Movie review
March 15, 2026 · 157 min · PG-13
Woke Score
Lower is better
Not currently streaming in United States
Review
Science teacher Ryland Grace wakes up alone on a spaceship light years from Earth with no memory and a mission to stop a mysterious substance that is killing the sun. He uses his scientific knowledge to solve the crisis and forms an unexpected friendship with an alien crew member named Rocky. The film is a straightforward hard sci-fi adventure centered on problem-solving, ingenuity, and cross-species cooperation with no identity-driven themes, political lectures, or activist messaging visible in the story or marketing.
Breakdown
These are the editorial factors and ratings behind our score for Project Hail Mary.
Woke representation / casting
Ryan Gosling plays the source-accurate white male lead Ryland Grace; supporting roles including Sandra Hüller as project head follow story needs without prominent identity signaling, quotas, or mismatched diversity emphasis in key parts.
Woke political dialogue
No political speeches, identity lectures, activist jargon, or social-justice messaging appears in dialogue or character interactions.
Identity-driven story themes
The narrative centers on scientific discovery, individual ingenuity, sacrifice, and an alien friendship to save humanity; themes remain practical and species-level rather than identity politics or representation-focused.
Western institutional / cultural critique
No framing of traditional gender roles, patriarchy, capitalism, or Western institutions as toxic or oppressive; international scientific cooperation is shown as a practical necessity for survival.
Woke character or canon changes
Not relevant. The adaptation stays close to the novel’s premise and characters with no ideological race, gender, or identity swaps to established elements.
Anti-woke backlash and complaints
No notable right-leaning or anti-woke complaints that the film pushes DEI, identity politics, or left-wing messaging; audience and reviewer response instead highlights its lack of such content as a strength.
Creator track record context
Directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller and writer Drew Goddard have track records centered on entertaining mainstream blockbusters and humanist sci-fi with no recurring activist, queer-centric, or identity-driven patterns; other producers show similarly low profiles.
Production
