Film 2460 - Project Hail Mary

Intro: I honestly didn't know what to expect with this one. I wasn't even sure I wanted to see it, but Niamh really wanted to and, well, it was a good call.

Film 2460: "Project Hail Mary" (2026), Phil Lord, Christopher Miller
Watched: At the movies
Language: English
Watched with: Niamh
Thoughts: I went in with zero expectations and came out a fan. "Project Hail Mary" is not going to be my favourite movie of 2026 for sure, but it's definitely way better than your average space movie and absolutely a step above most of the films I've watched this year so far.
First, it has to be said that Ryan Gosling is a charismatic film star. He clearly did something to his face - which makes him look a bit strange, something I couldn't stop thinking about throughout the whole movie - but it isn't drastic enough to make him look unrecognizable. It's just odd. Once you pass the uncanny valley moment, and especially once Rocky comes into the story, it really is all good and your brain moves on (not mine, but yours very likely). Anyway, back to Gosling: he carries the whole movie - and it's a long one! With not a lot to work with, it is thanks to him and the story that this film works so well and never feels boring or dull: it all starts slow and confusing, but the deeper we go into the story, the more everything gets a larger scope, the stakes get higher and higher, and Gosling never fails to deliver. Kudos to him.
Together with him, the real sensation of this movie: Rocky the alien. He has more emotional depth than some actors working in cinema today and considering he has no face... that says a lot. Mad enthusiasts are calling this performance Oscar-worthy - because (from Wikipedia) "[the] character was effected through a puppet controlled by a team of five puppeteers led by [James] Ortiz, dubbed the "Rockyteers", with Ortiz also providing the artificial voice assigned to him" - but I don't really think this is going to come to fruition. It's a mad stretch until next March, not to mention that a feat like this has never been achieved before. The Academy has always been very traditional in terms of performances and never rewarded anything that wasn't a human portrayal of a character on the big screen. I'm sure the movie will eventually get nominated for technical awards, maybe even Best Picture, but I'm not sure about the acting categories. We'll see.
Anyway, "Project Hail Mary" was quite the surprise. A long journey that is never tiring, an extremely fun and satisfying ride that is filled with scientific spectacle and a story that is able to balance well the more rooted-in-reality bits and the sci-fi elements that are imagination-based. All of this combined in a fully realized movie experience that reminded me of other films from the past like "Arrival", "Interstellar" and, of course, "The Martian", with which this movie shares the same author behind the original novel (Andy Weir).
Cherry on top is Sandra Hüller: I'm so excited to see her once again after her Hollywood big break a couple of years ago thanks to "The Zone of Interest" and that masterclass in acting that was "Anatomy of a Fall". It's so exciting to see her back on the big screen and even here, with a more traditional supporting performance, she still leaves her mark!
"Project Hail Mary", aka the movie I didn't know I needed to see. Ps. If I can be honest, the only thing I didn't like about this movie is the poster.
Cast: Ryan Gosling, Sandra Hüller, James Ortiz, Lionel Boyce, Ken Leung.
Box Office: $677 million
Worth a watch?: The movie event of the year so far. Not necessarily because of the amazing box-office result, but because for a while everyone was talking about this film. If you missed it, I'm pretty sure it's STILL in theaters.
Awards: /
Key word: Petrova line.
Trailer
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