Ryan Gosling absolutely makes this movie & even though I do like Matt Damon, Gosling is probably the leading reason I like this more than The Martian. But I also wasn't sold on The Martian, and I'm barely not sold on Project Hail Mary, either. My take is in the 500-character review here, but I'll add that the second starring character (which I didn't even know about going in & was a surprise to me) is pretty great in character design and combination of computer & practical effects. It's the characterization that bothered me. Something so foreign wouldn't be so child-like yet communicative yet relatable yet naive. I know you need that for an emotional connection, but I guess I didn't need the emotional connection. I prefer the more cerebral stuff in Arrival, which I haven't seen since release but probably is a 4.5 or 5 stars in my book.