Movie lovers have lift off again thanks to Project Hail Mary.

The sci-fi flick, about an humble science teacher who undertakes a risky endeavor in space to save the Earth, has earned its status as a bonafide blockbuster, making (to date) $425 million worldwide against a budget of $200 million. And it’s still going strong at the theaters.

But numbers aside, it’s a mega hit because Project Hail Mary makes going to the theater enjoyable again. The sci-fi flick (based on the novel by Andy Weir) restores the sweet thrill of rooting for the good guy again – in this case, a humble, middle school science teacher named Dr. Ryland Grace (Ryan Gosling), who is clumsy, funny and in grave peril. To top it off, he has amnesia. And he’s in space. And he’s not sure how to fly the spacecraft.

But he’s got to figure it out quickly to save earth and humanity, because there’s a space microbe called astrophage, and it’s eating our sun. No pressure! There’s a lot at stake here, which means there’s a lot to root for.

Things get even more root-worthy when Grace encounters an alien that he (aptly) names Rocky. Rocky is on the same astrophage-destroying mission as Grace, to save his own planet. The two overcome fears, language barriers and atmospheric challenges to brainstorm a solution, but not without first encountering a few hiccups and life-threatening situations. In the midst of it all, they fall head over heels in bro-love. It’s one of the more loveable bromances I’ve seen on screen. It’s is a testament to Gosling’s acting that he can exude such believable warmness and affection for a puppet, making us fall in love with the inanimate object in kind.

One thing that sets this movie apart from others is that there is no traditional love-interest or romance in the story. Throughout it’s roughly 100 year history, Hollywood has centered it’s movies around a romantic love story, or at the very least makes romance a sub-plot. But there’s none of that in Project Hail Mary. There’s only the deep, soulful connection between two beings from different worlds, Grace (metaphorically love) and Rocky (metaphorically strength). Maybe it’s getting too deep to philosophize that PHM comes to us at a time in history when courtship and marriage is flailing, and romance is falling out of favor with the younger generation. Is this a new plot direction given the times?

The ending can be surprising, if you haven’t read the book, as it defies expectation. And it works beautifully. The movie is two and a half hours long, but it pulls you quickly into it’s orbit and by the time the credits roll, it doesn’t seem like that much time has passed. Project Hail Mary is time well spent in it’s delightful black hole.