9 Space Films to Watch Amid Ryan Gosling’s Project Hail Mary Fame: The Martian, Interstellar and More

As the world gets mesmerized by the charms of Phil Lord and Christopher Miller’s Project Hail Mary, starring Ryan Gosling in the lead role, they are reminded of the wonders presented in the 2021 novel by Andy Weir, as well as what cinema can do for humans. We’re now taking a look at similar space-related films of the past, which had their focus on loneliness. 

1. The Martian

After being presumed dead, astronaut Mark Watney is left behind on Mars and tries his best to return to Earth with the help of NASA. His team is kept unaware as they descend to Earth, while he creates a makeshift potato garden to keep himself alive, hoping to be saved by his mates. 
 

• Cast: Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain, Jeff Daniels, Kristen Wiig, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Sean Bean, Michael Peña, Kate Mara, Sebastian Stan, Mackenzie Davis
• Director: Ridley Scott 
• Language: English
• Genre: Epic, Science Fiction, Survival 
• Release Date: October 2, 2015

2. Gravity

Two American astronauts, Dr. Ryan Stone and Lieutenant Matthew "Matt" Kowalski, are stranded in space after debris destroys their space shuttle, leaving them unable to return. With their options dwindling by the minute, the two form a bond while trying their best to save their lives. 

• Cast: Sandra Bullock, George Clooney, Ed Harris, Orto Ignatiussen, Phaldut Sharma, Amy Warren, Basher Savage
• Director: Alfonso Cuarón 
• Language: English
• Genre: Science Fiction, Thriller
• Release Date: October 4, 2013

3. Prometheus 

The fifth installment of the Alien film series, Prometheus, follows scientists Elizabeth Shaw and Charlie Holloway, who, funded by Weyland Corp, set out on an expedition aboard the scientific vessel Prometheus and follow a star map to the distant moon LV-223. What follows is a series of shocking revelations about the creators of humanity and alien life. 

• Cast: Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, Guy Pearce, Idris Elba, Logan Marshall-Green, Charlize Theron
• Director: Ridley Scott
• Language: English
• Genre: Science Fiction, Horror
• Release Date: June 8, 2012

4. APOLLO 13

Astronauts Lovell, Jack Swigert, and Fred Haise get aboard the USA’s 5th mission to the moon, Apollo 13, during which an electrical short sends their fuel reserves tanking and forces them to abort the mission. The film follows their desperate attempts to save their own lives and give up on their dream of doing a moon landing.

• Cast: Tom Hanks, Kevin Bacon, Bill Paxton, Gary Sinise, Ed Harris, Kathleen Quinlan.
• Director: Ron Howard
• Language: English
• Genre: Documentary Drama
• Release Date: June 30, 1995

5. 2001: A Space Odyssey 

Arthur C. Clarke’s short stories inspire this film, which follows the story of an alien monolith that becomes the medium for communication between humans and extraterrestrial beings. When Dr. Dave Bowman and other astronauts are sent on a mission, they end up fighting against their own companion robot, HAL, who ends up more of a headache than help in a major showdown between man and machine. 

• Cast: Keir Dullea, Gary Lockwood, William Sylvester, Douglas Rain
• Director: Stanley Kubrick
• Language: English
• Genre: Epic Science Fiction
• Release Date: April 3, 1968

6. First Man

In the years leading up to the famed Apollo 11 mission to the Moon in 1969, it follows the story of the celebrated astronaut Neil Armstrong, as based on James R. Hansen's 2005 book First Man: The Life of Neil A. Armstrong. It showcases his personal and professional struggles that led him to become the first man to land on the moon, as well as the effects of the flight on his family and colleagues. 

• Cast: Ryan Gosling, Claire Foy, Jason Clarke, Kyle Chandler, Corey Stoll, Christopher Abbott, Ciarán Hinds
• Director: Damien Chazelle
• Language: English
• Genre: Biographical, Drama
• Release Date: October 12, 2018

7. Ad Astra

Major Roy McBride is sent to examine the Lima Project and locate his father, Clifford McBride, who led the mission for which he travels to Mars. With long-lost secrets about his family coming to light, he is ordered to abort the mission, but resumes his flight to Neptune, where he encounters his father finally and learns the truth. 

• Cast: Brad Pitt, Tommy Lee Jones, Ruth Negga, Liv Tyler, Donald Sutherland
• Director: James Gray
• Language: English
• Genre: Science Fiction
• Release Date: September 20, 2019

8. High Life

A bunch of prisoners and a scientist set sail on a space mission toward a black hole underdoing scientific experiments, including artificial insemination. Crazy and sinister occurrences shape the film’s progression, ensuring a lot of shock among the characters, as they move further towards the unexplored body. 

• Cast: Robert Pattinson, Juliette Binoche, André Benjamin, Mia Goth, Agata Buzek, Lars Eidinger, Ewan Mitchell, Gloria Obianyo, Victor Banerjee
• Director: Claire Denis
• Language: English
• Genre: Science Fiction
• Release Date: September 9, 2018

9. Interstellar

Joseph Cooper is a former NASA pilot who embarks on a mission to a wormhole near Saturn in a desperate attempt to locate a new habitable planet for humans after Earth faces deteriorating health due to constant dust storms and crop blights. He is joined by a NASA scientist, Dr. Amelia Brand, and a couple of robots as they travel in outer space to check up on three possible planets with desirable conditions. 

• Cast: Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain, Bill Irwin, Ellen Burstyn, Michael Caine
• Director: Christopher Nolan
• Language: English
• Genre: Dystopian, Science Fiction
• Release Date: November 5, 2014

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