Project Hail Mary (2026)

Project Hail Mary was a faithful rendition of the book. In some ways, I actually think it may be more enjoyable than the book, because it moves at a faster pace. The visuals hit better on screen than they do when you have to imagine something like Blip-A, and the jokes are spaced out more effectively than they are in Andy Weir’s fiction.

One thing I noticed, though, is that the main character, played by Ryan, is super annoying — even more so, I think, than I remembered from the book.

The movie also has a lot of callbacks to other famous science fiction films that I do not think were necessarily present in Project Hail Mary itself. There are obvious echoes of Interstellar. There is the fun spinning scene around the atmosphere that feels a bit like 2001: A Space Odyssey. And Arrival is obviously one of the big reference points.

I do not think “Arrival for idiots” is the right way to think about it. I think “Arrival for eight-year-olds” is much closer, and I think the movie actually pulls that off. My first thought coming out of the theater was: I wish I were eight, because this would absolutely slap. The entire movie would be fantastic at that age.

So yes, I would recommend it, especially for people with elementary-school-aged kids. Though I would say it risks poisoning them a little: they may grow up thinking that the classic sci-fi movies millennials love are derivative, in the same way that we sometimes watch Blade Runner and think it feels derivative. That is just the problem of growing up.