PROJECT HAIL MARY: Another Great ROCKY Movie

PROJECT HAIL MARY (4K UHD)

2026 / 156 min

Alliance Entertainment

Review by Princess Pepper😸

I don’t recall the last time two of the biggest movies of the year also happened to be two of the best ones (so far, anyway). One is Obsession, a horror film that more than lived up to the hype. The other is Project Hail Mary. I haven’t enjoyed a science fiction film this much since The Martian…for a lot of the same reasons.

Both were adapted from novels by Andy Weir, who probably wakes up every morning high-fiving himself. The narratives are structurally similar, centered around a lone protagonist with a life-threatening problem that only science can solve. But whereas The Martian’s Mark Watney is trying to save himself, Ryland Grace (Ryan Gosling) is tasked with saving an entire planet…two, actually.

Grace wakes up on-board a spaceship with no memory of how he got there. The rest of the crew are dead, and he figures out that the ship is nearing the end of a 12 light-year journey to the Tau Ceti, the only star in the system that isn’t dying. Meanwhile, flashbacks (taking place on Earth) reveal our sun is dying, too, due to a black substance called astrophage, which absorbs a star’s energy to move around and procreate. 

Being something of a renegade scientist unafraid to put forth controversial theories, Grace becomes the foremost expert on astrophage. More or less against his will, he ends up on the mission to determine why Tau Ceti isn’t affected. But he isn’t alone for long. Another ship from a different world, also with a single surviving crew member, has been sent to the same place for the same reason. And this is when the narrative elevates Project Hail Mary from yet-another sci-fi film with apocalyptic implications to a charming - often very funny- tale of friendship.

The wi-fi out here sucks.

Grace’s new partner/companion is a rock-based creature, whom he dubs Rocky (voiced by James Ortiz). The film does a terrific job depicting how the language barrier is broken, as well as the two getting to know each other on a personal level. Though the present crisis looms large and remains central to the story, the best moments (especially during the middle act) are human ones (even though one of ‘em is a rock). Because both characters are so well developed, we become hugely invested in them and are rewarded with multiple emotional payoffs, especially during the final third of the film. This might also be Gosling’s best performance, which is quite impressive considering he’s largely sharing the screen with a special effect.

Speaking of which…while the special effects are excellent, they never become the focus of the film. They simply serve the story, which is so well written that deep space could be depicted with black felt & Christmas lights and it would still be engaging. Ultimately, Project Hail Mary is one of those sci-fi movies I’d recommend to people who profess to hate the genre (like my dad). There’s simply too much wonderful stuff going on to dismiss it as just another space flick. I'll just tell Dad it's another great Rocky movie.

I’m glad I caught it on the big screen first, which is the best way to take it all in. However, this 4K UHD release from Alliance Entertainment does boast an overall picture that’s sharp, detailed, and at times very colorful, as well as an outstanding Dolby Atmos audio track. On the other hand, the disc is surprisingly lacking much in the way of supplemental material…just a commentary, some deleted scenes and a short featurette about Rocky. That’s a minor quip, though.

EXTRA KIBBLES

FEATURETTE - Earth’s Favorite Eridian is all about how Rocky was designed, created and voiced.

AUDIO COMMENTARY - By directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller.

DELETED SCENES