It’s hard to find tenderness anywhere in this world, particularly in today’s mainstream movies. The point of movies, of course, is to reach people, but perhaps because we so seldom see movies in the dark together these days, the sense of connection they used to foster feels more out of reach than ever. The small miracle of Project Hail Mary—directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, and adapted by Drew Goddard from Andy Weir’s novel—is that it tosses out a sturdy space tether for us to grab onto. It’s a large-scale movie with a modest heart, thanks in large part to Ryan Gosling’s performance as a reluctant astronaut stranded in space—a man who, for the first section of the movie, believes he’s truly alone, only to be saved, in both the philosophical and literal sense, by an unlikely ally.-TIME

“It soars on the immense likeability of Gosling’s presence, working in perfect tandem with directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller to create an incredibly crowd-pleasing film. “-The Nightly (AU)