The Greatest American Film of the Past Two Decades? | Project Hail Mary (2026) Reflection

Dane Bundy
6 days ago
3 min read

Updated: 19 hours ago

A friend and filmmaker, whom I greatly respect, told me this week that "Project Hail Mary is the finest American film of the past two decades…"

I was taken aback. Did we watch the same movie, I thought?

Later that day I spoke to another friend, a screenwiter. He basically said the same thing. I didn’t get it. I must be missing something.

What's Good About the Film

Project Hail Mary is the story of a teacher and scientist named Ryland Grace (Ryan Gosling) who wakes up on a spaceship, but can’t remember why he’s there and what his mission is. Throughout the film, the story moves between two timelines: Grace on earth leading to the mission and then Grace in space on his way to the mission. While in space Grace meets up with Rocky, an alien creature that Ryland befriends. The film is an adaptation of the novel by Andy Weir.

Now that some time has passed, I can say that Project Hail Mary is a solid sci-fi film. Ryan Gosling is funny, human, likeable. The visuals are impressive. Rocky, our new alien friend, is fun and funny! And, most of all, this Hollywood blockbuster is family-friendly. “I don’t know how this movie got made,” my filmmaker friend added. And I can see his point, for a sci-fi film, it was not only tame but wholesome.

And yet, the greatest American film in two decades? I’m not there yet.

Listening to the Community

Last week, I reached out to the Tik Tok community to honestly ask them to help me see what I’m missing that made this film great. Honestly, I struggled to connect emotionally with Ryland Grace, especially while in space. And compared to a movie like Interstellar (2014) it lacked impact and gravitas.

Comments poured in confirming the film hit a chord with many. And some weren’t thrilled with me questioning its greatness. My favorite comment was, “You must be so fun at parties.” Ha! (Actually, I’m not a fan of parties. How did he know?)

In Need of Hope

But as I hoped, some patiently helped me see what made the film truly stand out to them. Here’s one insightful example:

“The movie is a complete experience and it’s trying to sell a version of humanity we desperately need right now. . . . [I]t’s a feel good movie with an uncomplicated message about people cooperating across literally multiple solar systems. Especially now that kind of hope is necessary.”

We do live in a tumultuous time, and people long for hope and they desire to see people from different backgrounds and worldviews working together. At their core, these are biblical longings. As Christians, we should be listening to this, for the gospel responds clearly to them. If you want to hear more reasons of why this film touched so many people, check out my Tik Tok post and read the comments.

I’ll conclude with this, I plan to see Project Hail Mary again, especially since it seems to have astounded not just critics, but audiences. The good news is that I can recommend this movie to you. Please go see it and share your thoughts!