Critics Give Project Hail Mary Near-Perfect 94% on Rotten Tomatoes, Urge Audiences to See It

Critics have given Project Hail Mary a near‑perfect reception: the film is reported as "currently sitting at a near-perfect 94% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 71 reviews," and outlets describe the critical consensus as almost uniformly glowing even if social media was initially more positive than some full reviews.

“First, in the plainest language, before we get to anything else, Project Hail Mary is a fantastic film”

Ars Technica

Review coverage highlights broad enthusiasm for the film’s emotional core and spectacle, and many critics are urging audiences to see it when it opens in theaters on March 20.

Ars Technica

This overall acclaim is reflected both in summary scores and in review excerpts praising its strengths.

Praise centers on Ryan Gosling’s lead performance and the film’s technical and emotional achievements: critics have hailed Project Hail Mary as "one of the best sci‑fi films ever," "2026's first great blockbuster," and offered "near‑universal praise for Gosling's performance, the cinematography, score, humor and powerful emotional centre."

Multiple reviews emphasize the unexpected emotional bond at the center of the film and the successful blending of humor, spectacle and sentiment.

ComicBookMovie

Not all reviews are unqualified; a small number of critics raised reservations about pacing, tone and originality.

“First, in the plainest language, before we get to anything else, Project Hail Mary is a fantastic film”

Ars Technica

As ComicBookMovie notes, "a couple of outright negative reviews" have taken issue with "an overlong first act, some out-of-place comedy, and the film's more derivative elements."

Ars Technica’s focus on the film’s structure — a long interstellar mission built around a central scientific problem — helps explain why some reviewers find the first act and tonal shifts uneven even if they appreciate the film’s core relationship.

The film’s premise and genre mix—science-driven problem solving, a solitary mission to Tau Ceti, and an emotional buddy dynamic—are central to why critics recommend seeing it.

ComicBookMovie summarizes the setup: "Science teacher Ryland Grace (Ryan Gosling) wakes up on a spaceship light years from home with no recollection of who he is or how he got there," and must "solve the riddle of the mysterious substance causing the sun to die out."

ComicBookMovie

Ars Technica expands on the mission logic, noting that researchers find nearby stars dimming except Tau Ceti and that Eva Stratt (Sandra Hüller) pushes a "long-shot mission—a 'Hail Mary,' as she puts it" to investigate, which frames the film’s stakes and emotional payoff.