Project Hail Mary Might Be the Best Movie I Ever Watched

The title is fairly self-explanatory, but I still want to explain why Project Hail Mary is a ten out of ten for me.

Dr. Grace teaching — img source: https://stillslab.com/gallery/project-hail-mary

At first, I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect from this movie. I haven’t read the book, so I went into it with no real expectations or prior knowledge of the story. From the poster alone, I knew it involved space, an astronaut, and what appeared to be another science-fiction survival story. Perhaps something along the lines of Interstellar or The Martian: an astronaut stranded somewhere in space, trying to find his way home while surviving in zero gravity through nothing but his knowledge, resourcefulness, and scientific expertise.

And yet, Project Hail Mary may share some of those familiar elements, but what I love most about it is how it ultimately takes a different approach.

Dr. Grace does not willingly go into space because he wants to be a hero. In fact, quite the opposite. He is not initially driven by some noble desire to sacrifice himself for humanity. At the beginning of the movie, he has lost his memories, and we gradually uncover his past alongside him as he struggles to survive and navigate the spaceship. Rather than presenting us with a heroic protagonist from the very beginning, the movie allows us to discover who Grace is piece by piece.

And then there is Rocky.

Rocky is an absolute blessing to this movie.

Through Rocky, Dr. Grace is finally able to form a genuine connection with another being. Before this, you could argue that Grace did not really have a family or any particularly deep emotional connection with anyone. Even the people he believed he could trust, such as Carl and Stratt, ultimately betrayed him or forced him into situations he never wanted to be part of. They essentially made the decision for him, turning him into the hero he never agreed to become.

There is something deeply unsettling about that. In the name of saving the world, Grace’s autonomy is taken away from him. His life, his choices, and ultimately his right to decide his own fate are treated as expendable because the people around him believe that the greater good justifies it. And perhaps what makes it even more tragic is that the world had never treated Grace particularly well in the first place.

Dr. Grace and Rocky — img source: https://stillslab.com/gallery/project-hail-mary

That is also what makes his relationship with Rocky so powerful. Rocky does not demand that Grace sacrifice himself. He does not manipulate him into becoming a hero. Instead, their relationship is built on mutual trust, cooperation, and genuine care. And when Grace eventually chooses to risk his life for Rocky, it feels fundamentally different from the sacrifice that was forced upon him at the beginning.

For the first time, Grace is not sacrificing himself because someone else decided that he should.

He chooses to do it himself.

That is why I love this movie so much.

Dr. Grace’s character does not simply develop independently of the audience. His character grows alongside us. We watch him go from someone who primarily wants to survive and remain in his comfort zone into someone willing to risk his life for another person.

And somehow, that makes his eventual heroism feel earned.

Dr. Grace playing with Rocky, showing Earth — img source: https://stillslab.com/gallery/project-hail-mary

The Perfect Balance of Tension and Humor

The movie also does a great job of using comedic relief to ease the tension.

This is especially important because Project Hail Mary deals with an incredibly heavy premise. Humanity is facing an existential threat, the world is potentially coming to an end, and Grace is stranded millions of kilometres away from home.

That is, objectively, terrifying.

You could almost describe parts of it as psychological action-horror disguised as science fiction.

The humor prevents the movie from becoming relentlessly bleak.

A lot of the comedic moments also come naturally from the relationship between Grace and Rocky, which makes them even more enjoyable because they are not simply jokes inserted into the story. They emerge from the characters themselves.

And, of course, we have to talk about the visuals.

The CGI is incredibly convincing. Erid and Rocky feel so tangible that, at times, I genuinely believed they could exist somewhere out there.

That is one of the greatest compliments I can give a science-fiction movie. When the visual effects stop feeling like visual effects and start feeling like a window into another world, the movie has done its job.

Dr. Grace teaching — img source: https://stillslab.com/gallery/project-hail-mary

Last but certainly not least, Ryan Gosling did an incredible job in this movie.

His performance is a major reason Dr. Grace works as a character. Grace is not immediately presented as the typical larger-than-life hero, and Gosling manages to make his awkwardness, selfishness, humor, fear, intelligence, and eventual courage pierce through the screen. The audience can feel every bit of Dr. Grace’s emotions.

And honestly?

I want to nominate Project Hail Mary as one of the best movies ever made.

Maybe that is an unnecessarily bold statement after only one viewing.

But I don’t care.

I went into this movie expecting a familiar science-fiction survival story. Instead, I got a story about humanity, friendship, trust, sacrifice, and finding somewhere you truly belong.

So yes.

Ten out of ten.

Would watch again.

Would probably cry again.

And my favorite quote from the entire movie is, without question:

“Carl and I made a baby.”