“Project Hail Mary” promises to be one of the most surprising successes of 2026, reportedly obliterating box office projections with a $140 million opening weekend and a strong follow-up of over $300 million within the first two weeks. This marks the second-largest domestic box office opening for a non-franchise film in cinema history, only trailing behind Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer.” It absolutely deserves the success it has been enjoying.

The film, directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, stars Ryan Gosling as amnesiac Ryland Grace and James Ortiz as alien Rocky on a masterful journey across the stars in an effort to save their planets from extinction. I went in expecting a simple and fun romp through the galaxy, but it turned out to be much more than that.

What I got instead was a thought-provoking and deeply human story of being brave and forming strong bonds with unexpected people. While humor was certainly present in the film, it felt used appropriately and not at the expense of the emotional moments, which constituted the core of the story. Both the themes and the science were layered, and neither of them treated the audience like babies.

The music was composed by Daniel Pemberton, previously known for composing the soundtracks to the “Spider-Verse” animated films, which Lord and Miller also produced. He successfully captured the loneliness, vastness and excitement of space. From sweeping orchestral scores to lone singers, it perfectly sets the mood and emotion. There were times in the theater where I wanted to cry, laugh, but mostly cheer, and the music did much of the heavy lifting.

One thing I particularly appreciated was that the use of licensed music felt much more tasteful in this film compared to others that have been released recently. Harry Styles’ “Sign of the Times,” was the main song used in both marketing and the movie itself, representing the movie’s themes of companionship and responsibility. It is also the core of a very emotional scene.

Another standout usage of licensed music was the inclusion of “Two of Us” by The Beatles, which is rare among movies today due to the prohibitive costs involved. The song offered another insight into the major theme of friendship while being referenced directly in the film as Grace names different plot-relevant devices after the four Beatles.

But it was not the music alone that brought the emotion. Gosling, while not new to films that bring the heat in feelings, had a career-defining performance in this film. In other films, such as 2016’s “La La Land,” Gosling usually has another human to interact with and bounce off of. This time, he only has Rocky: an alien shaped like a rock.

Despite this, the chemistry between Grace and Rocky is the highlight of the film, and I found myself caring for the two much more than I expected going in.

Another highlight of the film was its visuals. Most of the film is set aboard the titular spaceship Hail Mary. A surprising amount of the film was practical–I later learned that the interior of the ship existed as a fully practical 360° set. Combined with the cinematography led by Academy-Award winning cinematographer Greig Frasier, this led to some of the most cinematic and breathtaking scenes I have witnessed on an IMAX screen.

Almost any other big-budget film would have created the scene where Grace ventures out to take a sample of life from space with computer-generated imagery. Instead, Lord, Miller and Frasier produced it using LEDs filtered through water.

My only criticism is a relatively minor issue with the pacing. Throughout the movie, the story leads to what feels like a satisfying resolution, only to suddenly resume again and continue the plot. While this often led to more amazing scenes, it sometimes felt jarring, especially near the 2-hour mark with 30 minutes still left to go.

“Project Hail Mary” was an absolutely incredible journey through space, bringing the full spectrum of emotions and showcasing some of the best that science fiction has to offer.