The reviews for Project Hail Mary dropped this morning, and if you were hoping Ryan Gosling’s space epic would be worth the wait, it is.
Critics are not just calling it good. They are calling it one of the best science fiction films ever made, the first great movie of 2026, and a film with a breakout non-human character who threatens to steal the entire thing from its Oscar-winning lead.
Project Hail Mary opens in theaters on March 20. It is directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, the team behind The Lego Movie, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, and 21 Jump Street, in their first feature film directorial effort in 12 years.
It stars Ryan Gosling as Ryland Grace, an astronaut who wakes up alone on a spacecraft with no memory of how he got there, and gradually realizes he may be humanity’s last hope for survival.
It is based on Andy Weir’s bestselling 2021 novel of the same name.
The early consensus is unambiguous: Amazon MGM Studios has a massive hit on its hands.
What The Critics Are Saying
Slash Film’s Ethan Anderton went furthest, calling Project Hail Mary one of the best science fiction films ever committed to screen.
Writing that it combines the best elements of E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial, Arrival, The Martian, and Interstellar, Anderton described it as “not only likely to be 2026’s best sci-fi movie, but immediately one of the best sci-fi movies ever,” packed with adventure, hope, humor, and genuine emotion.
Collider’s Ross Bonaime declared it flat out “the first great film of 2026” and an extraordinary showcase for what Lord and Miller do better than almost anyone working in Hollywood.
The Hollywood Reporter’s David Rooney called it a “soaring interplanetary buddy movie” that proves Lord and Miller’s gift for buoyant humor and heartfelt emotion is completely intact after their long absence from feature directing.
He specifically praised the decision to rely on practical sets and in-camera effects rather than endless green screen, writing that the emphasis on physical production “makes a massive difference to the wraparound feel of the experience.”
BBC critic Nicholas Barber was equally effusive, calling it “surprisingly shiny and fun for a story about the potential extinction of the human race” and praising Lord and Miller for filling a two-and-a-half hour film — largely a one-man show, with mind-stretching concepts and knotty technical puzzles while keeping it “zippily entertaining throughout.” He called that “an extraordinary achievement.”
IndieWire’s Kate Erbland described the film as “marvelously entertaining and deep-feeling,” while Inverse’s Hoai-Tran Bui titled her review “Project Hail Mary is popcorn sci-fi at its most crowdpleasing” — with the subheading simply reading: “Amaze! Amaze! Amaze!”
Not every critic was completely swept away. The Guardian’s Peter Bradshaw praised Gosling’s charm but found the film unserious and occasionally dull, comparing it unfavorably to the “stunned awe and rapture” of Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar.
RogerEbert.com’s Robert Daniels also acknowledged Gosling’s star power while feeling the film told viewers too precisely what to feel at every moment, writing that Lord and Miller “believe they’ve made a transcendent, visually spellbinding film” but didn’t always leave enough room for the audience to arrive there on their own.
Even the more measured reviews, however, praised the film as entertaining and well-crafted. The critical floor here is “charming and fun.” The ceiling is “all-time classic.”
Who Is Rocky And Why Is Everyone Talking About Him
The character generating the most excitement in early reviews is not Ryan Gosling’s Ryland Grace. It is Rocky, an alien character who becomes Ryland’s unlikely collaborator and the film’s emotional core.
Rocky is performed by theater artist James Ortiz, who both puppets the character physically and eventually voices him.
IndieWire’s Erbland wrote that Ortiz “is a star capable of nearly outshining Ryan Gosling.” Multiple critics described Rocky as the film’s breakout creation, a genuinely original science fiction character whose relationship with Gosling’s astronaut gives the film its heart.
The Hollywood Reporter confirmed that Rocky’s casting was kept deliberately quiet during production.
That secrecy appears to have paid off, the character’s reveal is being treated by critics as one of the film’s genuine surprises, and the dynamic between Gosling and Rocky as something that elevates the film from impressive sci-fi spectacle into something more emotionally resonant.
What Is Project Hail Mary About?
Project Hail Mary is based on Andy Weir’s 2021 novel, which became one of the best-reviewed science fiction books in years. Weir was also behind The Martian, adapted by Ridley Scott into a 2015 film that grossed $630 million worldwide and earned seven Academy Award nominations.
Drew Goddard, who earned an Oscar nomination for adapting The Martian, wrote the screenplay for Project Hail Mary as well.
The film follows Ryland Grace, a junior high school science teacher who wakes up on a spacecraft millions of miles from Earth with no memory of how he got there or what his mission is.
As his memory gradually returns, he realizes he is the sole surviving crew member of a last-ditch mission to save humanity from a solar catastrophe. What he discovers when he gets to his destination changes everything.
The cast also includes Oscar-nominee Sandra Hüller, Lionel Boyce, Ken Leung, and Milana Vayntrub.
When Does Project Hail Mary Come Out?
Project Hail Mary opens in theaters on March 20, 2026, the same day Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man hits Netflix. For anyone who enjoys science fiction, March 20 is shaping up to be a very good day.
