Project Hail Mary (2026)

First of all, I have nothing to do with this film, but there’s my name on the credits. Hmm.

This film is billed as an epic science fiction comedy. If you approach it from that perspective, there are plenty of funny moments that only Ryan Gosling could pull off. There are also plenty of questionable science moments, too, but, in the throes of the action, it’s a waste of time worrying about them.

This is 2001: A Space Odyssey meets E.T.: the Extra-Terrestrial.

The crux of the story relates to the improbable friendship between Ryland Grace (the scientist) and Rocky (the extra-terrestrial). Two minds are better than one, which is demonstrated many times during the story when they are faced with how to defeat the ‘enemy’. Both planets, Earth and Erid, need these two to succeed. Lives depend on it. It’s a long shot, which is where the name of the film comes from, a football metaphor.

And the overarching theme is self-sacrifice.