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‘Project Hail Mary’: Thrilling Sci-Fi That’s Full of Grace

‘Project Hail Mary’: Thrilling Sci-Fi That’s Full of Grace

Last updated on: April 5, 2026 at 11:13 am by Kate O'Hare

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‘Project Hail Mary’: Thrilling Sci-Fi That’s Full of Grace 2026-04-05T11:13:40-08:00 Kate O'Hare

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It may be deep into Lent, but I’ve just witnessed a resurrection … of my faith in movies, that is. Hallelujah for Project Hail Mary.

I thoroughly enjoyed this charming, nerve-racking, hilarious, relentlessly clever, deeply human sci-fi adventure … that co-stars an alien that looks like a spider made out of rocks. It’s a bonus that the film is also beautiful to look at, and speaks of faith without ever wearing it on the sleeve of its spacesuit.

Project Hail Mary is based on Andy Weir’s hard-science novel of the same name, adapted for the screen by Drew Goddard (the same pairing as on 2015’s The Martian), and directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller.

It hits theaters on March 20.

Don’t miss a thing! Subscribe to my content at Authory.com/KateOHare.

What Is Project Hail Mary About?

Alien critters are eating our Sun, and some other stars as well, and it looks bleak for Earth in a few decades. But there’s one star, Tau Ceti, that has the critters but is not being eaten.

A space mission is planned to go to Tau Ceti and figure out why it’s not getting gobbled up.

After some twists and turns, a high-school science teacher, Dr. Ryland Grace (Ryan Gosling) — who has some radical but useful theories — winds up on the spaceship, called the Hail Mary.

But, through some more unfortunate turns, Grace is the only one left alive when the ship reaches Tau Ceti, and he can’t quite remember why he’s there in the first place. He then encounters an alien spaceship on a similar mission, also with a lone survivor.

After figuring out how to communicate, Grace and the alien, which he nicknames Rocky (see description above), work together in an attempt to save both their home worlds.

A Moment About The Martian and Catholicism

I liked The Martian, the first pairing of author Weir and screenwriter Goddard.

In reading both Weir’s original e-book and watching the film, I noticed there was a moment in the film (Matt Damon’s stranded-astronaut character carves bits off a wooden crucifix to make fire) that was more Catholic-friendly in the movie than in the book.

Doesn’t usually happen that way.

In doing some digging, I found an article that indicated Goddard may have been raised Catholic while growing up in Los Alamos, New Mexico (yes, Oppenheimer fans, that Los Alamos).

But, in my unsuccessful attempt to find that original reference for this post, I did run across a piece by fellow film critic Carl Kozlowski. In it, he called Goddard a “devout and outspoken” Catholic. I asked him to elaborate, and this was his reply:

I went to an advance screening of his movie Bad Times at the El Royale, and he talked about it at Q&A.

Click here to read Kozlowski’s further piece with Goddard’s comments, but here’s an excerpt about The Martian.

I don’t think it’s an accident we see issues of faith in The Martian. It’s a very spiritual movie, though in some ways it treats science as religion.

Whenever you think of someone alone on a planet, it happens organically about what they think of and their relationship with God. When I look back, I see that these issues resonate for me and a strong love of faith and spirituality winds up there.

It’s good to have my original suspicions about Goddard — the creator of the very Catholic Netflix version of Daredevil — confirmed, but all this got me thinking about how just being Catholic can influence storytelling.

Then, Are You Saying Project Hail Mary Is a Catholic Movie?

No, it’s neither overtly about Catholicism or even faith, but peek under the hood …

To be clear, I’m not making any claims about any spiritual leanings that author Weir may or may not have. It’s clear that he’s deeply interested in science and has a knack for infusing it into stories, but he has described himself as “agnostic.”

But, the book and movie are called Project Hail Mary, and the main character is Dr. Ryland Grace (Ryan Gosling) And, since he’s the only living person left on the spaceship, one could say the Hail Mary was full of … you get it.

And, as we all know, in contemporary culture, Hail Mary isn’t just the name of a prayer, it’s a synonym for a last-ditch, desperate effort (thank you, Dallas Cowboys Catholic quarterback Roger Staubach).

This double meaning also came up in F1: The Movie (though probably, as I noted here, through the auspices of one of its producers, Catholic F1 racer Lewis Hamilton).

And one commenter noted that Rocky looks a bit like the angels in Darren Aronovsky’s Noah, and I can’t really argue with that.

Also, there is this quote from the book:

Do you believe in God? I know it’s a personal question. I do. And I think He was pretty awesome to make relativity a thing, don’t you? The faster you go, the less time you experience. It’s like He’s inviting us to explore the universe, you know?

I haven’t read the book, so there may be more. But there is this exchange in the film between Grace and project leader Eva Stratt (Sandra Hüller):

Grace: Do you really believe we can pull this off?
Stratt: God willing.
Grace: You believe in God?
Stratt: It’s better than the alternative.

You can also argue this lone scientist is Earth’s savior, so we are saved by … you get it.

So, while the film’s not about faith, it’s definitely there. But anyone going in not looking for it might not really catch all these things, and that’s fine. You’ll still get all the bits about hope, resilience, friendship, courage, love, and self-sacrifice.

As I see it, one hallmark of true Catholic storytelling is that faith is embedded in every idea in the film, whether or not it’s ever referenced. After all, that was the genius of J.R.R. Tolkien.

Is Project Hail Mary for Families?

It’s intense. I was definitely very tense. It’s rated PG-13, for thematic material, space thriller action, and mild suggestive references, making it probably best for mature middle schoolers and up.

Though, I can see this film being great fodder for discussions with teens, especially about how, in past centuries, faith and science should never be seen as enemies. They’re partners, two ways of understanding the world in ways that are complementary but not conflicting.

So, go see Project Hail Mary. You’ll feel better. And when things look their darkest, it’s never a bad idea, as Staubach did, to say a Hail Mary and let it fly.

Don’t miss a thing! Subscribe to my content at Authory.com/KateOHare.

Technology and Religion

About Kate O'Hare

Based in Los Angeles, Kate O'Hare is a veteran entertainment journalist, Social Media Content Manager and Blog Editor for Family Theater Productions and a screenwriter. You can read more about the author here.

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