Project Hail Mary debuts to near-perfect 96% Rotten Tomatoes score, as critics call it "an early contender for film of the year"

Reviews for Project Hail Mary are in, and they're overwhelmingly positive – meaning the sci-fi blockbuster looks to be the first must-see film of the year.

The movie stars Ryan Gosling as Ryland Grace, a schoolteacher turned unlikely astronaut tasked with saving humanity from an alien microbe that is dimming the sun. In the deep reaches of space, he meets a new friend to help him with his mission: Rocky the alien.

On Rotten Tomatoes, Project Hail Mary currently holds a stellar 96% critics score with over 100 reviews. Our own Project Hail Mary review awarded the film 4 stars, and it reads: "With stunning visuals, a beautifully emotional story, and a delightful central bond between Ryan Gosling's Grace and Rocky the alien, Project Hail Mary is large-scale sci-fi with tons of heart."

Other reviews are similarly full of praise. "Project Hail Mary marks the first science-fiction masterpiece of 2026," says ComicBook in a 4.5/5 review, while Inverse says: "A spectacular and spectacularly moving sci-fi blockbuster that occasionally struggles under its big ideas, but is saved by the sheer star power of Ryan Gosling and his adorable alien friend."

"Guaranteed to melt all but the iciest of hearts, Project Hail Mary is an early contender for film of the year," reads ComicBookMovie's 5-star review.

"Project Hail Mary is bold, surprisingly sweet, and considerably funny. Thanks in large part to a fantastic performance from Ryan Gosling, it's a stellar cinematic ride and one of the finest big-screen sci-fi outings in years," says The Direct in a review scored as 9/10.

"With a leading man, Ryan Gosling, who can't resist showing off his goofball charm and all-round Kenergy, Project Hail Mary is surprisingly shiny and fun for a story about the potential extinction of the human race," says the BBC in a 4-star review.

"To write more about the pleasures and pains of Project Hail Mary would be a disservice to what’s most entertaining and satisfying about the film: watching it unfold, enjoying the process, accepting the mission, asking the big questions," reads IndieWire's A- review.

"Project Hail Mary might blow past a two-hour runtime and yet there’s rarely a dull moment with all the problem-solving, earnest irreverence and unabashed commitment to imbuing life and wit into every molecule of the story," says the Associated Press in a 3.5/4 star review.

"With Gosling and [Sandra] Hüller to the fore, Lord and Miller have delivered a cosmic adventure with hope in its heart and a twinkle in its eye. It’s the science-fiction blockbuster we need in these fractious times," says Time Out in a 4-star review.

However, not everyone is convinced. "Even with his magnetism set to hyperdrive, Gosling can’t make this wannabe-feel good film dazzle the way it wants to," says Esquire UK.

"Project Hail Mary wants to be the kind of "great escape we need right now," and I have no doubt that many will hail it as one. So forgive me if I say that it’s not a very good movie," says Variety.

Project Hail Mary is in UK cinemas this March 19 and US theaters this March 20. In the meantime, fill out your watchlist with our guide to all the most exciting upcoming movies.