Atop a military boat, boisterous scientists laugh and throw back beers to the upcoming end of the world. Their only shot at survival, the launch of a space shuttle to the distant star Tau Ceti, is mere days away. Suddenly the room goes silent as the operation’s leader, a cold, pragmatic Eva Stratt (Sandra Hüller) begins to sing Harry Styles’ “Sign of the Times.”

The song is both poignant and fitting. With clever cinematography and outstanding performances, Phil Lord and Christopher Miller’s latest space apocalypse blockbuster, “Project Hail Mary,” is itself a sign of the times, a movie both about disaster and the potential for hope.

“Project Hail Mary” is a near perfect adaptation of Andy Weir’s 2021 novel about an environmental catastrophe in the form of a light-consuming microbe devouring the sun and all other stars. Earth’s only hope is Dr. Ryland Grace (Ryan Gosling), an extremely overqualified middle school science teacher, who finds himself the sole living crewmember of a ship floating 11 million miles from Earth with no recollection why.

As Dr. Grace slowly rediscovers his past and his recruitment to this save-the-world mission, he finds he’s not the only “person” sent into space to save his planet. He quickly makes first contact with an echolocating, ammonia-breathing rock-spider and scientist he names “Rocky.” His budding friendship with Rocky forms the emotional core and true focus of the film.

Despite the shortening of its science-intensive moments and cutting of its complex geopolitical subplots, the screenplay still expertly captures the novel’s “sci-fi meets environmental science textbook approach.” However, the film truly resonates as a result of a few key performances. Even though much of her character’s complexity is lost in the film, Ms. Hüller delivers an amazingly nuanced performance, forcing the audience to contend with the moral implications of sacrifice. The main duo of Mr. Gosling and James Ortiz — the puppeteer voice actor for Rocky — skillfully balances humor with their dread-inducing circumstances. Their dynamic allows for the movie’s gut-wrenching lows and soaring highs to achieve their full effect on the viewer.

Importantly, Mr. Lord and Mr. Miller chose to portray Rocky as a physical puppet rather than CGI. Because of Rocky’s tangible physicality, Mr. Ortiz was able to organically convey Rocky’s charming, little-brother-like relation to Dr. Grace, even though the character can only speak through a rudimentary translator.

In a time where technological advancements often try to make art easier rather than making it better, the sheer dedication to effortful art throughout the film, which includes expensive set design and practical effects, absolutely pays off.

Ultimately, this movie does encourage the viewer to “stop their crying” and to embrace the belief that life can go on. In the face of ever-intimidating fictional and real disasters, “Project Hail Mary” delivers an impeccable message of hope.

Or, to quote Rocky, “Amaze. Amaze. Amaze. Statement.”

This story was originally published on U-High Midway on March 30, 2026.