This new blockbuster starring Gosling as a solo astronaut trying to save humanity is over two-and-a-half hours long – yet manages to be “zippily entertaining” throughout.

From Star Wars to Dune, from Avatar to Independence Day, most science-fiction blockbusters come down to the question of how skilful the heroes are with guns and swords. But there are a few sci-fi films that value brains over brawn. One of the best recent examples is Ridley Scott’s The Martian (2015), which was based on a novel by Andy Weir and scripted by Drew Goddard. Now Goddard has adapted another of Weir’s novels, Project Hail Mary, and, again, it features a lone scientist thinking his way through a problem in the depths of space.

The difference between the two films is that this one is directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, who opt for the “Everything is Awesome” perkiness that characterised their defining hit, The Lego Movie. With a leading man, Ryan Gosling, who can’t resist showing off his goofball charm and all-round Kenergy, Project Hail Mary is surprisingly shiny and fun for a story about the potential extinction of the human race.