--- title: "Project Hail Mary: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/project-hail-mary/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/project-hail-mary" critics_score: 77 critics_reviews: 9 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Project Hail Mary (2026): what the critics said Critics' score 77 from 9 reviews: 8 positive, 1 mixed, 0 negative. Most critics are warm on Project Hail Mary, and the praise gathers in two places: Ryan Gosling, who is repeatedly called an exact fit for the stranded, amnesiac astronaut, and his friendship with the alien Rocky, which nearly every review treats as the heart of the film. Lord and Miller’s direction is credited with keeping the science digestible and the tone buoyant, with several reviews reaching for Spielberg and The Martian as points of comparison, and the practical effects and puppetry earn specific mentions. The reservations cluster on length. Empire counts one ending too many and Den of Geek blames the flashbacks for the runtime. The spread is fairly wide. Vulture finds the jokes undercut the film’s sincerity, The Guardian calls it breezy but a bit silly with dull patches, and The Observer stands alone in finding it cynically calculated and lazily plotted, while still admitting the human-alien friendship is warm. ## Empire — John Nugent Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 10 March 2026. The film is witty, wise and preposterously entertaining, an old-school crowdpleaser with Lord and Miller’s joyful direction, Gosling’s charismatic turn and a warm buddy dynamic with the alien Rocky. It is a space-smash about clever speculative concepts, though slightly lengthy with one ending too many. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/project-hail-mary/) ## Radio Times — Terry Staunton Rating 4/5. 17 March 2026. The critic praises the film's warm, human-centered sci-fi story and Ryan Gosling's charming performance as the amnesiac astronaut, highlighting the heartwarming cross-species buddy dynamic with the alien Rocky and its Spielberg-like sense of wonder. It notes the film is slightly overlong but remains engaging and reassuring overall. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movies/scifi/project-hail-mary-review/) ## The Independent — Clarisse Loughrey Rating 4/5. 10 March 2026. The critic calls it a sci-fi dazzler and top-shelf nostalgia that blends past greats like Spielberg and Kubrick into a familiar yet fresh package. It is immensely likeable and technically impressive thanks to Gosling and Hüller’s pairing and digestible science, though it carries a whiff of retro comfort. [Read the review](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/ryan-gosling-project-hail-mary-review-b2939943.html) ## Total Film — Molly Edwards Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 10 March 2026. The review highlights large-scale sci-fi with tons of heart, focusing on the film’s emotional core and spectacle in the vein of The Martian. [Read the review](https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/movies/reviews/) ## Vulture Fi1m's normalised score 45/100 (inferred from the text). 19 March 2026. The critic finds the film entertaining but overly reliant on jokes that undercut its sincerity and intelligence, noting it succeeds more as a crowd-pleasing, childlike sci-fi adventure than a deeper exploration. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/article/review-project-hail-mary-needs-39-percent-fewer-jokes.html) ## IndieWire — Kate Erbland 10 March 2026. The review describes the film as enormously entertaining and genuinely inspiring, praising the adaptation's focus on the lead's partnership with the alien character and its blend of process and wonder. [Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/project-hail-mary-review-ryan-gosling-1235182885/) ## Slant Magazine — Jake Cole The review praises the comedic spin on the novel's premise, highlighting the buddy dynamic between the human and alien leads and the film's optimistic tone, while noting some drag from flashbacks. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/project-hail-mary-review-ryan-gosling-phil-lord-christopher-miller/) ## The Guardian 10 March 2026. The film is a bit silly with moments of dullness and puppyish silliness, but Ryan Gosling’s effortless charm keeps it watchable as a breezy, unserious sci-fi adventure. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/mar/10/project-hail-mary-review-ryan-goslings-charm-carries-unserious-last-ditch-space-mission) ## The Hollywood Reporter — David Rooney 10 March 2026. The critic calls the film a soaring interplanetary buddy movie that demonstrates the directors' knack for buoyant humor and heartfelt emotion. Gosling's performance is singled out for striking the right balance between comedy and sincerity. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/project-hail-mary-review-ryan-gosling-sandra-huller-1236522665/) ## The New York Times — Manohla Dargis 19 March 2026. The critic praises the film as an upbeat, feather-light science-fiction fantasy that embraces the beauty, mystery, and playfulness of outer space rather than its terrors. Gosling is singled out as an impeccable fit for the humor and vulnerability of the reluctant hero role. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/19/movies/project-hail-mary-gosling-review.html) ## The Observer — Wendy Ide 20 March 2026. The insistently feelgood, thunderously dumb sci-fi adventure tries too hard to be loved and is a cynically calculated crowd-pleaser with a lazy, coincidence-driven plot, though the human-alien friendship is warm and the alien design original. [Read the review](https://observer.co.uk/culture/film/article/ryan-goslings-charm-cant-save-project-hail-mary) ## The Telegraph 20 March 2026. Ryan Gosling teams up with a cute alien to save Earth in a zippy, nourishing buddy-movie space epic that is great fun, with excellent practical effects and heart-warming story. [Read the review](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/project-hail-mary-review-ryan-gosling/) ## The Times — Kevin Maher 10 March 2026. Ryan Gosling’s charisma and deadpan irreverence power this brainy but funny sci-fi spectacular about a stranded astronaut to the highest entertainment orbit; Gosling is perfectly cast. [Read the review](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/film/article/project-hail-mary-review-ryan-goslings-charisma-is-out-of-this-world-b6cw2vwjl) ## Collider — Ross Bonaime Rating 9/10. 10 March 2026. The critic calls it the first great film of 2026, praising Lord and Miller's return to directing with a grand, hilarious, emotional, and awe-inspiring sci-fi epic adapted from Andy Weir's novel. Gosling's lead performance and the central human-alien friendship with Rocky are singled out as highlights that make the film sing. [Read the review](https://collider.com/project-hail-mary-review-ryan-gosling-sci-fi-lord-miller/) ## Polygon — Tasha Robinson Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 10 March 2026. The critic finds the film everything fans hoped for and a worthy companion to The Martian, delivering a funny, strange, heartening, and completely satisfying adaptation. It excels through its lively emotional core, character-driven problem-solving focus, and the winning blend of humor and stakes in the central bromance with the alien Rocky. [Read the review](https://www.polygon.com/project-hail-mary-review-ryan-gosling/) ## Deadline — Pete Hammond Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 10 March 2026. The film succeeds as an entertaining and engaging science fiction story that emphasizes humanity and connection over hardware or destruction. It stands out for its intimate use of large-scale Imax visuals, Gosling's strong lead performance, and the heartwarming buddy dynamic with the alien Rocky. [Read the review](https://deadline.com/2026/03/project-hail-mary-review-ryan-gosling-save-earth-deep-space-1236746758/) ## The Wrap Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 10 March 2026. Lord and Miller deliver a thrilling, attractive outer space adventure-comedy with drama that moves the viewer, evoking wonder through epic visuals and optimistic storytelling without contrived conflict. The film excels in its human story of hope and the central relationship but could have built more suspense in the third act. [Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/creative-content/movies/project-hail-mary-review-ryan-gosling/) ## Den of Geek — David Crow Rating 4.5 out of 5. 10 March 2026. The film is a satisfying and charming space odyssey that turns Andy Weir's hard sci-fi premise into accessible, propulsive popcorn entertainment with an interspecies buddy dynamic at its heart. The critic singles out the visual thoughtfulness of the space sequences and the puppeteered alien sidekick for praise, while noting the overlong runtime from excessive flashbacks as a minor flaw. [Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/project-hail-mary-review-sci-fi-that-goes-down-easy/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/project-hail-mary.md