Project Hail Mary (2026) Dir: Phil Lord & Christopher Miller

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At the start of each calendar year, I write down a list of the major films scheduled for theatrical releases in the next twelve months, and, naturally, some excite me more than others. This 2026 science fiction adventure, directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, and based on the book by Andy Weir, who also wrote 'The Martian', which itself also had a successful cinematic adaptation, was certainly in the upper atmosphere as far as that list was concerned. Having read the book last year, I was both nervous and excited for this film to come out. I had a feeling I would either love it or be greatly underwhelmed by it.

The stunning soundtrack from composer Daniel Pemberton created so much emotion - it was evolved, it was nuanced, and it was pleasantly varied, without ever feeling disjointed. It made the scale of some of the film's more impressively shot scenes feel so much bigger and grander, and was arguably the feature that stuck in my mind the longest after I left the cinema.

Cinematographer Greig Fraser - the man behind acclaimed visual projects like 'The Batman', 'The Creator', and the modern 'Dune' films - helped to create a film that was, at times, absolutely stunning. He has quite a recognisable style, and I could really see it in this film too, albeit not as much as in, say, 'Dune', but then, considering that most of the story taking place inside a very concentrated space, that is to be expected. Even so, some of the more colourful shots were absolutely stunning.

The narrative followed the very compelling arc of the novel it was adapted from pretty closely, albeit the decision was understandably made to streamline certain aspects through montage sequences because of time and, quite frankly, how much science and maths goes on in the book. I personally really enjoy how the story was conveyed - any changes made sense, and I thought the science that was talked about was explained well. I also think the comedy landed really nicely - there were many times where the majority of the cinema could be heard laughing or chuckling at the jokes.

When I had seen that Ryan Gosling had been cast in the main role, I was a little nervous - I wasn't sure he'd match the character - but I actually enjoyed his performance a lot. Gosling has always had an underrated comedic touch, and he used it to great effect throughout the film. His humour lifted what could have been a very dense and science-heavy plot into something more watchable and entertaining.

Sandra Hüller proved yet again that she has phenomenal talent, after her excellent performance in 'Anatomy Of A Fall'. I adored her portrayal of Stratt - she matched up with the book version of the character very nicely, and managed to convey the more personable aspects of the character with nuance. I also thought her karaoke number was wonderful to watch.

Finally, I have to give a quick mention to James Ortiz, who voiced 'Rocky', and did a very solid job of bringing the character's many little eccentricities to life. On that, I also think the character design of 'Rocky' was pretty decent, all things considered.

Overall, I was relieved to find that this was a very good and very entertaining cinematic adaptation of an extremely good science fiction book. It made me laugh, it brought tears to my eyes, and it kept me thoroughly engaged for its well-over two hour runtime. The best films make you forget how long they are, and that's exactly what this one did too. It was a wonderfully heartfelt and enjoyable sci-fi odyssey, and one that made me so happy to see come to fruition the way it did.