5 Sci-Fi Movies To Watch If You Like Ryan Gosling's Project Hail Mary

It's lonely out in space for Ryan Gosling this week, but that's what happens when you embark on a suicide mission to save a planet. Directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, "Project Hail Mary" stars Ryan Gosling, who has already planted his feet firmly in the science fiction genre with "Blade Runner 2049", as well as his turn as matter-of-science-fact moonwalker Neil Armstrong in "First Man."

His latest film feels like both a grounded and gloriously fantastical tale adapted from the book of the same name by "The Martian" author Andy Weir. Here he stars as Ryland Grace, a science teacher turned savior of humanity, who wakes up on the other side of space and is tasked with saving our sun before it dies like so many others. Luckily, he's not the only one venturing out into the great unknown for answers that could stop our world from ending, and a solo mission becomes a dynamite double-act.

After already earning praise as one of the greatest science fiction films ever made, it felt right to skim over some other sci-fi entries that took the first few steps so that "Project Hail Mary" could leap to such success. Tense dramas, heart-pounding blockbusters and even a cult classic. So with that, here are five movies we encourage you to add to your queue and watch once you're back on Earth from "Project Hail Mary."

If you're going to do your sci-fi homework after seeing "Project Hail Mary," it's best to book time with another story from author Andy Weir that was adapted first. Ridley Scott's "The Martian" is set in the not-too-distant future and sees Matt Damon, for the most part, as isolated as Ryan Gosling ends up being. The difference, of course, is that he's stuck on the red planet, with nothing but his wits and potatoes to keep him alive, while back on Earth, a motley crew of scientists is doing their best to plan his return trip home. 

Sandwiched between Scott's heavily divisive ventures back into space with both "Prometheus" in 2012 and "Alien: Covenant" in 2017, "The Martian" was an incredible return to form for the filmmaker on all fronts. Working from Weir's book, Scott delivered perhaps one of his most human stories to date, imbuing the kind of chipper, heartfelt soul that can be felt in Lord and Miller's take on "Project Hail Mary." But while Gosling's trek through the stars might predominantly be a solo mission, there is far more of an eclectic and entertaining cast backing Damon and his hopes of getting home. The likes of Jessica Chastain, Donald Glover, Jeff Daniels, Benedict Wong, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Kristen Wiig all join the rescue mission that is a voyage still worth embarking on.

While "Project Hail Mary" might be stuffed with serious science to back up its fantastical story, "Armageddon" avoids such an approach and instead bombards you with blockbuster-level nonsense. The result is one of master of disaster Michael Bay's greatest works and one of the best disaster movies ever made. Bruce Willis leads a ragtag group of oil drillers into space to destroy an asteroid that Billy Bob Thornton's NASA man describes as a "Global Killer." Joining him on the ride are Ben Affleck as his potential future son-in-law if the world doesn't end, as well as Steve Buscemi at his wildest, and character actors Peter Stormare and William Fichtner chewing through scenes as the doomsday clock counts down. 

Shot through prime Bay-o-vision, "Armageddon" is littered with sun-kissed shots of catastrophe, and cameras spinning around our heroes who are sweating out a mission that could mean the end of all mankind. Add to that the handful of exceptional quotes penned by Jonathan Hensleigh and none other than J.J. Abrams, who are mapping out "basically the worst parts of the Bible," and it still stands as one of the biggest, loudest, and most ludicrous worth strapping in for. Then they go and polish it all off with Aerosmith kicking in with "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing." 

It's hard not to see Grace hurtling through the universe, caught in the light of dying stars and distant planets, and not think of one of Christopher Nolan's greatest works. While it might've been a matter of coincidence, Weir's tale was published seven years after "Interstellar" and unashamedly contains nuggets that are easy to compare to the Matthew McConaughey-starring sci-fi. Both Cooper and Grace are on similar missions to find hope at the other end of space to send back to our planet that's on its last legs. They also have a highly advanced ally with an incredibly simple design to help them on their quest, crack jokes and distract from the fact that they're reaching the end of days.

More importantly, though, "Project Hail Mary" echoes Nolan's movie in its daring, bold set pieces. Grace's "fishing" sequence is as nail-biting and visually stunning as Coop's "necessary" docking sequence in "Interstellar." Besides the thrills and spills among the stars, though, "Project Hail Mary" is also loaded with dense science that demands you wrap your head around, just as Nolan did in his film with the help of astrophysicist Kip Thorne. Also, while history dictates that no one can hear you scream in space, both films have hair-raising scores that nudge you to the edge of your seat, with Hans Zimmer's "Interstellar" score pushing just that little bit further.

"Project Hail Mary" might all be about saving the sun, but it's not the first science fiction movie to do so. Back in 2007, "28 Years Later" director Danny Boyle took to the stars with a crew that was on course of a mission of their own to save the world with "Sunshine." Cillian Murphy, Michelle Yeoh, Rose Byrne, and Hiroyuki Sanada are just some of the talents on this high-stakes mission log set to reignite the sun before Earth freezes over and succeed where a previous team failed.

Far more on the serious side than "Project Hail Mary," Boyle's frantic filming style heightens the panic and desperation of the Icarus crew. Gosling's adventure is a far more uplifting experience, showing just what humanity is capable of and, more importantly, the good nature anyone can show in the most desperate times. "Sunshine," however, offers a more brutal yet equally beautiful perspective on space and the sun itself.

The closer Icarus gets to this giant flaming ball, the more terrifying this unforgiving star, on which all life depends, becomes. That's even before Mark Strong's ghost-like adversary, who treats the sun like a god, throws a wrench in the space station in the film's second half. Make no mistake: if "Project Hail Mary" is a fun flavor-filled fizzy soda of a film, complete with a curly straw, "Sunshine" is a stiff drink of a movie that won't go down as smoothly, but absolutely deserves a second look.

Even with the end-of-the-world stakes hanging over the entire story of "Project Hail Mary," the most impressive element of the film is the childlike awe of space and the possibilities it holds. Aside from venturing into unknown regions of the universe, there's a scene-stealing dynamic between our spaceman and his alien ally that evokes the classic family sci-fi movies of the '80s and early '90s. Grace and his stupidly heartwarming Rocky (voiced by James Ortiz) feel like a grown-up version of David (John Freeman) and Max from the forgotten cult classic, "Flight of the Navigator." While the Hail Mary might not be as cool-looking as one of the greatest vehicles in science fiction, the pilot and its new passenger have the same hilarious back-and-forth as David and the artificial intelligence that keeps the Trimaxion Drone Ship in the 1986 movie.

Rocky might be a more basic-looking co-pilot on Grace's adventure, but it's through his erratic movement around the Hail Mary in his hamster ball that makes him a vibrant and welcome addition to the film, just like Max was. Back in "Flight of the Navigator," Max, while operating as nothing more than a highly advanced security camera on a rig whirling around the ship, still felt like the kind of vibrant, memorable character that Rocky will surely go on to become, with both taking their human acquaintance on a journey across time and space once everything gets sorted.