25 March,2026 01:22 PM IST | Mumbai | Nandini Shah
Still from Project Hail Mary
Project Hail Mary is an easygoing science-fiction movie about a heavyweight subject - the end of the world. Similar to The Martian (also written by Andy Weir), humanity is nearing its end. An alien microbe, Astrophage, is slowly dimming the sun, and in the next 30 years, over 30 percent of Earth's population is expected to die.
The film follows Ryland Grace (Ryan Gosling), an astronaut who wakes from an induced coma to find himself completely alone aboard a spaceship, 11 light-years away from Earth. Facing temporary amnesia, Grace tries to piece together his memories to figure out who he is and what he's supposed to do in space.
Through flashbacks, we learn that Grace was a molecular biologist, working as a down-and-out middle school science teacher, when he was recruited by a government agent, Eva Stratt (Sandra Huller), to study Astrophage. Once he figures out how it breeds, the horror compounds as he learns that not just the sun, but all the stars in the solar neighbourhood have been infected by Astrophage. In a last-ditch effort to save humanity, Grace is sent on Project Hail Mary (the name is a bit on the nose)- a mission to Tau Ceti, the only nearby star that remains undimmed despite the presence of Astrophage.
Bereft in space, he soon encounters a friendly and equally lonely five-legged alien with a similar backstory. Though he has a stony body, which earns him the nickname 'Rocky,' he's sure to melt your heart and trigger your protective instincts. Hailing from planet Eridian, Rocky, too, is a sole survivor of a quest to stop Astrophage and has witnessed all his crew die. The movie then segues into an odd couple dynamic, reminiscent of Bollywood's Koi Mil Gaya, as the human-alien friendship takes center stage. Grace translates Rocky's musical speech through his software. Despite not having eyes, the film does an incredible job of conveying Rocky's emotional state, and it's fun watching him become more anthropomorphised through contact with Grace. Unlike the stoic and still Jaadu (the beloved alien from Hrithik's Koi Mil Gaya), Rocky behaves like a hyperactive toddler, but is equally endearing. His desperation for companionship makes you more emotionally invested in the mission.
The film leans heavily into the comedy of Grace's predicament - he's a genius but also a regular guy castaway in space, helpless and hapless, grasping and at times failing to come up with solutions. While Gosling shines in the comedic moments, the influx of goofy jokes like Rocky incorrectly saying 'bump we fist' instead of 'fist bump' feel tedious. The moments of silliness and corny sentimentality take away from the existential dread and terror and upend the serious tone.
At its core, Project Hail Mary is about hope. Though dealing with themes of isolation and apocalypse, the introduction of the alien companion is primed to soften your heart and telegraph's the movie's optimism, making it a meditation on trust and friendship. Despite being set in a sterile spaceship light-years away from Earth, the film chooses to embrace the beauty, allure and mystery of space. The film is visually stunning and delivers a spectacle at the right moment.
Towards the second half, however, the film seems too riddled with trying to bolster the human spirit and capacity for connection, and it drags. It could have benefited from being half an hour shorter; there is an easygoingness to it that makes it a delightful watch.
