By Anita Kartchner
Project Hail Mary, the long‑awaited screen adaptation of Andy Weir’s 2021 novel, hit theaters on March 20th. The film follows astronaut Ryland Grace after he wakes up on a spacecraft light‑years away from Earth with no memory of how he got there. Starring Ryan Gosling as Ryland Grace, the small cast also includes Sandra Hüller, James Ortiz, and Lionel Boyce. The marketing for the movie included a trailer released on June 30th of last year, and while the campaign wasn’t as extravagant as Marty Supreme’s—Ryan Gosling did not stand on top of the Las Vegas Sphere—the creative team took a major risk by revealing one of the film’s biggest plot twists: Grace befriending a lovable space rock‑alien named Rocky. When I first saw the trailer, I was confused as to why they would reveal such a major plot point, but the decision ultimately worked in the marketing team’s favor. Instead of framing PHM as a stern, solitary space drama, it positioned the film as a more lighthearted space comedy, something far more appealing to general audiences. As for the movie itself, it is beautifully shot, scored, and edited, and Gosling’s performance as Grace is strong. The soundtrack complements the film well, and the score is beautiful, while the visual effects are stunning. Grace’s backstory is one of the weaker aspects of the film—you don’t fully understand his character to the extent you do in the novel—but nothing detracts enough to significantly lower the film’s impact. If you’re looking for a well‑made, entertaining, and heartfelt movie, Project Hail Mary is absolutely worth watching.