Project Hail Mary (PHM) will be the latest addition to the ever-expanding sci-fi film library when it takes flight in theaters later this month.
Its book namesake notwithstanding, the number of movies that the Ryan Gosling-starring vehicle could’ve been inspired by, then, is — for lack of a better word — astronomical.
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2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
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Where to stream: HBO Max (US), ITVX (UK), and HBO Max and Binge (Australia)
Runtime: 139 minutes
Rotten Tomatoes score: 90% (critics); 88% (audience)
“You have to put 2001: A Space Odyssey in there,” Miller said after dwelling on it for a few seconds.
He’s not wrong, either. Stanley Kubrick’s seminal sci-fi epic has influenced countless other works, be they films, TV shows, books, or video games. It’s also been parodied to the hilt, too, with The Simpsons, Futurama, South Park, WALL-E, and even Warner Bros. in the first trailer for the studio’s 2024 megahit Barbie, taking a satirical stab at the genre-defining flick.
It polarized critics upon initial release, but 2001 has not only left a lasting legacy in science fiction as a whole, but also impacted our entire culture, particularly from a technological standpoint. In an age where artificial intelligence impacts every industry and is causing some concern, 2001‘s examination of the dangers of A.I. through its primary antagonist HAL-9000 has never felt more prescient than it does today.
Dark Star (1974)
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Where to stream: Prime Video and The Criterion Channel (US), Prime Video (UK), and Binge (Australia)
Runtime: 83 minutes
Rotten Tomatoes score: 74% (critics); 64% (audience)
And now for something completely different. A 1974 sci-fi comedy, Dark Star was the directorial debut of none other than legendary auteur John Carpenter. In it, the crew of the eponymous — and deteriorating — space vessel seek out and destroy unstable planets that might threaten the future colonization of other worlds. Yeah, it’s as surreal as it sounds.
Given the seemingly infinite amount of sci-fi films that are out there, some will argue that, while Dark Star is now considered a cult classic, it has no place sitting above other critically acclaimed and award-winning movies. Lord, though, is adamant it should.
“It’s a keystone film that you can trace Alien back to,” Lord said of Dark Star‘s influence on that 1979 sci-fi horror flick (NB: both movies were written by Dan O’Bannon). “Dark Star was a big source of inspiration for Alien and for us [on Project Hail Mary] because of how messy our ship is depicted, and the way people talk to each other feels naturalistic in both it and our film.”
Alien (1979)
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Where to stream: Hulu (US), Disney+ (UK), and Disney+ (Australia)
Runtime: 116 minutes
Rotten Tomatoes score: 93% (critics); 94% (audience)
Considering how much of an influence Dark Star was on PHM and Alien, it won’t shock anyone to see that the latter is also among Lord and Miller’s top picks.
“Even though this isn’t a horror movie, we tried to capture the essence of Alien,” Lord explained. “Our cinematographer, Greig Fraser, was really inspired by Alien and the way it was photographed. At the start, it feels a little bit warmer than your typical sci-fi film. We just love the way that movie feels, too, with its quilted walls and the camaraderie among the Nostromo crew.”
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Where to stream: rent or buy on the Apple, Amazon, Google, and YouTube stores (US), Disney+ (UK), and Disney+, Paramount+, Binge, and Foxtel (Australia)
Runtime: 114 minutes
Rotten Tomatoes score: 99% (critics); 72% (audience)
Widely considered to be among iconic filmmaker Steven Spielberg’s best works, E.T.: The Extra Terrestrial is another of Lord and Miller’s favorite flicks — and, as Miller stated, not just “because it’s an obvious choice to include.”
Indeed, parallels can be drawn between E.T. and Elliot, the boy who befriends E.T., and that of Gosling’s Ryland Grace and the arachnid-like Eridian he calls Rocky. Both films feature unlikely human-alien friendships that become central components of their respective tales and, among other things, thematically highlight tolerance toward beings from other walks of life.
From Amazon and Sony, Project Hail Mary will achieve blast-off on March 19 (UK and Australia) and March 20 (US and everywhere else). Before it does, read my Project Hail Mary review to see if it’s worth watching.
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