feelsalike.comSign in
Project Hail Mary poster

Movies that feel likeProject Hail Mary (2026)

Science teacher Ryland Grace wakes up on a spaceship light years from home with no recollection of who he is or how he got there. As his memory returns, he begins to uncover his mission: solve the riddle of the mysterious substance causing the sun to die out. He must call on his scientific knowledge and unorthodox ideas to save everything on Earth from extinction.

If you loved Project Hail Mary, the closest films we have are Star Trek Into Darkness (2013), Dune: Part Two (2024) and The Wandering Earth II (2023). All three share Project Hail Mary's cerebral and epic feel, which is what we rank on before quality.

Seen the big three already? The under-the-radar pick below is Zathura: A Space Adventure (2005).

🍅 95% Rotten Tomatoes★ 8.2 IMDb ↗TMDB ↗dir. Phil Lordcerebralepicwarmawe
12 of 12 streaming nowNetflix · HBO Max · Hulu

Can't choose? Answer three questions and get one movie for tonight.

Rent or buy:Amazon see price ↗Apple TV$5.99 rent · $19.99 buyApple price as of 2026-10-05
See it on the Mood Map

When is Project Hail Mary streaming? →

If Project Hail Mary hit the spot, these will too

Star Trek Into Darkness poster
Star Trek Into Darkness
2013 · dir. J.J. Abrams
🍅 84%★ 7.7action · adventure · science fictionParamount+

Space crews improvising against extinction-level problems

The difference: Franchise action, villain-driven

When the crew of the Enterprise is called back home, they find an unstoppable force of terror from within their own organization has detonated the fleet and everything it stands for, leaving our world in a state of crisis. With a personal score to settle, Captain Kirk leads a manhunt to a war-zone world to capture a one man weapon of mass destruction. As our heroes are propelled into an epic chess game of life and death, love will be challenged, friendships will be torn apart, and sacrifices must be made for the only family Kirk has left: his crew.

Dune: Part Two poster
Dune: Part Two
2024 · dir. Denis Villeneuve
🍅 92%★ 8.4science fiction · adventureMax

Hard-science-fiction spectacle with civilizational stakes

The difference: Mythic war epic, no lab work

Follow the mythic journey of Paul Atreides as he unites with Chani and the Fremen while on a path of revenge against the conspirators who destroyed his family. Facing a choice between the love of his life and the fate of the known universe, Paul endeavors to prevent a terrible future only he can foresee.

The Wandering Earth II poster
The Wandering Earth II
2023 · dir. Frant Gwo
🍅 83%★ 6.7science fiction · action · adventure

Humanity engineering its way out of a dying-sun apocalypse

The difference: Blockbuster scale over intimacy — committees, not one funny scientist

Humans built huge engines on the surface of the earth to find a new home. But the road to the universe is perilous. In order to save earth, young people once again have to step forward to start a race against time for life and death.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 poster
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
2023 · dir. James Gunn
🍅 82%★ 7.9science fiction · adventure · actionDisney+

Interspecies bonds strong enough to break your heart

The difference: Superhero farewell, heavier grief

Peter Quill, still reeling from the loss of Gamora, must rally his team around him to defend the universe along with protecting one of their own. A mission that, if not completed successfully, could quite possibly lead to the end of the Guardians as we know them.

Avatar: Fire and Ash poster
Avatar: Fire and Ash
2025 · dir. James Cameron
🍅 66%★ 7.2science fiction · adventure · fantasyDisney+

The same preoccupation in both: alien

The difference: The critics' underdog of the pair

In the wake of the devastating war against the RDA and the loss of their eldest son, Jake Sully and Neytiri face a new threat on Pandora: the Ash People, a violent and power-hungry Na'vi tribe led by the ruthless Varang. Jake's family must fight for their survival and the future of Pandora in a conflict that pushes them to their emotional and physical limits.

The Marvels poster
The Marvels
2023 · dir. Nia DaCosta
🍅 63%★ 5.5science fiction · adventure · actionDisney+

One thread runs through both: space travel

The difference: Takes it somewhere less warm than Project Hail Mary does

When her duties send her to an anomalous wormhole linked to a Kree revolutionary, Carol's powers become entangled with that of Jersey City super-fan Kamala Khan, aka Ms. Marvel, and Carol's estranged niece, now S.A.B.E.R. astronaut Captain Monica Rambeau. Together, this unlikely trio must team up and learn to work in concert to save the universe.

John Carter poster
John Carter
2012 · dir. Andrew Stanton
🍅 52%★ 6.6action · adventure · science fictionDisney+

A stranded Earthman finding purpose — and friends — on an alien world

The difference: Pulp swordplay over science — spectacle does the thinking

John Carter is a war-weary, former military captain who's inexplicably transported to the mysterious and exotic planet of Barsoom (Mars) and reluctantly becomes embroiled in an epic conflict. It's a world on the brink of collapse, and Carter rediscovers his humanity when he realizes the survival of Barsoom and its people rests in his hands.

Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets poster
🍅 47%★ 6.4adventure · science fiction · actionMaxHulu

Wall-to-wall alien wonder and a galaxy built with giddy imagination

The difference: Style swamps story — thin leads where yours has real heart

In the 28th century, Valerian and Laureline are special operatives charged with keeping order throughout the human territories. On assignment from the Minister of Defense, the two undertake a mission to Alpha, an ever-expanding metropolis where species from across the universe have converged over centuries to share knowledge, intelligence, and cultures. At the center of Alpha is a mysterious dark force which threatens the peaceful existence of the City of a Thousand Planets, and Valerian and Laureline must race to identify the menace and safeguard not just Alpha, but the future of the universe.

Rebel Moon - Part One: A Child of Fire poster
🍅 22%★ 5.6science fiction · action · adventureNetflix

Both keep coming back to the same thing: space

The difference: Trades the warmth of Project Hail Mary for an angle of its own

When the ruthless forces of the Motherworld threaten a quiet farming village on a distant moon, a mysterious outsider becomes its best hope for survival.

Moonfall poster
Moonfall
2022 · dir. Roland Emmerich
🍅 35%★ 5.2science fiction · adventure · actionRent or buy

Common ground: space travel

The difference: Sits closer to action than Project Hail Mary does

A mysterious force knocks the moon from its orbit around Earth and sends it hurtling on a collision course with life as we know it.

Solo: A Star Wars Story poster
Solo: A Star Wars Story
2018 · dir. Ron Howard
🍅 69%★ 6.9science fiction · adventure · actionDisney+

Cerebral where it counts, epic underneath

Through a series of daring escapades deep within a dark and dangerous criminal underworld, Han Solo meets his mighty future copilot Chewbacca and encounters the notorious gambler Lando Calrissian.

Zathura: A Space Adventure poster
Zathura: A Space Adventure
2005 · dir. Jon Favreau
🍅 77%★ 6.3science fiction · adventure · familyNetflix

Space peril solved by wits, with real warmth under the danger

The difference: A kids' board-game adventure — the science is pure make-believe

After their father is called into work, two young boys, Walter and Danny, are left in the care of their teenage sister, Lisa, and told they must stay inside. Walter and Danny, who anticipate a boring day, are shocked when they begin playing Zathura, a space-themed board game, which they realize has mystical powers when their house is shot into space. With the help of an astronaut, the boys attempt to return home.

In the mood for more cerebral?

all cerebral movies →

The best-reviewed films that share Project Hail Mary’s defining feeling.