Professional Fangirl- Katelyn Benschoter

It seems we have finally hit the point in the year when we are getting our first few “best films of the year.” These are the films that will be talked about and highly anticipated at the award shows for the year 2026. And one of these first front-runner films of the year so far is Project Hail Mary starring Ryan Gosling. This film has been the hottest film release of the year and has created quite the buzz. It is a science fiction film that is very comedic, yet touches on some pretty significant themes such as the importance of friendship during hard times. To be fully transparent, when going to watch this film I did not expect it to be anything majorly significant, despite hearing the good reviews. Though it turns out this probably will be one of the best films of the year, and even if science fiction is not normally a genre you gravitate towards, you have to respect that this really is a good movie. 

Project Hail Mary is based on the 2021 novel of the same name written by Andy Weir. The story is very reminiscent of films such as ET and Arrival. Ryan Gosling plays a science teacher by the name of Ryland Grace sent to space by the government to help find the solution to a phenomenon known as ‘global dimming.’ The film starts with Grace not knowing why he is in space, and finding his fellow astronauts dead. As he acclimates to his surroundings and gets used to space he meets a spider- and rock-like alien who he calls “Rocky.” Grace and Rocky are the perfect unlikely pair. Grace, at first hesitant and confused about interacting with Rocky, later becomes quite protective of him. And despite Rocky being a faceless rock spider alien, he is very expressive and stole the hearts of many theater goers, including myself. He reminded me of characters such as Groot from Guardians of the Galaxy or Baymax from Big Hero 6. Not only was he an adorable character who sparked a lot of comedic moments, he also became a symbol for a lot of the larger themes in the film, but more on that later. In terms of his literal appearance, I was very impressed with the CGI in this film. One of the largest hurdles a science fiction film has to face is the logistics of creating an out-of-this-world environment. And not only creating it, but convincing the viewer to buy into it. I would say this film did a great job of this.

I will admit that while I always love going to the movies, science fiction films are not my favorite genre, which immediately lessened my excitement for the film. A reason science fiction films are usually not my favorite is because of the special effects and larger-than-life ideas they bring to the table. I have a hard time getting on board, or often the mediocre special effects throw me off.  That being said, I have minimal complaints about the special effects and editing in this film. Rocky’s CGI was well done and the notable “petrovline scene” where the screen turns into a pink, starry, interstellar masterpiece was fantastic. And a large piece of why everything felt so real and not highly edited was because it was real. Yes, that is right, the film did not use a single green screen, and rather built all real sets. Of course, some editing came later, but generally it was real. This is not a small feat and is very impressive, especially for a science fiction film. That being said, while I think the special effects were impressive, I was not crazy about the editing; the pacing felt a bit jumpy and short to me. It left me feeling like I had to catch up on what was happening in the film. Perhaps some of this was intentional at times to create a disoriented feeling in the viewer, but it felt overdone if that was the case. Though, as I stated earlier, I do think that it will still be one of the best films of the year, so clearly the jumpy pacing did not ruin the film for me.

The reason this film will be the best films of the year is not how cute Rocky is or Ryan Gosling’s acting, despite both being great aspects of the film. It will be the incredible themes that this film produces. As someone who walked out of the theater with a tear-stained face, I can say this film is very powerful. The first time being a bit surface level, the importance of connection and that friendships know no bounds. Rocky and Grace are the perfect unlikely pair, yet work together so well. Their friendship shows to the audience that you never know when you will meet someone who will change your life, and that when a connection is that special, it knows no bounds. This was the first reason I was crying. This movie encourages reflection on the life the audience is living and the future of those lives. Secondly, one of the bigger ideas and themes the film asks is: what is the future of humanity? Its answer: maybe humanity will be alright. Without spoiling the film, the mission really tests Grace’s character and the idea of sacrifice. How far will one go to help others, and how do we choose to make our choices? The film once again encourages a lot of reflection, and as a young person, it is very emotional to think about the future of my life. What will the Earth be like? What will people be like? The film ultimately says it will be alright, but does not necessarily tie up this idea in a nice clean bow. 

All that to say, despite your feelings on aliens and larger than life films, this is a must-watch for the year 2026. It will definitely be nominated for some awards and be remembered as one of the great films of this year. Lucky for all of you, there is so much time to see it before the end of the year. Just make sure to bring your tissues.