Finally launching into the universe of streaming is one of the year’s, if not the decade’s, most talked about space films, says streaming columnist NICK OVERALL.

Project Hail Mary starring Ryan Gosling is now available to watch on Amazon Prime Video.

For those who didn’t catch this spectacular sci-fi adventure in the cinema, it’s the story of  Ryland Grace (Gosling), an ingenious but somewhat nervous astronaut who is thrust into the far reaches of the Milky Way. 

The audience meets Ryland when he awakes from cryogenic sleep on a spaceship far from earth without any memory of who he is or why he’s there.

Forced to unravel the mystery he finds himself in, Grace soon discovers the very future of planet Earth rests on his mission and that he might not be as alone as he first thought. 

The premise sounds somewhat creepy on paper, but what sets Hail Mary apart is the humour and heart at the centre of the story. 

Gosling is perfectly cast in the leading role playing a character who has to use his wit and his jokes to keep himself from crumbling under the weight of a near impossible mission.

For sci-fi fans it might sound familiar. 

The film is based on the internationally best selling book by Andy Weir who also wrote The Martian, which Ridley Scott turned into a cinematic crowd pleaser in 2015 with Matt Damon. 

The tone is very similar. 

Whereas The Martian had a more “realistic” focus on a situation where an astronaut really could find themselves stranded on another planet, in Project Hail Mary Weir lets fly with his full sci-fi imagination.

At its core the story is still grounded in the scientific ingenuity of the characters but here it’s done in a far more explorative way.

In an age of dark and gritty, stories about human triumph in the face of seemingly impossible odds make for a refreshing experience.

This is one likely to leave a smile as the credits roll. 

LOOKING for something a bit more down to earth? 

This month HBO Max also gets one of the year’s biggest film releases.

Now streaming on the platform is The Drama, a romantic black comedy about a wedding that goes catastrophically wrong.

The film stars Zendaya and Robert Pattinson as the bride and groom at the centre of these unfortunate matrimonials.

At first glance they seem like the dream couple, happily engaged with a wedding planned to picture-perfection.

That is until a last minute confession that upends everything.

In the days leading up to their big day Emma (Zendaya) reveals a secret to Charlie (Pattinson) so shocking it threatens to derail their entire relationship.

It’s no extramarital affair or money-related conspiracy. Emma’s secret turns out to be far more twisted and the mystery around it is where the fun of the film lies.

Fast pacing that makes use of its great hook makes The Drama an easy one to recommend. 

STORMING on to Netflix with its fourth adaptation, Little House on the Prairie is historical drama made for family viewing.

This eight-episode series is based on a set of novels by American author Laura Ingalls Wilder who penned the famous books over the course of more than a decade throughout the 1930s and ‘40s.

Semi-autobiographical in nature, Wilder recounts her childhood growing up on the American frontier in the late 1800s, opting not for a grand adventure tale, but telling an authentic account of how a family fought to build a life in such challenging conditions.

In doing so it makes for a different viewing experience, a more intimate, character-driven watch where viewers get to deeply know the people on screen. 

It has been adapted for TV before, but the era of streaming television could not be more ripe for a long-spanning story of this kind that follows the lives of a family over many years.

No wonder Little House is already doing big numbers.

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