Ryan Gosling‘s new movie has barely screened for anyone yet and it’s already being called the best film of the year.
Project Hail Mary, the sci-fi drama opening March 20, drew a wave of celebrity reactions on February 24 after early private screenings. The verdict was unanimous, and the language people used was not subtle.
Frozen star Josh Gadposted to Instagram: ‘Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the first masterpiece of 2026. I don’t know how the hell they did it, but they have delivered a PERFECT adaptation of a book I thought was impossible to adapt. The novel is one of my all-time favorites and the movie somehow matches it pound for pound. See this movie on the biggest screen possible. Ryan Gosling has never been better.’
Jeff Bezos took to X the same day: ‘Project Hail Mary is outstanding. Ryan Gosling is so talented he somehow conjures emotion and chemistry with his co-star, even though that co-star is an alien rock puppet. It’s an amazing film.’
Academy Award-winning composer Michael Giacchinocalled it ‘an original, smart, human, and deeply moving film. And did I mention funny? One of those miracles of a movie you absolutely must see on a big screen.’ Gravity Falls creator Alex Hirsch added: ‘It’s a weird, hilarious, joyful, dazzling gem of a movie. Ryan Gosling’s chemistry with a puppet rock alien WILL make you cry.’
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For anyone who hasn’t heard of the film, here’s what it’s about. Gosling plays Ryland Grace, a middle-school science teacher who wakes up alone on a spacecraft millions of miles from Earth, with no memory of who he is or how he got there. As his memory returns in fragments, he pieces together the stakes: a mysterious microorganism is consuming the sun’s energy, Earth is headed toward extinction, and he was sent as humanity’s last hope to stop it. Along the way, he discovers he’s not entirely alone. His only companion is an alien he names Rocky, built using a combination of practical puppetry and CGI.
The film is directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, the duo behind The Lego Movie and the Spider-Verse films. It’s based on the bestselling 2021 novel by Andy Weir, who also wrote The Martian, the book that became the 2015 Matt Damon film of the same name. The screenplay was written by Drew Goddard, who also adapted The Martian for the screen. As of January 2026, Weir’s novel has appeared on the New York Times bestseller list for 28 consecutive weeks.
The book was very well received. ‘Andrew Weir’s Project Hail Mary,’ one fan thread starts, ‘is a masterpiece.’
The film runs 2 hours and 36 minutes and is rated PG-13. It was shot specifically for IMAX, and Amazon Prime members can access early screenings starting March 16 (four days before the wide release) through Fandango.
This story was originally published by Parade on Feb 25, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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