Project Hail Mary is an easygoing science-fiction movie about a heavyweight subject - the end of the world. Similar to The Martian (also written by Andy Weir), humanity is nearing its end. An alien microbe, Astrophage, is slowly dimming the sun, and in the next 30 years, over 30 percent of Earth's population is expected to die.

The film follows Ryland Grace (Ryan Gosling), an astronaut who wakes from an induced coma to find himself completely alone aboard a spaceship, 11 light-years away from Earth. Facing temporary amnesia, Grace tries to piece together his memories to figure out who he is and what he's supposed to do in space.