Project Hail Mary (2026)
Directed by Phil Lord
Science teacher Ryland Grace wakes up on a spaceship light years from home with no recollection of who he is or how he got there. As his memory returns, he begins to uncover his mission: solve the riddle of the mysterious substance causing the sun to die out. He must call on his scientific knowledge and unorthodox ideas to save everything on Earth from extinction.
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55 films that influenced Project Hail Mary
What critics say influenced Project Hail Mary
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.
…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.
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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.”
…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.
…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.
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"…
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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."
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…