A star-eating parasite has begun to eat the sun, the Earth’s lifeline, alongside other stars in the galaxy. Scientists and government officials worldwide are panicking, desperately searching for a way to stop this parasite before it’s too late. One middle school science teacher seemed to figure it out. But when a one-way mission to space becomes compromised, Ryland Grace is forced onto the ship, waking up from a coma years later with a million questions and one ultimate goal: save Earth.
“Project Hail Mary” was released to theaters in America on March 20, 2026. Ryan Gosling is the star actor, also known for his roles in the movies “La La Land,” “The Notebook,” and “Barbie.” Gosling acts as a middle school teacher and former molecular biologist who becomes recruited by a government agent (Sangra Huller) to study a deadly parasite known as astrophage that is dimming nearby stars, including the sun. If the astrophage continues to dim the sun, a large-scale global cooling event is expected to occur within the next 30 years. The impact on humanity would be catastrophic, causing scientists worldwide to begin rapid experimentation on the astrophage in order to find a cure.
The movie made about $141 million worldwide on the premiering weekend. The movie was highly regarded as one that’s actually good. One viewer went into theaters not once, but twice to see it on the big screen
“I had low expectations for the movie as I do any recent movie to come out in the last few years,” sophomore Roman Garcia said. “I did like the movie, the pacing was quite good, with added comedy but serious moments when needed. I loved the flashbacks, as it gives the audience that same feeling as Grace [Ryland] when learning about his backstory.”
Brian Gill, from the “Mad about Movies Podcast” didn’t have much to say about the movie. But what he did say was enough to show how truly spectacular the movie was.
“One of the great theatrical experiences of my life, A plus,” said Gill.
When I went into the movie, I already had high expectations, as Garcia had raved about the movie to me. I didn’t know much about the plot, either. I hadn’t expected much, though, as movies recently haven’t been as good as they seem. I was expecting a mediocre space movie, but I was certainly wrong about that. Yes, it was a space movie, but it was far from mediocre.
Ryan Gosling and his acting thoroughly impressed me. I hadn’t seen him in anything since “Barbie” and was unsure of what to expect, as “Project Hail Mary” is a complete 180 from “Barbie.” But the way he conveys his emotions truly hooked me and made me feel the emotion alongside him. He was fantastic at conveying a wide range of emotions that would rapidly change according to the situation. Gosling also was extremely convincing as his character, making me forget by the end of the film that he wasn’t truly a biologist saving Earth.
While Grace was a biologist, the science and space aspect of the film isn’t too overwhelming, which is something I favored. It was amazing to watch Grace solve problems so efficiently and quickly, something that I couldn’t even fathom attempting. Grace in the film was truly a brilliant mind, and it shows why he was selected to carry out the mission of saving Earth in the first place. He’s a perfect mixture of funny, but also extremely serious when it calls for him to be.
My tears of both joy and sadness were shed during different points of the film, much to my surprise. “Project Hail Mary” is truly a film worth seeing–even if one doesn’t enjoy space or science–it was such a great movie to watch and it proves that making good movies is still possible. Every aspect of the movie was amazing, and I recommend everyone to watch it.
