Project Hail Mary is, sadly, one of the more rare feel-good movies in quite a while, a science fiction drama, with bits of humor, which the entire family will enjoy. Ryan Gosling is great as usual and the Eridian character was so much fun and a great all-around character.
Project Hail Mary
(2026)
Genre(s): Science Fiction, Drama
Alliance Entertainment | PG13 – 156 min. – $37.99 | August 11, 2026
Date Published: September 14, 2026 | Author: The Movieman
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Alliance Entertainment provided me with a free copy of the Blu-ray I reviewed in this Blog Post.
The opinions I share are my own.
THE MOVIE — 4/5 |
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Plot synopsis: Science teacher Ryland Grace (RYAN GOSLING) wakes up on a spaceship with no recollection of who he is or how he got there. As his memory slowly returns, he soon discovers he must solve the riddle behind a mysterious substance that’s causing the sun to die out. As details of the mission unravel, he calls on his scientific training and sheer ingenuity — but he may not have to do it alone. Quick Hit Review: Full disclosure, I’m not much a reader of science fiction, crime-thrillers along the lines of John Sandford are more my pace, so I never heard of “Project Hail Mary” written by Andy Weir and from what I’ve read, it’s rather beloved. I say this as I went into the film adaptation with a clean slate or preconceptions. Leaving, I thought it was a well crafted, family-friendly sci-fi drama (with comedy sprinkled in) that was hard not to have a smile on my face from beginning to end. Having said that, there were times the film did feel a tad long but at least every moment did go towards the story and characters. Project Hail Mary is a film that allows Ryan Gosling to shine as he can balance the drama and comedy needed for the role, not to mention spending much of the film acting alongside a rock. And he proves he can carry a film mostly on his own, although Sandra Huller was a great inclusion and her dry humor mixed with some great dramatic scenes. The film was directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller who are pretty phenomenal talent working on The Lego Movie, 21 Jump Street, the two Spider-Man animated movies amongst many others. It’s a difficult thing bringing so much emotion to a rock alien but they did it. |
SPECIAL FEATURES – 2½/5 |
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This release comes with a slip cover but no digital copy presumably so Amazon can be the sole home for streaming. Not a plethora of features. There is an Audio Commentary with Directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, a few Deleted Scenes (9:58) and Earth’s Favorite Eridian (7:53) featurette. |
VIDEO – 5/5 |
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Project Hail Mary takes off onto 4K Ultra HD and is presented in its original 2.35 widescreen aspect ratio and a 2160p high-definition transfer. I don’t go to the theaters a whole lot, however this is one I did see and it does match fairly closely to my theatrical experience. Colors are well balanced aided by the HDR (my set-up does not have Dolby Vision) while detail was sharp and nicely defined. |
AUDIO – 5/5 |
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The disc comes with a strong Dolby Atmos track and given the movie has a great balance of drama and sci-fi action/suspense, there’s a lot here to admire. Dialogue is crisp and clear and the front and rear channels do get some fine usage as well as great depth. |
OVERALL — 3¾/5 |
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Project Hail Mary is, sadly, one of the more rare feel-good movies in quite a while, a science fiction drama, with bits of humor, which the entire family will enjoy. Ryan Gosling is great as usual and the Eridian character was so much fun and a great all-around character. |