Sci-Fi Movies That Actually Outshine Project Hail Mary

With the long-awaited film adaptation of Andy Weir’s Project Hail Mary generating enormous buzz among science fiction fans, it’s a natural moment to look back at the genre’s cinematic history and ask: what films have already done this kind of storytelling exceptionally well?

The source article from Collider, published in March 2026, sets out to answer exactly that question — identifying sci-fi films that arguably surpass the Project Hail Mary adaptation in terms of craft, emotional impact, or scientific imagination. However, the full list and detailed film-by-film analysis from that article were not accessible in

What follows draws on verifiable, widely established knowledge about the science fiction film genre to provide meaningful context for anyone exploring this conversation — without inventing specific claims, rankings, or arguments that weren’t confirmed in the

Why ‘Project Hail Mary’ Has Set Such a High Bar

Project Hail Mary, based on Andy Weir’s 2021 novel, follows astronaut Ryland Grace as he wakes up alone on a spaceship with no memory of his mission — only to discover he may be humanity’s last hope against an extinction-level threat. The story is celebrated for its rigorous scientific detail, its optimistic tone, and one of the most beloved alien characters in recent science fiction literature.

Weir’s previous novel, The Martian, was adapted into a successful 2015 film directed by Ridley Scott and starring Matt Damon, which demonstrated that his brand of problem-solving, scientifically grounded fiction translates well to the screen. Expectations for Project Hail Mary have been correspondingly high.

For any film to be considered “better,” it would need to compete on multiple fronts — scientific authenticity, character depth, emotional resonance, and sheer originality of vision.

The Science Fiction Films Most Often Cited as Genre Benchmarks

While the specific list from the Collider article was not available in full, the broader conversation about elite science fiction cinema consistently returns to the same body of work. These are the films that critics, audiences, and filmmakers themselves regularly identify as the standard-setters for the genre.

These titles appear repeatedly in critical discussions about peak science fiction filmmaking, and any list making the case that certain films outperform Project Hail Mary would almost certainly draw from this pool.

What Makes a Sci-Fi Film Genuinely Great — Not Just Technically Impressive

The best science fiction films tend to share a few qualities that separate them from spectacle-only blockbusters. They use their speculative premises to ask real questions about human nature, consciousness, survival, or our place in the universe. The science is a vehicle, not the destination.

Arrival, for instance, isn’t really about aliens — it’s about language, time, grief, and choice. Interstellar uses the physics of black holes to tell a story about parental love and sacrifice. Contact wrestles with the tension between empirical proof and personal belief.

Project Hail Mary does something similar: it uses its lone-astronaut premise to explore human ingenuity, cross-species connection, and the fundamental drive to solve problems in the face of impossible odds. Whether the film fully delivers on that promise — and whether other films have already done it better — is the central question the Collider piece poses.

Why This Conversation Matters to Sci-Fi Fans Right Now

The release of a major science fiction adaptation always prompts a useful re-evaluation of the genre’s history. It’s a chance to revisit films that may have been overlooked, to reassess classics through a fresh lens, and to think carefully about what we actually want from science fiction storytelling.

For audiences who loved the Project Hail Mary novel, the film’s arrival is an event. But for those coming to the story fresh, the broader genre offers decades of extraordinary work worth exploring — much of it made under tighter budgets and with fewer digital tools, yet no less visually or emotionally powerful.

The Collider article’s premise — that certain films are better than the adaptation — isn’t a dismissal of Project Hail Mary. It’s an invitation to take the genre seriously and hold new entries to the highest possible standard.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Collider article about?
The article, published in March 2026, presents a list of ten science fiction films that the author argues are better than the Project Hail Mary film adaptation, though the full list was not available in

Is ‘Project Hail Mary’ based on a book?
Yes. Project Hail Mary is based on the 2021 novel by Andy Weir, the same author behind The Martian.

Who wrote the Collider article?
The article was written by Jeremy Urquhart, a writer at Collider with more than 2,300 published articles on the site.

Which film is considered the closest predecessor to ‘Project Hail Mary’?
The Martian (2015), also based on an Andy Weir novel, is widely considered the closest tonal and thematic predecessor — featuring a lone scientist solving problems in a hostile space environment.

Does the article argue that ‘Project Hail Mary’ is a bad film?
Not necessarily. Framing a film as better than another does not mean the comparison film is poor — it simply sets a high bar and points readers toward additional films worth their time.

Where can I read the full Collider list?
The full article is available at Collider’s website. The specific URL listed in the source is collider.com/sci-fi-movies-better-than-project-hail-mary/.