A Rock Outshines Ryan Gosling in “Project Hail Mary”

Ryan Gosling stars in “Project Hail Mary.” (Jonathan Olley/Amazon Content Services LLC/TNS)

I never imagined myself crying over a pet rock, but there I was in the movie theater, sobbing over an alien named Rocky.

“Project Hail Mary,” adapted from Andy Weir’s novel of the same name, has grossed $300 million worldwide in only two weeks, breaking the record as Amazon MGM Studios’ highest-grossing film and as the highest-grossing film of 2026 thus far.

“Project Hail Mary” takes place in the near future, where scientists discover these evil little microbes, named astrophage, which are slowly eating the stars, including our sun. They predict that within the next 10 years, the earth will grow cold, food will be scarce, and half the population will die.

Middle school science teacher Ryland Grace (Ryan Gosling) is recruited by the government and sent on a mission on the “Hail Mary” to investigate Tau Ceti, the one star in the galaxy that isn’t being eaten by astrophage. 

Grace and his crew members are put into medically induced comas for the trip; however, Grace is the only one who wakes up. But he’s not alone, because he comes across an alien ship, occupied by a five-legged, rock-shaped creature that he names Rocky. 

Grace and Rocky learn to communicate with each other. Rocky reveals that he is also studying the astrophage, but the rest of his crew died. The two of them bond, becoming the best of friends, as they work towards saving the universe.

The cinematography was absolutely beautiful, and I caught myself gasping in awe at the planets, stars, and galaxies. The plot grabbed my attention right from the beginning, and I found myself on the edge of my seat multiple times.

But Grace and Rocky’s relationship carried the film. I’d say Gosling deserves an Oscar, but Rocky, played by an animatronic puppet, may deserve it even more. Rocky reminded me of E.T. and R2-D2, but a hundred times more chaotic. His bright, energetic personality complemented Grace’s awkwardness perfectly. Their bond showed that two completely different beings who couldn’t even communicate at first could become the best of friends.

As much as I love dark dystopian and sci-fi films that reflect today’s political turmoil, sometimes it’s nice to have something a little happy. “Project Hail Mary” was not all rainbows and sunshine. There were plenty of moments where it seemed incredibly bleak. But this character-driven story was heartwarming and comedic. It had plenty of laugh-out-loud moments, but they didn’t come off as slapstick, or take away from the deeper plot — saving the world and trying not to die in space.

“Project Hail Mary” isn’t my first five-star review of 2026, but definitely my favorite. If I could rate it 5.5 stars, I would.