Project Hail Mary (2026)

I loved this film, and the reason is simple: the hero solves problems by doing science. He wakes up alone on a spaceship with no idea who he is or why he's there - and instead of panicking, he starts running experiments. He gets things wrong, rethinks, and tries again, which is exactly how science really works (minus the spaceship). How many films can you name where the scientific method IS the plot? Better still, there's no bad guy! No evil corporation, no traitor, no aliens trying to kill everyone. The enemy is the problem itself, and when he meets another being facing the same disaster, they work together instead of fighting. Some of the biology is a stretch, but like The Martian, this is a film that respects its audience. A modern classic in the making - and because it's so new, I suspect it will climb this list over time, as its cultural impact and prescience prove themselves.