Amaze! Amaze! Amaze! The sci-fi blockbuster “Project Hail Mary” is finally on streaming, bringing Ryan Gosling and Rocky’s bromance to an entirely new audience that didn’t catch one of this year’s biggest movies in theaters.
If you’ve already finished watching “Project Hail Mary” and are looking for more sci-fi movies that aren’t total downers or nightmare fuel, you’re in luck. While MGM+ doesn’t have a ton of genre entries, I’ve scrounged up a few that make for a perfect weekend feature without spoiling the good vibes.
If you’re looking to keep that same thrilling, “science-your-way-out-of-this” energy alive, these are the movies to check out next. So establish first contact from the comfort of your couch and dive into our top MGM+ picks to watch after “Project Hail Mary.”
‘Landscape With Invisible Hand’ (2023)
For another sci-fi movie with plenty of quirky charm, look no further than “Landscape With Invisible Hand,” one of the most slept-on movies of 2023. Years after a benevolent alien species known as the Vuvv takes control of Earth, humanity is still struggling to adjust. While their advanced technology promised a brighter future initially, in practice, it’s left most people unemployed and dependent on their new overlords.
Looking for a way to make ends meet, teenage artist Adam Campbell (Asante Blackk) and his girlfriend Chloe Marsh (Kylie Rogers) discover that the Vuvv are fascinated by human courtship. The pair capitalize on this by livestreaming their relationship and charging the aliens to watch. The money pours in, but when their real-life romance starts to fall apart, Adam and Chloe make some absurd sacrifices to keep their families afloat.
Watch “Landscape with Invisible Hand” on MGM+ now
‘Arrival’ (2016)
When 12 mysterious alien spacecraft suddenly surround Earth, the U.S. government taps expert linguist Louise Banks (Amy Adams) to help establish communication — and you know Duolingo ain’t gonna cut it. As she works to decipher the aliens’ language, world powers scramble to understand whether they’re dealing with friends or foes, and that paranoia threatens to spark an international crisis.
From there, “Arrival’s” conventional first-contact set-up soon morphs into something far more profound. As Louise works to decode the aliens’ intricate language, her perception of reality shifts, revealing shocking truths about time, memory, and destiny. Its nonlinear narrative rewards repeat viewings, while Adams’ melancholic and quietly powerful performance punches you right in the gut.
Watch “Arrival” on MGM+ now
‘The Martian’ (2015)
![The Martian | Official Trailer [HD] | 20th Century FOX - YouTube](https://img.youtube.com/vi/ej3ioOneTy8/maxresdefault.jpg)
A bit of an obvious pick, but I had to include Andy Weir’s other sci-fi hit story, “The Martian,” on this list. Similar to “Project Hail Mary,” it largely revolves around a single determined scientist, this time with Matt Damon in the lead as botanist Mark Watney, who defies the odds to survive. When a dust storm strikes during a mission on Mars, he’s struck by debris and separated from his crew.
Believing he didn’t survive, the team evacuates the planet and leaves him behind, stranded on a hostile world with limited supplies and no clear way home. Back on Earth, NASA discovers that Mark is still alive, sparking a race against time to bring him back. As scientists and engineers work tirelessly to devise a rescue plan, Mark’s forced to rely on his wit, ingenuity, and a lot of potatoes to stay alive long enough for help to arrive.
Watch “The Martian” on MGM+ now
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