Project Hail Mary Review: Ryan Gosling and Rocky Deliver One of the Best Films of 2026

Some movies you enjoy, and some you carry around for weeks afterwards. “Project Hail Mary” is the second kind for me. Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, the duo behind the Spider-Verse films, took Andy Weir’s 2021 novel and turned it into the most heartfelt science fiction film I have seen in years: a lonely survival story, a buddy comedy, and a real science puzzle, all at once. If you loved the scale of Denis Villeneuve’s Arrakis in our Dune (2021) review, this is the warmer, funnier side of big-screen sci-fi, and it is one of the best films of the year.

The film premiered in London on March 9, 2026, and opened in U.S. theaters on March 20, released by Amazon MGM Studios in the United States and Canada and by Sony Pictures Releasing International everywhere else. Drew Goddard, who already adapted Weir’s “The Martian,” wrote the screenplay, and Ryan Gosling both stars and produces. Running 156 minutes, it opened to about $80 million in North America, Amazon MGM Studios’ biggest debut to date, and went on to gross roughly $685 million worldwide. Here’s my full breakdown across our five categories (2 points maximum each).

Project Hail Mary Story – 2/2

Good Points: A Mystery That Turns Into a Friendship

Waking Up With No Memory
The setup is simple and brilliant. Ryland Grace wakes up from an induced coma aboard the spacecraft Hail Mary, light years from Earth, with no idea who he is or why he is there. I loved how the film lets you piece the mission together at the same speed as Grace does. Every memory that comes back raises the stakes, and every answer opens a new question. It is a mystery box that actually pays off.

A Dying Sun and a Long Shot
In flashbacks, we learn that a mysterious substance called astrophage is dimming the Sun, and that Earth has only a few decades before a catastrophic freeze. Eva Stratt, the head of the international task force, recruits Grace, a middle school science teacher and former molecular biologist, for a mission to Tau Ceti, 11.9 light years away. The film explains real scientific ideas clearly without ever feeling like a lecture, and the problem-solving scenes are as gripping as any action set piece.

Grace and Rocky
Without going beyond what the trailers already show: Grace is not alone out there. His first contact with Rocky, an alien engineer from another dying star system, turns the film into something special. Watching two beings with nothing in common slowly build a shared language, through trial, error, and a lot of humor, gave me the biggest smile I have had in a cinema all year. The emotional core of the story is a friendship, and it hits harder than I expected.

Minor Nitpicks
The constant switching between the ship and the flashbacks on Earth slows the middle part down slightly, and readers of the novel will notice that some of the science is simplified. Neither point costs the film anything for me. The structure is exactly what makes the reveals land.

Project Hail Mary Cast – 2/2

Special Praise: Ryan Gosling and a Puppet Steal the Show

Sandra Hüller as Eva Stratt in Project Hail Mary

Ryan Gosling at His Most Likable
Gosling carries most of the film alone on a ship, and he is fantastic. His Ryland Grace is funny, scared, clumsy, and brave, sometimes in the same scene. The comedy timing he showed in recent years works perfectly here, but what impressed me most are the quiet moments, when the jokes stop and you see how much Grace is carrying. It is one of his best performances.

Rocky Is a Real Character
Rocky is not a CGI afterthought. He is a physical puppet on set, brought to life by a team of five puppeteers led by James Ortiz, who also provides his voice, with animation blended in for the finished shots. You can feel that he is really on set with Gosling, and the chemistry between them is the heart of the movie. I honestly did not expect to care this much about a rock-like alien with five legs.

Sandra Hüller and the Supporting Cast
Sandra Hüller is the perfect counterweight as Eva Stratt: cold, pragmatic, and completely convincing as the woman willing to do anything to save humanity. Lionel Boyce, Ken Leung, and Milana Vayntrub make strong impressions in smaller roles, and Priya Kansara voices Mary, the ship’s onboard computer. There is no weak link in this cast.

Project Hail Mary World – 2/2

Good Points: A Spaceship You Can Touch

Ryland Grace inside the Hail Mary

The Hail Mary Feels Real
The scenes aboard the Hail Mary were filmed on a practical set built for the film at Shepperton Studios in the United Kingdom, and you can see it in every shot. The switches, screens, cables, and cramped corners all look used and functional. According to Christopher Miller, no chroma keying was used at all; instead, the team relied on practical sets, blackouts, and grey screens. For a film that spends so much time in one place, that tactile quality matters a lot, and the ship becomes a character of its own.

Earth in Crisis
The flashbacks on Earth, shot on locations in the United Kingdom, give the story its weight. Labs, briefing rooms, and launch preparations make the global emergency believable without turning into a disaster movie. The contrast between the busy, desperate Earth scenes and the silence of deep space works beautifully.

Props and Alien Design
Rocky’s technology, his xenon-based materials, and the way he and Grace adapt their shared spaces are some of the most creative production design ideas I have seen in recent sci-fi. Everything follows its own logic, which is exactly what fans of Weir’s hard science fiction want.

Music Score and Effects – 2/2

Daniel Pemberton’s Score
Daniel Pemberton, who also scored the Spider-Verse films that Lord and Miller produced, delivers a soundtrack full of wonder. His score swings from tense and mysterious to joyful and soaring, and it gives the friendship between Grace and Rocky its own musical identity. The film also uses licensed songs, including “Sign of the Times” by Harry Styles and “Two of Us” by the Beatles, and both are used at exactly the right moments.

Behind the scenes: the practical Rocky puppet on set

Cinematography Made for IMAX
Cinematographer Greig Fraser, who also shot Villeneuve’s Dune films (see our Dune: Part Two review), filmed the movie for IMAX with large-format Arri Alexa 65 cameras. A clever detail: the aspect ratio changes depending on the timeline, with a taller image for the present on the ship and a wider 2.39:1 frame for the memories on Earth. Once you notice it, it is a great storytelling tool. Space has rarely looked this beautiful and this lonely at the same time.

Practical Effects With Heart
The combination of practical sets, real puppetry, and carefully used visual effects gives the film a handmade feel that I missed in a lot of modern blockbusters. Nothing looks weightless, and that makes the emotional moments hit even harder.

Originality – 2/2

How It Stands Apart / Uniqueness

Yes, “Project Hail Mary” is an adaptation, and yes, you can feel echoes of classics like “E.T.” and “The Martian.” But in a time of sequels and franchise universes, an original sci-fi story on this scale is rare, and the film never plays it safe. It is a first-contact movie in which the alien is not a threat, a space survival story built on science instead of explosions, and a comedy that can make you cry.

Lord and Miller bring their sense of humor and energy without losing the seriousness of the stakes. That balance is what makes the film feel unique, and for me it earns full marks here.

What’s Next After Project Hail Mary?

“Project Hail Mary” tells a complete story, and there is no officially announced sequel. If you missed it in theaters, it has been available on digital platforms since May 12, 2026, started streaming on MGM+ on June 18, 2026, and on Prime Video worldwide on July 3, 2026. A 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray, Blu-ray, and DVD release followed on August 11, 2026, and an Amazon-exclusive three-disc SteelBook set with the film in its full 1.43:1 IMAX ratio was announced for October 13.

If the film left you hungry for more big-screen science fiction, “Dune: Part Three” hits theaters this December. Our Dune lore recap of Part One and Part Two is the perfect way to prepare.

Gamersuniverse Score:

10 out of 10 stars⭐

Category	Points	Verdict
Story	2/2	A gripping mystery that turns into one of the most moving friendships in sci-fi.
Cast	2/2	Ryan Gosling is at his best, and Rocky is a real character, not a special effect.
World	2/2	The practical Hail Mary set makes deep space feel tangible and lived-in.
Music Score and Effects	2/2	Daniel Pemberton’s score and Greig Fraser’s IMAX images are pure wonder.
Originality	2/2	An original-feeling first-contact story built on science, humor, and heart.
Total	10/10	Absolute top score and one of the best films of the year.

Project Hail Mary is an absolute top score for me and one of the best films of the year. Ryan Gosling gives one of his best performances, Rocky instantly becomes one of the great movie aliens, and the mix of real science, mystery, and humor works from the first minute to the last.

Add Daniel Pemberton’s wonderful score, Greig Fraser’s stunning images, and a practical spaceship you can almost touch, and you get a modern sci-fi classic. If you have not seen it yet, it is waiting for you on Prime Video.

Score Summary

• Story: 2/2
• Cast: 2/2
• World: 2/2
• Music Score and Effects: 2/2
• Originality: 2/2
  Total: 10/10

Who Is Project Hail Mary For?

• Sci-fi fans who loved “The Martian,” “Interstellar,” or “Arrival” and want smart science with real emotion.
• Fans of Andy Weir’s novel who want to see Rocky and the Hail Mary brought to life with practical effects.
• Families and casual viewers looking for a big, warm adventure with plenty of humor.
• Maybe skip it if you want nonstop action: the film takes its time with problem-solving and character moments.

Is Project Hail Mary one of your favorite films of the year too? And did Rocky win you over as quickly as he won me? Let us know in the comments.

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Pictures: Amazon MGM Studios, Amazon MGM Studios (official trailers)