Phil Lord and Chris Miller’s Project Hail Mary, based on Andy Weir’s bestselling novel, has arrived in theaters with the kind of box office thunder that original, non-IP science fiction rarely commands anymore. Opening to roughly $83 million domestically and $140 million worldwide, it has become the second-highest-grossing non-IP film of the 2020s — trailing only Oppenheimer.
Speaking of Christopher Nolan’s many magnum opuses, fans online are calling this film the best science fiction film since Interstellar. But with more Spielberg’s heartfelt warmth than Nolan’s intellectual weight, Project Hail Mary is a genuine triumph that celebrates the wonders and terror of intergalactic travel.
Andres and RB3 reviewed the movie together on a recent episode of First Cut Live.
“I really enjoyed it. I thought it was a fun movie. I thought it was some good sci-fi, some nerdy sci-fi, which I appreciate. It’s a lot of math in here, a lot of education, a lot of science. It’s trying to teach you some — which a lot of these Andy Weir movies and books kind of do — but it’s legitimately great,” said RB3.
The enthusiasm is palpable, and it’s matched by relief that audiences are rewarding original cinema. “I’m always happy to see real sci-fi winning at the box office. I love seeing non-IP movies win.”
Ryan Gosling plays Ryland Grace, a marine biologist who wakes from an induced coma aboard a spacecraft with no memory, only to discover he may be humanity’s last hope. The film doesn’t shy away from the scientific weeds — equations, biology, physics — and both reviewers praised it for leaning into that complexity rather than running from it.
RB3: “The leaning on heavy sci-fi was absolutely great… they aren’t running from any exposition or running from any of the heavy dialogue. They put it all in, but they executed it with some grace.”
Gosling himself earns high marks. “This is maybe one of Ryan Gosling’s best performances,” Andres noted, and the praise extends to how convincingly he inhabits a character he freely admits didn’t understand.
But the film’s true secret weapon is Rocky — an alien life form, practically realized for much of the production, who becomes Grace’s unexpected companion and co-savior. “He is the shining point of the movie,” RB3 said.
Andres agreed, noting that Rocky does something essential to the film’s emotional architecture: “There’s something about the Rocky character that adds a dimension of thematic layers… you can believe that friendship and you can believe that connection that they have.”
Where Grace struggles to connect with other humans — illustrated in a standout karaoke scene where he awkwardly watches others hug — he bonds effortlessly with the alien engineer from another world. It’s a clever inversion: the man who can’t relate to his own species finds kinship in a being nothing like him.
The film also benefits enormously from cinematographer Greg Fraser’s work. “This was a movie experience. A movie. Capital M-O-V-I-E,” RB3 declared.
The production design blends practical and CGI effects to stunning effect, drawing comparisons to Kubrick and Spielberg — with a Close Encounters of the Third Kind musical Easter egg tucked into the moment Grace and Rocky first tap the glass between them.
The supporting cast earns praise too — Sandra Hüller (Anatomy of a Fall) brings quiet authority as a military official assembling the mission, and Lionel Boyce (The Bear) delivers a memorable performance.
The film isn’t without flaws. “My major complaint is that this movie felt like it had like four endings,” RB3 said.
Andres: “The pacing of the movie felt weird in some moments, and the fake-out endings were a little odd for me.”
There’s also a fourth act revelation that – SPOILER ALERT – Grace was forced into the mission against his will. The late game twist feels like it would have landed harder if placed earlier in the story.
Still, Project Hail Mary works as feel-good science fiction that doesn’t condescend to its four-quadrant audience. It’s PG-13, with nearly no profanity and a moral core about selflessness, alien friendship, and trusting the process.
“It’s a very fun flip on the traditional hero journey story,” RB3 concluded, “but also a good exploration of how science can overcome all.”
Whether it’s your film of the year or not, Project Hail Mary is a reminder that original, intelligent blockbusters can still draw crowds — and that’s worth celebrating.
