didn’t listen to the audiobook, I didn’t have any bias going into the film about how I wanted things to sound. That being said, I did “hear” things in my head as I was reading, and I was pleased with how things sounded in the movie. I’ll admit I wasn’t picturing Ryan Gosling as Ryland when I reading the book, but I’m not exactly disappointed with the casting 😉.

I definitely had some worries about how they were going to adapt certain things from the film — e.g. Ryland’s internal monologue. I was pleased with their “video blog” approach, and thought it made perfect sense. I was also worried about what they would need to cut out of the book to keep the movie’s run time palatable for modern audiences. Clocking in at 156 minutes, the film doesn’t feel rushed or too long. It’s perfectly balanced. I liked the scene with Stratt at the end, showing them receiving the beetles and her seeing the vlogs from Grace. The book’s ending is slightly ambiguous as to the fate of humanity and Earth. It made sense for the book not to disclose it since it’s from Ryland’s perspective. The freedom of filmmaking allows the audience to see things beyond the main POV, so I thought that was a clever and uplifting addition. I do wish they had time to include Ryland saving Rocky and dragging him back into his atmosphere. That was such an emotional moment in the book. Or when Grace was problem-solving how to revive Rocky, and built that air-duster thing haha. I know there wasn’t time in the movie to include all that, but maybe in an extended director’s cut🙏🏻?

Anyway, I’m not sure what else to say other than I loved it. I would absolutely watch this in theatres again. Maybe in a DBox or 4D? That would be kinda wild I think - I’ve never done a 4D before!

Go watch this movie in theatres! A film of this scale deserves to be seen on the big screen.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I did <3