Phil Lord and Christopher Miller were top directors in the 2010s, delivering the run of “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs,” “21 Jump Street,” “The LEGO Movie,” and “22 Jump Street” in less than six years. Their careers were thrown off course after they were fired from “Solo: A Star Wars Story,” and they’ve since been stuck as producers, primarily working on the (excellent) “Spider-Verse” films. Now, Lord and Miller return to directing with a live-action adaptation of Andy Weir’s acclaimed novel “Project Hail Mary.” Have they returned to form?

Yes. “Project Hail Mary” is a confidently directed, well-acted, fun and emotional film. It’s not the best movie ever, but it’s very difficult to point to a single weak spot. Even its long runtime — over two and a half hours — feels earned. “Project Hail Mary” looks gorgeous, too: cinematographer Greig Fraser, famous for “Dune” and “The Batman,” brings out the beauty and color of space in a manner I’ve never seen done before, foregoing the typical muted palette for bright oranges, greens and blues. 

Ryan Gosling stars as Dr. Ryland Grace, a molecular-biologist-turned-junior-high-teacher who wakes up on a spaceship, unsure of how or why he’s there. Slowly, the film reveals his backstory, both to Grace himself as well as the audience, as he recalls his mission of gathering vital information to help mankind prevent the sun from dimming. 

While Gosling is charming enough on his own, the film pairs him with an alien — dubbed “Rocky” — who is working to help his own planet, which is suffering from the same problem. Their relationship defines the film. Rocky is the highlight of the film not only because of his inventive creature design, but because he is endearing and hilarious. At multiple points the character had me holding my breath as I feared for his safety or cackled at his antics. Beyond the usual bounds of the trope of “human-and-alien friendship,” the film uses their relationship to explore redemption, second chances and what it means to be brave.

The only other character of note is played by Sandra Hüller, who viewers may know from 2023’s “Anatomy of a Fall.” Unsurprisingly for such an accomplished actress, she’s very good in “Project Hail Mary.” As the head scientist working to prevent the global ice age, Hüller’s character brings a gravitas to the situation. In a rare tender moment, she delivers what I found to be the most poignant line in the film, then sings Harry Styles’ “Sign of the Times” a few minutes later.

The script, written by “Daredevil” creator Drew Goddard, is good, but struggles with structure in its flashbacks. Despite being fairly straightforward, these scenes feel both rushed and confused at times, as we’re unsure how much Gosling knows relative to the audience. The script also withholds the centerpiece of Gosling’s character arc — his need for bravery and redemption —- until very late in the film. “Project Hail Mary” pulls off this eventual reveal, but the emotional moments both before and after could have benefited from an earlier introduction to this information. 

No film can truly do a book justice, nor vice versa. They are different mediums with different strengths and weaknesses. I have not read Weir’s book, but from my little knowledge, the film truncates a good bit of the novel’s science yet captures its spirit well. To me, that’s the measure of whether or not an adaptation does its job, so if you liked the book, I’d recommend the film. 

If you like movies, I’d recommend “Project Hail Mary” to you, too. While not as high-energy as Lord and Miller’s earlier films, the joy is still there. It’s wonderfully shot, funny, poignant and hopeful. What more could you want from a film?