‘Project Hail Mary’ Debuts To Overwhelmingly Positive Reactions

Early test screenings were seemingly write as Project Hail Mary is now being critically acclaimed ahead of its March 20 theatrical release.

Zanda Gubecka February 25, 2026

'Project Hail Mary' Debuts To Overwhelmingly Positive Reactions

Project Hail Mary is the latest film from duo Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, who made a name for themselves producing highly successful comedies and animated projects. Among these projects include 21 and 22 Jump Street (both of which they directed), The Lego Movie, Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse, Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse, and the upcoming Spider-Noir series as well as Spider-Man: Beyond The Spider-Verse. Now, the duo are back for their first live-action film since 2014’s 22 Jump Street, adapting Andy Weir’s acclaimed novel Project Hail Mary for Amazon MGM Studios.

Project Hail Mary follows a school teacher (Ryan Gosling’s Ryland Grace) who is nominated due to his past studios to become an astronaut on a “Hail Mary” mission (masterminded by Sandra Hüller’s Eva Stratt) to save the population of Earth. On the rocket, he awakens with no memory and soon befriends an alien creature he dubs Rocky (James Ortiz).

The film just premiered, and early screenings for critics and influencers have just happened. Early reactions for the science fiction film have showcased overwhelmingly positive sentiment. Reactions for the film comment on the film’s heart, Ryan Goslings performance and charisma, as well as the visuals from DP Greig Fraser. Find a selection of these reactions below:

PROJECT HAIL MARY was far from the film I was expecting. Less an epic space adventure and more of an intimate look at companionship and finding catharsis in the vastness of space. Ryan Gosling’s doing an amazing one man show for most of this. Rocky: new little guy alert! pic.twitter.com/bSweKcX7G9
— tyler “llewyn” taing (@tylerllewtaing) February 25, 2026

Project Hail Mary is an absolutely fantastic film that will no doubt live up to everyone’s expectations.

Ryan Gosling gives an incredible performance overflowing with emotion and humor. The movie keeps you glued to the screen the entire time, though it’s admittedly a tad long. pic.twitter.com/Xn9inbdBip
— Russ Milheim – The Direct (@RussMilheim) February 25, 2026

Project Hail Mary is an epic cinematic achievement.

Phil Lord and Chris Miller somehow manage to raise the bar once again, delivering what is not only their most ambitious film to date, but arguably their most accomplished.

The scope and scale is immense, yet the storytelling… pic.twitter.com/hCy9vGUjmz
— Scott Menzel (@ScottDMenzel) February 25, 2026

Project Hail Mary is PHENOMENAL! This movie is a masterpiece. It is way funnier than I expected it to be, it never feels its runtime, and it is truly heartwarming. I laughed, I cried – I fell in love with Rocky! Ryan Gosling is one of the best working today. WOW! #ProjectHailMary pic.twitter.com/PkhAgZSvqc
— Tessa Smith – Mama's Geeky (@MamasGeeky) February 25, 2026

Absolutely loved “PROJECT HAIL MARY,” an awe-inspiring & sublimely beautiful masterpiece — everything we go to the movies for! Loaded with heart, humor, excitement & a deeply moving story! Brilliantly directed by PHIL LORD & CHRIS MILLER, magnificent performance by RYAN GOSLING! pic.twitter.com/QyF7g4u6AY
— Scott Mantz 🖖 (@MovieMantz) February 25, 2026

Project Hail Mary is a decade defining science fiction film #projecthailmary @projecthailmary pic.twitter.com/0oc2UCkMqH
— Raiders of the Lost Podcast (@RaidersLostPod) February 25, 2026

The film will be the second adaptation of an Andy Weir novel, and the second by writer Drew Goddard. Goddard, of course, wrote The Martian, which was Weir’s first adapted novel and one that drew much critical acclaim, due to a great performance from popular actor Matt Damon and direction by Ridley Scott. This marks two for two critically acclaimed adaptations.

Project Hail Mary is directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, written by Drew Goddard, DP’ed by Greig Fraser, and stars Ryan Gosling, Sandra Hüller, James Ortiz, Lionel Boyce, and Ken Leung. The film hits theatres on March 20, 2026, courtesy of Amazon MGM Studios.

Thanks for reading this Project Hail Mary reactions article. For more, stay tuned here at Feature First.

Zanda Gubecka

Zanda is the Editor-in-Chief of Feature First and oversees the publishing of the outlet and content of the social media pages. He is based in Queensland, Australia and may or may not have a life like cardboard cut-out of Ryan Gosling in his room. Zanda has been actively turning Feature First into a reliable and high quality entertainment outlet since 2023.

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