Writer Andy Weir has already gotten one of his famous novels to hit the big screen and to tremendous success, with 2015 seeing the release of the big screen adaptation of his novel, The Martian. Directed by Ridley Scott, the film followed an astronaut who must survive after being left behind on a mission to Mars, a drama-filled and emotionally focused survival film which became the 10th highest grossing film of the year. The film was nominated for seven awards at the year’s Academy Awards, including the notable awards for Best Picture and Best Actor for leading man Matt Damon. This saw a clear hunger for studios for more of Weir’s work, and when his 2021 novel, Project Hail Mary, was purchased for a film adaptation by MGM before it was even released, it clearly showed that Weir’s work was made for film.
The novel was picked up for film in 2020, with Ryan Gosling already set to star and produce, with Phil Lord and Chris Miller attached to direct, famous directors and producers who had created such iconic franchises, as the Lego Movies, Cloudy with A Chance of Meatballs, the animated Spider-Man Spider-Verse films and 21 and 22 Jump Street. Drew Goddard would return as screenwriter, after previously writing the screenplay for The Martian, and the massive changes between scripts is remarkable. 5 years after the release of the novel, and the film has hit the big screen, with the film currently making a major profit in its box office journey. The film follows Gosling as schoolteacher and former molecular biologist Ryland Grace, who wakes up adrift in space with no memories of how he got there. Alone and confused, he slowly pieces his past back together as he realises, he has been sent on a mission to save the world, and more specifically the sun, and the problem only becomes more complex as he runs into an unlikely ally.
The biggest praise that could be given to this film is that it certainly feels like a film Spielberg could have made during his blockbuster days, it may be derivative in various aspects, but it wears its influences on its sleeve in the most earnest way. It’s a crowd-pleasing blockbuster which feels more comedic and imaginative than The Martian, that film feels very based in science and drama, a awards-pleaser, this feels designed to be incredibly broad in its appeal to a general audience, and to be more focused on spectacle and entertainment. This type of film could come off as cookie-cutter and safe, but Phil Lord and Chris Miller are excellent directors, who have played with genre filmmaking a lot through their careers, making every simplistic moment feel awe-inspiring and classically imaginative. There is a pure wit to the film that comes from Lord and Miller delivering dialogue handed to them from Goddard’s multi-faceted script, dialogue that feels so snappy and like their Jump Street films that it is insane that they were not involved in the scripting phase of the film. The third part of why the script comes alive in such a snappy way is because of Ryan Gosling, a naturally charismatic leading actor who is always reliable in every film he is featured in. The actor has been having a very interesting last couple of years, mainly focusing on starring in action movies and blockbusters, whether it is the Barbie movie or the film adaptation of old Hollywood series The Fall Guy, and soon the upcoming Star Wars film, Star Wars: Starfighter.
Even if he has been starring in mainly franchise material, he is always committing to putting in an incredible performance and really stands out as the highlight of each film he is in. This film, with its amnesia plotline, really allows Gosling to flex his acting skills, as he essentially plays two separate characters. The film plays out its plot through flashbacks, as the amnesiac Ryland recalls his past, with the film flashing back and forth between the present storyline and the events that lead up to these moments. It is a genius idea that helps the film to feel incredibly tightly paced, stopping the audience from a slow first act where you build to Gosling travelling to space, and instead those moments help to alleviate tension and become great snapshots of character work. Gosling’s earth-based moments showcase a nervous and un-heroic character who is more contained in his science, a man who has potential but is too scared to face that potential. The version of Gosling that populates the main sections of the narrative is more like his normal film persona, he’s witty and confident, but still with the smarts and some of the insecurities that come from his past. Gosling also just knows how to play with an audience’s emotions, and he works tremendously well with the emotional moments, with the film’s feel-good and positive mentality working hand in hand with this performance. The performance would be nowhere as good if he wasn’t working off his co-star, an alien named Rocky. Rocky is a second act reveal and will not be discussed too heavily here in the review for spoilers, but he is featured in the trailers, so it is only right to briefly discuss.
Rocky serves as Gosling’s best friend, and the dynamic between the two is electric on screen. Rocky will easily become one of the most favourite characters of the 2026 film season, he was designed to be popular, with a cute design, and a great sense of humour. It should be applauded how easily Gosling is able to act against nothing, in a film where he is essentially on-screen by himself, and how perfect Goddard’s script is in breathing life into a talking rock and making every scene with him feeling so palpable and real. The heart of the film is the dynamic between Ryland and Rocky, and the film pulls it off masterfully.
If there is one downside to the film, its that the side characters in the earth segments feel slightly under-developed. The flashback segments are crucial, for building Ryland’s hero-journey and showing the scale of the threat, but it mainly is enjoyable because of Gosling. Sandra Huller, fresh from her massive-scale new global prominence from her two films of 2023, Anatomy of a Fall and The Zone of Interest, is the standout of the supporting cast. She has a great solo singing sequence, which stands as one of the emotional centres of the flashback, but the rest of the cast are given virtually nothing, Ken Leung and Milana Vayntrub play the roles of co-pilots on the spaceship and the film’s synopsis gives more away than anything for how small their roles are going to be. Essentially the film serves as a one-man show, between a man and his rock friend, and the flashbacks serve to make those sequences hit even harder. These scenes are also paired with some of the most impressive effects that’s been in a blockbuster in years. Special effects are taken for granted now, when most films are covered in special effects, or filmed entirely on green-screens, and for this film to deliver such incredible sequences which is directed so perfectly, even if its all visual effects, it shows how groundbreaking these sequences can still be.
There is a warmth to this film that is hard to see in many modern-day blockbusters, an earnest positivity that is palpable on the screen. The film roots its narrative in science and real-world drama, but never gets stuck in gloominess or paranoia, and instead leans back on comedy and a perfect dynamic between Gosling’s Ryland and Rocky, a dynamic which holds the film together perfectly. Gosling has truly proven himself as a great leading man, a capable and charming actor who can literally act opposite a rock, and this is a film worthy of such a strong performance
Rhys Reviews 
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