Project Hail Mary Review: Ryan Gosling Carries a Sci-Fi Masterpiece With a Rock as His Co-Star

I’ll be honest, I’m not the guy you go to for sci-fi breakdowns. I’m usually reading a sports memoir or something about a championship run, not a space survival story. So when I walked into Project Hail Mary, I didn’t even realize it was based on a book. I like to be the kind of guy who says “the book is better than the movie,” but in this case, I haven’t read it yet—and after watching this, I’m not even sure it matters. This movie stands on its own, and it’s incredible.

At the center of it all is Ryan Gosling, who somehow continues to raise the bar every time he’s on screen. He’s always been an A-list name, but this might genuinely be his best performance. The movie asks him to carry long stretches almost entirely by himself, isolated in space, confused, scared, and trying to piece together what’s going on. And he delivers. The emotional range, the humor, the timing—it all hits. Especially when you consider that for a good portion of the film, his main co-star isn’t even human.

The movie opens with Gosling waking up alone on a spaceship, disoriented and with no memory of how he got there. It immediately gave me flashbacks to Passengers, where Chris Pratt believes he’s alone and forms a relationship with a robot bartender to cope with the isolation. But here, it’s different. There’s no bartender, no comfort, just silence and the terrifying realization that he might be completely alone, drifting through space with a mission he can’t even remember.

As the story unfolds, the film does a great job bouncing between timelines. One minute you’re watching Gosling trying to survive in space, and the next you’re back on Earth, watching scientists and government officials scramble to solve a problem that could end the world. That structure keeps the pacing tight and gives context to everything happening on the ship. It never feels slow, and it never feels like it’s dragging—every scene adds something.

And then the movie shifts.

Gosling discovers he’s not alone after all.

Enter Rocky—a literal alien rock-like being, fully CGI, who somehow ends up becoming the emotional backbone of the film. What sounds ridiculous on paper ends up being one of the best on-screen relationships in years. The way they learn to communicate, the way they build trust, and the way they rely on each other to survive—it’s the heart of the movie. Gosling acting opposite something that isn’t physically there and still making it feel real is honestly one of the most impressive parts of the entire performance.

Their friendship becomes the driving force of the story. They’re both stranded, both trying to save their respective planets, and both realizing that they might not make it home. There’s humor in it too. Rocky’s dry delivery and constant “Amaze, amaze, amaze” somehow steal scenes in a movie led by one of the biggest actors in the world. There’s even a moment where Gosling introduces Rocky to the Rocky movies, which is just a perfect, self-aware touch that makes their bond feel even more real.

The film also sneaks in a small but memorable music moment with Harry Styles’ Sign of the Times playing during a karaoke scene back on the space station, which adds another layer to the tone of the movie. It’s subtle, but it works.

As the story builds toward the end, the stakes get even higher. Gosling and Rocky believe they’ve figured out a way to solve the problem and return home, only to realize there’s been a miscalculation. They don’t have enough fuel. They can’t both make it back. And that’s where the movie hits its emotional peak. Gosling makes the decision to go back, to make sure Rocky understands the error, and to send pods back to Earth with everything they’ve learned. It’s not about saving himself anymore. It’s about finishing the mission.

The ending is what really locks this movie in as a 10 out of 10 for me. Instead of forcing a perfect Hollywood return, the film leans into something more meaningful. Gosling ends up on Rocky’s planet, helping teach science to his species, living out his days with the friend he made along the way, while waiting for the possibility of getting back to Earth. It’s not the ending you expect, but it’s the one that feels right.

From the visuals to the storytelling to the performances, everything about this movie works. The effects are incredible, the attention to detail is obvious, and the emotional payoff lands. Even reviews and early reactions have pointed out how closely the film tries to stay true to the tone and complexity of the original story, which makes sense because it feels like a movie that actually cared about getting it right.

I walked into this as someone who doesn’t normally go out of their way for sci-fi, and I walked out thinking this might be one of the best movies I’ve seen in a long time. Ryan Gosling carries it, the story delivers, and somehow a friendship between a man and a space rock becomes one of the most compelling parts of the entire experience.

It’s a 10 out of 10. No notes.