By Lynn Venhaus
Clever, funny and heart-tugging – all the crucial qualities for a crowd-pleasing movie – are abundant in “Project Hail Mary,” an unlikely epic space opera that feels intimate with a smart script that isn’t dumbed down for mass appeal but comprehensible nonetheless.

Science teacher Ryland Grace (Ryan Gosling) wakes up on a spaceship light years from home with no recollection of who he is or how he got there. As his memory returns, he begins to uncover his mission: solve the riddle of the mysterious substance causing the sun to die out.

He must call on his scientific knowledge and unorthodox ideas to save everything on Earth from extinction — but an unexpected friendship means he may not have to do it alone.

Savvy minds, rejoice! Respectfully silly at times and eager to please in one of the year’s most entertaining offerings, wildly creative directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller take us on a journey that never loses sight of what connects us as earthlings and in the universe.

Oscar winners for the 2018 best animated feature, “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse,” Miller and Lord have a track record of turning films like “The Lego Movie” and “The Mitchells vs. The Machines” not only into innovative works but surprising emotionally rich stories too.

“Project Hail Mary” is the perfect vehicle to showcase their strengths, combining scientific theory with solid storytelling. They found the heartbeat in Andy Weir’s best-selling 2021 sci-fi novel by casting Ryan Gosling as Ryland Grace, a lovable middle school science teacher who is clearly capable of pushing boundaries with his molecular biologist research.

Grace is tapped by a task force to help uncover why the Sun is dimming, leading to the formation of a dim infrared line from the sun to Venus dubbed the Petrova line, which would cause a catastrophic ice age within 30 years.

Asked to study a sample from the Petrova line, he discovers it is made up of single-celled organisms that consume electromagnetic radiation. He calls it ‘astrophage,’ and it breeds by absorbing energy from the Sun and carbon dioxide from Venus.

Without getting too much into the weeds, this astrophage is infecting stars, too, and a nearby star, Tau Ceti, is where the “Hail Mary” spaceship is bound. Grace is reluctant to participate in this space probe, which likely means he may not make it back home, but Eva Stratt, superbly played by Sandra Huller, is persistent.

Drew Goddard’s nimble screenplay adaptation makes it all understandable, while Gosling does the heavy lifting. With his megawatt charm, quick wit, and agility to immerse himself in any character, Gosling slam-dunks the Everyman-turned-superhero role.

If he is the soul, then the alien Rocky is the heart. Emphasizing empathy, the movie turns into an affectionate buddy relationship after Grace emerges 13 years later aboard the Hail Mary. Once he figures out things, he discovers he is not alone.

Enter an alien being, which he dubs Rocky. To communicate with this eyeless, spider-like five-legged creature, he develops a system, and Rocky, a skilled engineer, is trying to save his star home too, so they collaborate. And thus, the beginning of a beautiful friendship. James Ortiz voices the creature.

Hooray for the creators who resisted having a strictly CGI creature, but instead, puppeteers maneuvered this “Rocky.” We like our aliens lovable (“E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial” being the prime example), and Rocky strikes a common chord, as homesick as E.T. and as logical as half-Vulcan Mr. Spock on “Star Trek.”

For its celestial atmosphere, cinematographer Greig Fraser, Oscar winner for “Dune,” blends digital technology with practical realism, and expertly crafts shadows and light. Composer Daniel Pemberton ingeniously uses organic matter, like glass and a squeaky water tap, and percussive sounds, to flavor his interesting score. He also uses choirs for a grand effect.

The use of Harry Styles’ 2017 song, “Sign of the Times,” in a karaoke scene, is a standout, beautifully underscoring the film’s themes.

The movie’s supporting players include Lionel Boyce, Emmy nominee as pastry chef Marcus on “The Bear,” as a government security guy, and Ken Leung and Milana Vayntrub as astronauts.

Goddard, an Oscar nominee for “The Martian,” another Weir novel, deftly delivers the contrast in big ideas and caring for others. Weir’s characters are indelible on the page, and Goddard makes them as memorable on the big screen.

Yes, it’s a long film, at 2 hours, 36 minutes, but it never loses momentum.

A thrilling triumph, “Project Hail Mary” is both classic in themes and far-reaching in scope, proving there is an audience for high-stakes storytelling that hits all the feels in a visually stunning cinematic experience.

“Project Hail Mary” is a 2026 space sci-fi thriller directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller and starring Ryan Gosling, Sandra Huller, Lionel Boyce, Ken Leung and Milana Vayntrub, It is rated PG-13 for some thematic material and suggestive references and the run time is 2 hours, 36 minutes. Opens March 20 in theaters. Lynn’s Grade: A-