“Project Hail Mary” has been unveiled to members of the film press ahead of its March 20 release, and first reactions are calling Phil Lord and Christopher Miller’s sci-fi comedy a “must-see space odyssey” that may prove to be a “major awards player” come Oscar time next year.
Film critic Eric Marchen shared a glowing review on X, writing that “Project Hail Mary” is “the first great blockbuster of 2026.”
“Phil Lord and Christopher Miller’s must-see space odyssey blasts off as the first great blockbuster of 2026,” Marchen wrote. “Out-of-this-world cinematography from Greig Fraser reaches for the stars while anchored by a stellar Ryan Gosling performance. This movie ROCKS!”
Critic Adriano Caporusso also praised the film on X. He wrote, “‘PROJECT HAIL MARY’: Lord & Miller’s latest plays up a ‘Short Circuit’ bromance to an hysterical extreme while simultaneously delivering a pulse-pounding space epic that brings true humanity to the centrestage, but not without some jaw-dropping visuals alongside.”
Globe and Mail film writer Barry Hertz shared some reservations about the “Project Hail Mary” on X, but they weren’t enough to outshine Ryan Gosling’s “galaxy-sized charms.”
“‘PROJECT HAIL MARY’: Not quite faster-than-light script with too many endings and one crucial plot point that evaporates, plus a seeming corporate obligation to Amazon’s ROCKY catalogue, cannot suppress the galaxy-sized charms of Ryan Gosling,” he wrote. “‘INTERSTELLAR’ without all the ~stuff~.”
Entertainment journalist Scott Menzel called “Project Hail Mary” a “masterpiece” on X and predicted it will be “a major awards player across the board.”
“‘Project Hail Mary’ is an epic cinematic achievement,” Menzel wrote. “Phil Lord and Chris Miller somehow manage to raise the bar once again, delivering what is not only their most ambitious film to date, but arguably their most accomplished.”
TV host Jeff Conway echoed the praise, writing on X, “A successfully sophisticated blend of humor, sci-fi, drama and suspense. Ryan Gosling is the shining star of this compassionate story about connection and defying the odds, while Sandra Hüller is the tender heart of this beautiful film.”
Based on the 2021 novel by Andy Weir, the film stars Gosling as brainy school teacher Ryland Grace, who wakes up alone on a spaceship light-years away from Earth with no recollection of how he got there. As his memory recovers, he pieces together an outlandish plot that sent him through the galaxy to stop a mysterious entity from blacking out the sun. Other cast members include Sandra Hüller, Milana Vayntrub, Ken Leung, Liz Kingsman and James Ortiz.
At Comic Con 2025, Gosling unveiled the first five minutes of “Project Hail Mary” alongside Miller, Lord and screenwriter Drew Goddard. Gosling said at the time that he related to Ryland’s situation of being an “ordinary person in an extraordinary situation.”
“I connected to his reluctance,” he said. “Aside from the fact he has a doctorate in molecular biology, he’s an ordinary person in an extraordinary situation. He reacts to a lot of things the way I might or a lot of us might. He’s terrified appropriately of the task at hand. He’s somebody who gave up on himself on Earth, and he’s given an opportunity to believe in himself again. It’s inspiring to go through this journey with him because he somehow finds the courage to put one foot in front of the other and keep going.”
Check out more reactions below.
