Ryan Gosling Shines in ‘Project Hail Mary’: The Internet’s Unanimous Reaction You Can’t Ignore

On the platform X, fortunate viewers who caught “Project Hail Mary” ahead of its official release are showering it with accolades. Starring Ryan Gosling as the intrepid astronaut Dr. Ryland Grace and penned by the renowned sci-fi writer Drew Goddard, the film is earning rave reviews. Media personality Brandon Davis enthusiastically shared, “‘Project Hail Mary’ is the best movie I’ve seen this year. Masterpiece. The visuals are groundbreaking, pushing IMAX to its limits. It’s a relentless exploration of connection and humanity. A brilliant film.” Echoing this sentiment, film YouTuber @imPatrickT described it as “one of the greatest space adventure films of all time,” praising its beauty, emotional depth, and Gosling’s stellar performance.

The acclaim doesn’t stop there; many viewers, like film and TV journalist Scott Menzel, have also deemed the film a masterpiece. In a detailed post, Menzel hailed the film as an “epic cinematic achievement,” praising Lord and Miller for surpassing their previous works. He confidently stated, “Project Hail Mary is not only their most ambitious project yet but also their most accomplished,” predicting a sweep of awards.

Widespread praise for “Project Hail Mary” extends to critics like Bill Bria, writing for /Film, who called it “a nuanced, gorgeous, humanistic marvel” on X. Bria highlighted Gosling’s performance and the directors’ knack for integrating color and choreography in a sci-fi context, comparing its visual effects to “Star Trek 1979.” He concluded, “In a galaxy of space films, it stands uniquely brilliant.”

The reactions to “Project Hail Mary” are overwhelmingly positive, including one from Bill Bria, who writes for Looper’s sister site /Film. “‘Project Hail Mary’ is a nuanced, gorgeous, humanistic marvel,” Bria mused on X. “Ryan Gosling gives one of his best performances, Lord & Miller prove their gifts for color & choreography flourish in sci-fi, the film’s effects recall ‘Star Trek 1979.’ In a galaxy of space films, it’s brilliantly unique.”

This was a pretty common sentiment across the board, actually. Gizmodo and iO9 writer Germain Lussier agreed, writing, “‘Project Hail Mary’ is pure joy. Hilarious, heartfelt, hugely moving, wildly exciting and absolutely beautiful. The 160 minutes go by in an instant as Lord and Miller keep Weir’s narrative moving like a rocket ship. Gosling is better than ever and the Rocky effect and mind blowing.” (Rocky, for the uninitiated, is a small alien life form who befriends Dr. Ryland Grace during an important mission — more on that shortly.) Critic Scott Mantz also soundly praised the movie in his post, calling the film “an awe-inspiring & sublimely beautiful masterpiece” that’s “loaded with heart, humor, excitement & a deeply moving story!”

A few others honed in on Ryan Gosling’s performance, like Gregory Ellwood from The Playlist. “Ryan Gosling is utterly fantastic in ‘Project Hail Mary,” he wrote, also saying, “[the] movie also has some incredibly directed sequences that will make you gasp.” Critic Eric Marchen agreed, writing, “Phil Lord and Christopher Miller’s must-see space odyssey blasts off as the first great blockbuster of 2026. Out-of-this-world cinematography from Greig Fraser reaches for the stars while anchored by a stellar Ryan Gosling performance.” So what is “Project Hail Mary” about in the first place?

Thankfully — for many reasons — “Project Hail Mary” is not based on a true story. Instead, Phil Lord and Chris Miller adapted this story from Andy Weir’s bestselling 2021 novel … and if that name sounds familiar, it’s because Weir also wrote “The Martian,” which became a blockbuster film in 2015 with Matt Damon at the helm and Ridley Scott behind the camera. So what do you need to know about “Project Hail Mary” before you see the movie that many critics and journalists are hailing as one of 2026’s first real masterpieces?

The story begins when Ryan Gosling’s protagonist Dr. Ryland Grace wakes up on a spaceship, initially unaware of how he got there in the first place — only to quickly learn that he’s the only survivor aboard the ship, which is headed towards a star called Tau Ceti. Ryland, as it happens, is also tasked with saving the fate of Earth, and though he thinks he’s completely alone, he has some help from a small alien form he names Rocky (puppeteered and voiced by James Ortiz) who’s also on a mission to save the universe.

Lord and Miller are, frankly, directors who can handle any source material that gets thrown their way — for crying out loud, they made two “21 Jump Street” reboot movies that were actually amazing — and Gosling, who’s one of our best actors, is flanked by other great performers like Sandra Hüller, Ken Leung, and Lionel Boyce, just to name a few. “Project Hail Mary” hits theaters on March 20, 2026 … so get excited.