Project Hail Mary

A blockbuster packed with spectacular effects and an irresistibly wholesome message: humans are good, aliens are good, everyone is good — let’s help each other and try not to die.

A timid and awkward school teacher named Ryland (Gosling) is sent on a space mission to save humanity. After waking up from suspended animation and gradually recovering his memory, he realizes the crew members were essentially kamikaze astronauts on a one-way trip. Luckily, another mission from a distant alien civilization arrives at the same star — including a rock-like talking extraterrestrial with whom Ryland develops a surprisingly heartfelt friendship.

Don’t be fooled: there is no real apocalypse or horror here. This is very much a family-friendly film, reminiscent of warm and charming sci-fi adventures from the 1980s.