India, March 26 -- I won't lie that as Project Hail Mary began, I felt a sense of dread. I was worried if this was going to be an Interstellar clone. Even though I was familiar with the source material, one wonders just how different two films about middle-aged white men traversing the stars to save the world can be. In just under three hours, Phil Lord and Christopher Miller answer that beautifully. Because not only is Project Hail Mary different, but it is also surprisingly better looking than Nolan's Interstellar. There are flaws, but the charm of the protagonist and the visual magic are enough to compensate for that in what is arguably the best big-screen experience this year so far.

Ryland Grace (Ryan Gosling) wakes up light-years a...