Director: Phil Lord, Christopher Miller

Cast:

Synopsis:

In the near future, Earth faces a catastrophic threat as the sun is infected by Astrophage, a single-celled alien organism that consumes solar energy, leading to a global dimming event. This dimming could result in a severe ice age within 30 years, threatening all life on Earth. To combat this, the world's governments appoint Eva Stratt, who has total authority to lead a mission to find a solution. Ryland Grace, a former molecular biologist and now a junior high school teacher, is drafted into Project Hail Mary, a one-way mission to the Tau Ceti system, where they hope to discover why that star remains unaffected by Astrophage.

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There’s a general understanding in the entertainment industry, and certainly amongst critics, that if a studio doesn’t screen their movie for the press, they’re probably not very proud of it. Heck, even if they only screen the movie a day or two beforehand, that’s not a huge sign of confidence either. It gives critics zero or next to zero time to discuss that film before its release, which suggests the studio thinks critics are likely to, you know, criticize.

“Project Hail Mary” is based on the best-selling novel by Andy Weir, who also wrote “The Martian.” Like “The Martian,” a lot of “Project Hail Mary” is just one guy, trapped in outer space, solving impossible problems by science-ing the s–t out of them. Like “The Martian,” it stars a bona fide movie star, this time Ryan Gosling, who can carry a film like this all by himself. Like “The Martian,” it was adapted by Drew Goddard, who knows how to tell an exciting story with intelligence and humor. And like “The Martian,” yes, it’s true: It’s really, really, really quite good.

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