Phil Lord
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Interstellar (2014)
Directed by Christopher Nolan
influenced Project Hail Mary (2026)
Themes Visuals Characters
One review noted that Project Hail Mary tries to balance dark human emotion – in the vein of Arrival and Interstellar – alongside lighter, funnier moments, and those two tones don’t always gel smoothly.
It doesn’t aim to stun viewers in the way that, say, Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar does, but it has all the sci-fi hallmarks, with excellent set pieces throughout.
But unlike its cerebral cinematic sibling Interstellar, Project Hail Mary isn’t here to existentially ponder, but to whizz-bang entertain.
Project Hail Mary doubles and triples down on the communication problems that have been genre staples from 2001 to Silent Running to Contact, Interstellar and Arrival.
…the most polished and emotionally satisfying space epics since “Interstellar.”
…a touch of TARS from Interstellar…
One review noted that Project Hail Mary tries to balance dark human emotion – in the vein of Arrival and Interstellar – alongside lighter, funnier moments, and those two tones don’t always gel smoothly.
Some of my own personal favorite hard sci-fi movies would be Moon, Arrival, Contact, and Ad Astra, along with the aforementioned The Martian, Sunshine, and Interstellar.
They (and Weir) are also a bit guilty of sacrificing feasibility for dramatic momentum (Arrival this ain’t).
Even “Arrival” (2016) had a storyline with people who were anti-alien and anti-collaboration.
Project Hail Mary doubles and triples down on the communication problems that have been genre staples from 2001 to Silent Running to Contact, Interstellar and Arrival.
We’ve all seen Arrival (2016), where linguistic barriers were more plausibly navigated over the entire movie’s runtime; here, a laptop is translating alien dialogue within days.
Weir’s scientific explanations here, as in “The Martian,” sound super-intelligent and confidently correct, no matter how outlandish they might be.
After the runaway success of both Weir’s novel The Martian and its acclaimed film adaptation…
This mundanity is the delightful perspective Weir has brought to both The Martian and Project Hail Mary.
These concepts are not new - Weir’s The Martian explores these same things.
Fans of The Martian will find plenty to love here, as Project Hail Mary successfully blends scientific curiosity, humor, and heartfelt emotion into an uplifting science-fiction adventure…
It’s been over a decade since author Andy Weir’s novel The Martian was adapted into the smash hit starring Matt Damon. Now comes an adaptation of Weir’s most recent novel — another space adventure — Project Hail Mary.
Free Guy (2021)
Directed by Shawn Levy
influenced by The Lego Movie (2014), 21 Jump Street (2012)
Themes Plot Characters
Feeling equal parts Wreck-It Ralph and The Lego Movie , there’s an inspired concept at play that fully integrates the audience into a world primarily seen by people absorbed into whatever open-world online game they enjoy via console or PC.
Whether through a lack of originality or a desire to minimize the exposition in a movie whose elevated concept could’ve gotten unnecessarily complicated, the opening minutes of “Free Guy” borrow heavily from both “Deadpool” and “The Lego Movie,” as Reynolds wryly narrates the rules of his world: In “Free City,” the “sunglass people” are the heroes (represented here by a self-deprecating Channing Tatum), while everyone else are NPCs, blithely going about their “lives” in an endless, uninteresting loop (a “Groundhog Day” conceit that lifts still more DNA from other films, including last spring’s game-based action comedy “Boss Level”).
I am not a gamer but watching this reminded me of a mixture of the innocence of Emmett from The Lego Movie and the fun of the recent Jumanji reboot.
Like The Lego Movie, the existence of a real-world outside the fantasy world adds another layer that gives far more depth to Free Guy’s high concept, and it’s also one of the film’s frequent saving graces.
But the misappropriation doesn’t stop there; much of the setup is lifted directly from “The LEGO Movie,” with main character Guy’s introduction containing direct repeats of LEGO avatar Emmett’s daily routine.
The movie makes a feeble attempt to say something satirical about online gaming and something critical about the evils of capitalism, but every idea is borrowed from so many other sources (from Wreck it Ralph to The Lego Movie) that you couldn’t find a trace of originality with a microscope.
…with one major set-piece in particular bringing to mind Alfonso Cuarón’s Gravity…
The only recent space-themed movie that rivals this production quality is Gravity, Alfonso Cuarón’s Oscar-winning sci-fi drama.
…wire-assisted free-fall as with Gravity…
Gosling isn’t called to be a one-man show on the level of Sandra Bullock in her 2014 Best Actress nominated performance in Gravity…
Throw in some 2001: A Space Odyssey, Interstellar, Silent Running, a bit of Ad Astra, the heart of E.T. the Extra Terrestrial, the language of Close Encounters of the Third Kind and the isolation of Gravity to mention a few predecessors.
In many ways, Project Hail Mary feels like the spiritual successor to films such as Gravity and The Martian, both of which received significant recognition from the Academy.
Much as “21 Jump Street” managed to simultaneously tip its hat and thumb its nose at its 1980s fourth-network source material, so “22 Jump Street” wears its sequel-ness on its sleeve, from an opening “previously on” recap (including a wry “Annie Hall” homage not seen in the original film) to its inspired closing montage of concepts for future “Jump Street” sequels (culinary school!
Their chemistry crackles around strains in their bromance (look for an "Annie Hall" reference) and the fallout at the precinct from bungling any case they get.
There’s a wonderfully oblique reference to Annie Hall (one word: lobsters) and arguably the most memorable inter-gender melee since Patricia Arquette corkscrewed James Gandolfini in True Romance.
There is even a pretty good “Annie Hall” gag.
Playing around with the vocabulary of cinematic romantic comedies - including an exquisitely random lift of a pair of scenes from Annie Hall , of all target audience-unfriendly films - is part of the fun the film's general game of making jokes out of its own existence, but it's not really mocking the characters, so much as mocking the tropes.
Cast Away (2000)
Directed by Robert Zemeckis
influenced Project Hail Mary (2026)
Themes Plot Characters
While the film boasts narrative and emotional parallels to Interstellar and even Cast Away…
…it’s essentially just “Cast Away in Space”. However, the big difference here is that Cast Away at least had Wilson!
…he manages to pull off the role that is somewhat reminiscent of Tom Hanks in Cast Away.
…similar to Matt Damon and Tom Hanks, who have both portrayed the solitary hero so well in The Martian and Cast Away, respectively.
There’s a Frank Capra-esque sincerity here, reminiscent of the emotional connection audiences formed with Wilson in Cast Away.
…in a wild way, his adventures are similar to those of Tom Hanks and his unusual pal in “Cast Away.”
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
Directed by Stanley Kubrick
influenced Project Hail Mary (2026), The Lego Movie (2014)
Visuals Themes
…as well as Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey…
…this is easily the best-looking version of space we’ve seen since Stanley Kubrick’s “2001: A Space Odyssey.”
Project Hail Mary doubles and triples down on the communication problems that have been genre staples from 2001 to Silent Running to Contact, Interstellar and Arrival.
Throw in some 2001: A Space Odyssey, Interstellar, Silent Running, a bit of Ad Astra, the heart of E.T. the Extra Terrestrial, the language of Close Encounters of the Third Kind and the isolation of Gravity to mention a few predecessors.
…when it's not directly referencing films like "Close Encounters" and "2001: A Space Odyssey."
…there are several nods to other great sci-fi films and stories: 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), Interstellar (2014), Gravity (2013), Arrival (2016), The Martian (2015), Rendezvous with Rama (1973), among others.
The Matrix (1999)
Directed by Lana Wachowski
influenced The Lego Movie (2014)
Themes Characters Visuals
According to an ancient prophecy repeated by Vitruvius, one day a “Special” will arise to dismantle the rigid conformity that governs the Lego universe — a concept that echoes Warners’ own “The Matrix,” albeit with none of that film’s self-seriousness of tone.
It focuses on a himbo construction worker named Emmet (Chris Pratt) who’s mistaken as a savior akin to Neo in The Matrix.
Movie nerds will delight at the smorgasbord of cinematic snippets sampled in this silly saga: "Star Wars," "The Matrix," "Lord of the Rings" and "Harry Potter" lead the list of referenced works that probably made licensing the biggest portion of the "Lego Movie" budget.
(The film’s nods to Star Wars and The Matrix are more than just pop-culture asides.)
Taking inspiration from a grab bag of pop culture detritus — The Matrix and Toy Story among the key influencers — The Lego Movie follows ordinary Joe protagonist Emmet (Chris Pratt), a cheerful chap whose daily routine includes stretching, watching a dopey TV show called Where’s My Pants? and trundling off to work singing his favourite song: EVERTHING IS AWESOME .
The audience sided with the rebels against Lord Business, against his mono-minded robots, and against his frightful tentacle-splaying drones called Micromanagers (which look a lot like Sentinels from The Matrix ).
…they draw influence from one of the most underrated sci-fi films of the ’70s for their latest work, Douglas Trumbull’s “Silent Running.”
Project Hail Mary doubles and triples down on the communication problems that have been genre staples from 2001 to Silent Running to Contact, Interstellar and Arrival.
Of course older or better viewed filmgoers will recognise Project Hail Mary‘s greater similarities to Douglas Trumbull’s 1972 film Silent Running, in which a plucky isolated man faces a deep space crisis of his own.
Throw in some 2001: A Space Odyssey, Interstellar, Silent Running, a bit of Ad Astra, the heart of E.T. the Extra Terrestrial, the language of Close Encounters of the Third Kind and the isolation of Gravity to mention a few predecessors.
I was reminded of Bruce Dern talking to his cute service robots in Silent Running (1972), but we can now do justice to the reality of speaking to an alien being.
The Mitchells vs. the Machines (2021)
Directed by Mike Rianda
influenced by The Lego Movie (2014), 21 Jump Street (2012)
Visuals
The producers include Phil Lord and Chris Miller, the inspired duo behind “The Lego Movie” and “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-verse,” and “The Mitchells vs. the Machines” has the same breakneck gift for comic timing and a willingness to throw anything at the screen if it’ll get a laugh, including an angry Furby the size of an office tower.
A lot of primo animation talent is assembled for The Mitchells vs. the Machines , including producers Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, who were behind The Lego Movie and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse , and writer-directors Mike Rianda and Jeff Rowe, late of the popular Disney Channel toon series Gravity Falls .
Somehow, this combination of fizzing form and freewheeling function coheres perfectly — think the meta-explosion of Scott Pilgrim absorbed into the creative ingenuity of The LEGO Movie , with a Spider-Verse visual overhaul.
Although written and directed by newcomers Michael Rianda and Jeff Rowe, the main creative personnel behind it, at least from a promotional standpoint, are co-producers Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, whose previous efforts have included the likes of "The Lego Movie" and "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse," two of the most ingenious and engaging American animated features to come along in recent years.
It’s a bold move from an animated feature, but I’d also expect no less ambition coming from producers Phil Lord and Chris Miller (The LEGO Movie), which in terms of humor is exactly what this feels like.
The advance media screener for the new film from super-star animation mega-producers Phil Lord and Christopher Miller (Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, The Lego Movie, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse) arrived in my digital queue in the thick of Ontario’s rainy April break last week and proved to be an absolute lifesaver for a family stuck indoors.
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)
Directed by Bob Persichetti
influenced by The Lego Movie (2014), 22 Jump Street (2014), Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (2009)
Visuals
But, as the comic-savvy script by Phil Lord (“The Lego Movie”) and Rodney Rothman (who co-directed with Bill Persichetti and Peter Ramsey) explores, there are a lot of spider-beings out there.
Overkill and saturation point reached several times over, even the most dedicated Marvel fans must be feeling jaded (Spider-Man: Homecoming was only released last year, Venom only a few months ago) so kudos to The Lego Movie and 22 Jump Street directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller for their latest creation - a Spider-Man movie that does something different, sends up the whole sprawling world of super heroism, and delivers a feel-good message movie all at the same time.
This animated feature is directed by Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey and Rodney Rothman, but it feels like the key creative cog is co-screenwriter Phil Lord, who pulled off a similar feat of franchise maintenance with The Lego Movie.
The screenplay is by Phil Lord and Rodney Rothman, the former of Lord and Miller, the team that brought us the wildly inventive Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs movies, The Lego Movie , and the delightfully bonkers Jump Street reboots; Rothman contributed to the script for 22 Jump Street .
Phil Lord—one half of the duo responsible for The Lego Movie and 22 Jump Street—cowrote this animated Marvel Comics adaptation, and like the films he codirected, it exhibits a free-for-all wackiness reminiscent of 1930s Looney Tunes.
This self-awareness, definitely brought to the table by screenwriter and The LEGO Movie helmer Phil Lord, adds to the light-hearted tone of this film and almost acts as a reset for the Spider-Verse we know already.
Baywatch (2017)
Directed by Seth Gordon
influenced by 21 Jump Street (2012), 22 Jump Street (2014), The Lego Movie (2014)
Themes
But those movies also had Chris Miller and Philip Lord, a writing team of unusual cleverness and heart ( The Lego Movie , The Last Man on Earth ).
Thanks to the comic genius of The Lego Movie’s Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, though, both 21 and 22 Jump Street were wonderfully funny flicks that balanced crude and clever humour.
Taking lessons from 2012’s wonderfully silly 21 Jump Street (in which Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill scientifically proved that bad television need not result in bad filmmaking), Baywatch owns its preposterousness with every barked line of self-serious dialogue and stuffed-to-bursting wet suit.
Unlike the great movies based on TV shows, Baywatch never decided if it was making fun of the show like The Brady Bunch Movie or 21 Jump Street, or celebrating it like Mission: Impossible or The Fugitive.
If “21 Jump Street” is the high bench mark for contemporary comedy adaptations of cheesy ’80s and ’90s TV shows, hilarious and irreverent in its deconstruction of its own template, then “Baywatch” at first appears to be aiming for the same design.
Baywatch wants to be 21 Jump Street (the movie, not the TV show) so badly.
Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)
Directed by Steven Spielberg
influenced Project Hail Mary (2026)
Plot Dialogue
Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and more will probably recognise some of the film’s plot beats…
Throw in some 2001: A Space Odyssey, Interstellar, Silent Running, a bit of Ad Astra, the heart of E.T. the Extra Terrestrial, the language of Close Encounters of the Third Kind and the isolation of Gravity to mention a few predecessors.
As well as a specific riff on Close Encounters…
…it intertwines themes (and direct references) from other movies in the genre, like "Close Encounters of the Third Kind."
Fans of various iconic sci-fi movies will have a lot of references (almost Easter Egg-style in some cases) to look out for. These include both Alien and Close Encounters of the Third Kind…
…when it's not directly referencing films like "Close Encounters"…
Toy Story (1995)
Directed by John Lasseter
influenced The Lego Movie (2014), Project Hail Mary (2026)
Characters Themes Plot
Gosling is our Buzz Lightyear, befriending an unlikely alien from outer space.
The picture looks good, it has some yuks, and there are even early hints of an Idiocracy-style satire of a lowbrow culture — the most popular show on TV, Where Are My Pants?, is a PG version of Ow! My Balls! — but the overlong Lego Movie collapses in the third act, finally becoming an overt commercial for the toys while getting existential in a way that unfavorably parallels the Toy Story movies.
It’s not the second coming of Toy Story , although it does echo Toy Story in notable ways.
Taking inspiration from a grab bag of pop culture detritus — The Matrix and Toy Story among the key influencers — The Lego Movie follows ordinary Joe protagonist Emmet (Chris Pratt), a cheerful chap whose daily routine includes stretching, watching a dopey TV show called Where’s My Pants? and trundling off to work singing his favourite song: EVERTHING IS AWESOME .
On one hand, “Toy Story” had long since cornered the sincere ode-to-childhood-playthings approach, while the “Transformers” and “G.I.
You’ve seen this all before — it’s Toy Story meets The Matrix — just not done in Legos.
The film is, like The LEGO Movie before it, a feature-length toy commercial — and, like The LEGO Movie before it, The LEGO Batman Movie is far more entertaining than a giant piece of crass commercialism has any right to be.
Following on the heels of the smash success "The LEGO Movie" (2014).
Featuring a densely packed dramatis personae made up exclusively of fast-talking animated mini-figures, it has a deliriously giddy rate of gags a minute that hasn’t been seen in a big-screen comedy since its 2014 predecessor, The Lego Movie.
In 2014’s The LEGO Movie , Batman returned in comical, not comic-book form, as voiced by Arrested Development ’s Will Arnett.
The film continues the unique brand of absurd humor, the mentality of a kid having playtime with his or her favorite toys, and pristinely faux-rudimentary design and animation�a combination that made The LEGO Movie such a jolt of pure, imaginative joy.
En el 2014, Warner Bros., se apuntó una sorpresiva victoria en la taquilla con el filme animado The LEGO Movie.
Star Wars (1977)
Directed by George Lucas
influenced Project Hail Mary (2026), The Lego Movie (2014)
Visuals Themes Characters
The Hail Mary is not a fancy spaceship like the Millennium Falcon—it’s a ship designed by a global community of scientists to do a job and gather what’s needed to save the sun and the planet.
Films like Star Wars, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and E.T. endure because of how they make you feel and this one understands that.
It’s true of George Clooney in the former – look at ER – and it’s true of Harrison Ford – look at Star Wars.
Sadly, we never got to see what they could do with "Star Wars," due to their unfortunate departure from "Solo: A Star Wars Story."
In the other corner are the countless specialized puzzle sets of officially licensed tie-in product, like the pirate ship set or the gender-constructed, pink-bricked Disney princess sets or, guessing, eventually, the The Lego Movie set or, on a more adult level, the hot-hot-hot $400 Star Wars Death Star set, meant to be enjoyed by anyone with the patience, instruction-reading ability and disposable income to burn.
A quartet of Star Wars characters also makes appearances: C3PO, Chewbacca, Han, and Lando.
Some of my own personal favorite hard sci-fi movies would be Moon, Arrival, Contact, and Ad Astra, along with the aforementioned The Martian, Sunshine, and Interstellar.
Obviously, the solitude of this one person on a spaceship also made me think of Moon (2009) and Spaceman…
…its protagonist's technically-grounded astronautic adventure has shades of Interstellar, Moon, and Sunshine…
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
Directed by Steven Spielberg
influenced Project Hail Mary (2026)
Themes Characters
Films like Star Wars, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and E.T. endure because of how they make you feel and this one understands that.
The dynamic between the two recalls the emotional resonance of Elliott and E.T., another story about an unlikely friendship bridging enormous differences.
…evoking the same sense of wonder and connection that made “E.T.” so enduring.
…imagine Wall-E blended with ET but resembling a pile of stitched-together boulders.
…the interactions between Grace and Rocky are maybe the most wholesome alien-human dynamic since E.T.
Rocky starting to feel like a cuddly alien along the lines of E.T.
It’s hard not to be engaged by the core concept of the movie, especially as someone who is such a big fan of Danny Boyle and Alex Garland’s Sunshine.
…its protagonist's technically-grounded astronautic adventure has shades of Interstellar, Moon, and Sunshine…
…the broader premise feels indebted to Danny Boyle’s Sunshine (2007), written by Alex Garland, about a crew similarly trying to save Earth from a cooling Sun.