That’s how critics are reacting to “Rocky,” the breakout star of Phil Lord and Christopher Miller’s first directing effort in 12 years, Project Hail Mary. Though the film is released in theaters on March 20, official reviews dropped this morning and the consensus from professional critics is that Amazon MGM Studios has a winner on its hands.
Starring Ryan Gosling, Project Hail Mary is based on Andy Weir’s hard science fiction bestseller. Weir was also behind the equally ambitious and hugely successful hard sci-fi book The Martian, which was adapted into a film by Ridley Scott to much critical and commercial success in 2015. A further link to The Martian is Drew Goddard penning the script for Project Hail Mary after earning an Oscar nomination for adapting Scott’s film.
Project Hail Mary‘s cast also features Oscar-nominee Sandra Hüller, Lionel Boyce, Ken Leung and Milana Vayntrub. The Hollywood Reporter revealed that Rocky will played by theater artist James Ortiz.
Brief and limited reaction to Project Hail Mary began to hit social media in late February, following press screenings. That early reaction suggested that the film might be a genre classic, and another sterling hard sci-fi adaptation of Weir’s literary works.
Full reviews of the film seem to reinforce the early social media hot takes, with critics praising Lord and Miller for producing a movie that brings heart, emotion and plenty of glorious sci-fi that is likely to be a big winner with audiences.
The Hollywood Reporter‘s David Rooney is firmly in the “love it” camp, writing that the film is a “soaring interplanetary buddy movie” that shows Lord and Miller’s “facility for buoyant humor and heartfelt emotion” remains very much intact after 12 years away from the director’s chair. Rooney praises the co-directors for crafting a movie that doesn’t dumb down the science and leans into the glory, mystery and spectacle of space. “What’s most gratifying is the extent to which the filmmakers sought practical solutions and physical sets rather than relying solely on the digital toolbox or flattening the action with endless green-screen sequences. The emphasis on in-camera effects makes a massive difference to the wraparound feel of the experience,” Rooney writes.
The Guardian‘s Peter Bradshaw was bit less enthusiastic about Project Hail Mary, feeling that the film was charming but unserious. “Gosling is an effortlessly charming screen player, and he keeps it watchable, though the film itself has moments of dullness and a sort of puppyish silliness, perhaps not surprising given the comedy track-record of directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller,” writes Bradshaw. The critic adds, “Perhaps refreshingly, the film doesn’t aim for the stunned awe and rapture of, say, Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar or even Jon Spaihts’ underrated Passengers, but it does have the classic sci-fi spacecraft tropes: the huge, mysterious architecture with its vertiginous tunnels in which legacy pop music is played to soothe the inhabitants.”
Writing at RogerEbert.com, Robert Daniels was also mildly underwhelmed by Project Hail Mary. Daniels also praised Gosling’s star power for propping up the film, writing that the actor “through his wit and charm (not to mention his attuned sense of physical comedy), keeps things moving, even when this sappy film not only narratively retraces its steps but also tells viewers exactly what they should be feeling at every millisecond.” Daniels adds, “Lord and Miller believe they’ve made a transcendent, visually spellbinding film. It’s a belief they hope we share. And we would, if they would allow us the space to do so.”
BBC film critic Nicholas Barber also firmly landed in the “love it” side of the ledger, describing Project Hail Mary as a “surprisingly shiny and fun for a story about the potential extinction of the human race.” Barber praises Gosling’s performance and also the structure of the film. “Lord and Miller knew what they were doing when they went for such a bright and breezy tone. They’ve crafted a sci-fi epic which is more than two-and-a-half hours long, and which is a one-man show for much of that time. They have filled it not with action, but with mind-stretching concepts, painstaking laboratory research and knotty technical puzzles. To do all that and keep things zippily entertaining throughout is an extraordinary achievement.”
Slash Film‘s Ethan Anderton was bowled over by Project Hail Mary, describing the film as one of the “best sci-fi movies ever” made and Gosling’s performance as “outstanding.” A giddy Anderton writes, “Combining the best parts of E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial, Arrival, The Martian, and Interstellar, the magnificent Project Hail Mary is not only likely to be 2026’s best sci-fi movie, but it’s immediately one of the best sci-fi movies ever. Packed with mesmerizing adventure, an uplifting sense of hope, and a hearty dose of humor and genuine emotion, the story of a scientist turned astronaut and his surprising alien collaborator is one of the most satisfying cinematic experiences of the 21st century.”
Over at IndieWire, Kate Erbland writes that Project Hail Mary is marvelously entertaining and deep-feeling.” Erbland had praise for Rocky, writing, “Lord and Miller’s film is already neck-deep in process porn before Rocky rolls onto the scene (yes, he does eventually roll, care of his own smart designs), but having a new partner for all his calculations and machinations and worries and wonders only amps up this particularly pleasurable element of the film. Come for them engaging in rudimentary puppetry, stay for them working out each other’s respective alphabets in real time (James Ortiz, who puppets Rocky and eventually voices him, is a star capable of nearly outshining Ryan Gosling).”
Hoai-Tran Bui’s review for Inverse is titled: “Project Hail Mary is popcorn sci-fi at its most crowdpleasing.” With the subheading: “Amaze! Amaze! Amaze!” Yep, another glowing endorsement. Bui writes, “It’s hard to write about Project Hail Mary without comparing it to Ridley Scott’s adaptation of The Martian, though each is a vastly different film. Both of Weir’s novels possessed a rigid devotion to science, and both have screenwriter Drew Goddard penning the scripts. But where The Martian was the rare gripping, scientifically-minded Hollywood drama that felt like it was made for adults, Project Hail Mary feels like it’s catering to the widest audience possible.”
This story will be updated as more reviews are published.
