Project Hail Mary first reactions are calling the Ryan Gosling sci-fi movie a "must-see space odyssey" and an "epic cinematic achievement"

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Project Hail Mary debuts to rave first reactions

Ryan Gosling floating in space in Project Hail Mary
(Image credit: Amazon MGM Studios)

The first reactions to Project Hail Mary are here – and the sci-fi movie looks like it's shaping up to be the first blockbuster hit of the year.

Directed by Across the Spider-Verse and The Lego Movie's Phil Lord and Chris Miller, Project Hail Mary stars Ryan Gosling as Ryland Grace, who wakes up on a ship with no memory of his life or why he's in space. As he works out that he's the sole survivor of an Earth-saving mission to a faraway sun, he teams up with an alien called Rocky in an attempt to complete what he was sent to do. And, one thing's for sure – viewers can't get enough of Rocky.

"Phil Lord and Christopher Miller’s must-see space odyssey blasts off as the first great blockbuster of 2026," critic Eric Marchen tweeted. "Out-of-this-world cinematography from Greig Fraser reaches for the stars while anchored by a stellar Ryan Gosling performance. This movie ROCKS!"

"I love Lord & Miller’s PROJECT HAIL MARY, a hang out buddy movie only one of the buddies is an alien who does not speak human languages," shared critic Mike Ryan. "Very sweet and I had to stop myself from crying at the end because it's embarrassing. I'll watch this anytime it's on the rest of my life."

Frozen star Josh Gad recently gave his verdict on the movie, too, who seemingly wasn't bothered by the 156-minute runtime – he called it the "first masterpiece of 2026."

Emily Garbutt
Emily Garbutt
Entertainment Writer

I’m an Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, covering everything film and TV-related. I help bring you all the latest news, features, and reviews, as well as helming our Big Screen Spotlight column. I’ve previously written for publications like HuffPost and i-D after getting my NCTJ Diploma in Multimedia Journalism.

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