And wow, this is good old-fashioned hard science fiction with something Elon Musk would absolutely hate: Empathy.
I won't dwell on Musk's incredulous thoughts and focus rather on the movie, which displays self-sacrifice and empathy in spades.
Sure, part of the self-sacrifice is forced: Protagonist Grace is sent on a species-saving mission against his will **spoilers** literally drugged into a coma and winkled aboard the spaceship.
But he grows into empathy as he awakens and finds his other two crew members have died on the way to Tau Ceti where they hope to find the answer to a mystery that is threatening Earth's sun.
Back against the wall, Grace could have done nothing. But he finds Rocky, another sentient being sent to Tau Ceti, also alone, trying to find the answer to the same question.
They figure out how to talk to each other. They figure out how to help each other work on the mystery. And they figure out that the best way to help "save the world" is to get along and focus on the problem.
That is, of course, not all. Once the problem is solved, Grace runs into another problem that could threaten them both. But they're separated by a month of travel. Does he go back to help Rocky, and risk is own future?
Damn right he does. He sends his discoveries on to Earth in probes, as Earth's suicide mission originally intended, and goes back to help Rocky survive and live to help his own planet.
Absolutely loved this film.
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