The Aeronauts (B- or 2.5/4 stars)
'The Aeronauts' (written & directed by Tom Harper) is a fairly thrilling - if also historically inaccurate - account of James Glaisher's intrepid, record-setting hot air balloon feat in Victorian England. Pioneering meteorologist Glaisher (Eddie Redmayne) believed that weather can actually be predicted - an absurd idea at the time, 1862 - and perilously flew higher than anyone ever had to get data for the betterment of mankind {the goal is to surpass 23,000 feet and see what info they can attain}. In reality, Glaisher teamed with another man, Henry Coxwell, who is not mentioned in this movie.
Instead, the director created fictitious, daredevil gas balloon pilot Amelia Wren (Felicity Jones) to accompany Glaisher in his grand scientific pursuit; their backgrounds & how they met are revealed in flashbacks throughout the film. With her tenacity, smarts, strength & fearlessness, she's a fantastic role model who is based on the world's 1st female aeronaut, Sophie Blanchard; who actually ballooned for Napoleon Bonaparte. Once in the air, James & Amelia's majestic journey quickly turns into a breathtaking, death-defying fight for survival as they face the harshest of elements & deepest of doubts.
The characters are more than inspiring, the plot elements intriguing, & the visual effects are incredible. Given all of that, 'The Aeronauts' still fell a little flat to me because, while the actors give it their all, I never forgot that this 'true' story was embellished quite a bit. The flashback sequences which include character back story & motivations felt standard, and not fresh. It's a cinematic device that CAN work; but it didn't ignite interest for me, here. Also, much of the dialogue in the film felt padded so as to stretch out the film to an acceptable 97 minute length. Without the superfluous dialogue in play, this film would've been a heck of a lot shorter and only included the actual hot air balloon sequences which - while amazing - does not a movie make.
All that said, the perilous journey IS worth a look. George Steel's camera-whirling cinematography is wonderfully kinetic. The production values are top-notch {true-to-life replica of the 19th c. hot air balloon/period costumes/Steven Prince's solid music score}. The filmmakers got us to believe we were up near the stratosphere with these 2 characters -- insane visual effects, here! And the hair/make-up work impresses {various injuries, frostbite}. Redmayne is quite good as James Glaisher. And Felicity Jones is excellent as fictitious Amelia; emoting regret, while ultimately persevering & discovering her own courage. Both actors trained hard for these physically-demanding roles and, they even traveled to Germany to learn from hot air balloon experts.
In one pivotal scene, while James lays unconscious from hypoxia, Amelia climbs on top of the snow-covered balloon to break the ice to prevent a deathly descent -- it's just thrilling to see. I also liked that the film can act as a source of inspiration for engineers, scientists & inventors to improve/save lives. Some of the plot incidentals about flying the balloon went over my head; but the attempt to show integrity with respect to the science behind what they were doing was admirable. I liked this movie. But that 'flatness' was still felt. And even the rushed ending – and no commentary on what happened to the real James Glaisher or what his accomplishments meant - disappointed me. The splendid visuals & Jones' tenacious performance got me through.
Instead, the director created fictitious, daredevil gas balloon pilot Amelia Wren (Felicity Jones) to accompany Glaisher in his grand scientific pursuit; their backgrounds & how they met are revealed in flashbacks throughout the film. With her tenacity, smarts, strength & fearlessness, she's a fantastic role model who is based on the world's 1st female aeronaut, Sophie Blanchard; who actually ballooned for Napoleon Bonaparte. Once in the air, James & Amelia's majestic journey quickly turns into a breathtaking, death-defying fight for survival as they face the harshest of elements & deepest of doubts.
The characters are more than inspiring, the plot elements intriguing, & the visual effects are incredible. Given all of that, 'The Aeronauts' still fell a little flat to me because, while the actors give it their all, I never forgot that this 'true' story was embellished quite a bit. The flashback sequences which include character back story & motivations felt standard, and not fresh. It's a cinematic device that CAN work; but it didn't ignite interest for me, here. Also, much of the dialogue in the film felt padded so as to stretch out the film to an acceptable 97 minute length. Without the superfluous dialogue in play, this film would've been a heck of a lot shorter and only included the actual hot air balloon sequences which - while amazing - does not a movie make.
All that said, the perilous journey IS worth a look. George Steel's camera-whirling cinematography is wonderfully kinetic. The production values are top-notch {true-to-life replica of the 19th c. hot air balloon/period costumes/Steven Prince's solid music score}. The filmmakers got us to believe we were up near the stratosphere with these 2 characters -- insane visual effects, here! And the hair/make-up work impresses {various injuries, frostbite}. Redmayne is quite good as James Glaisher. And Felicity Jones is excellent as fictitious Amelia; emoting regret, while ultimately persevering & discovering her own courage. Both actors trained hard for these physically-demanding roles and, they even traveled to Germany to learn from hot air balloon experts.
In one pivotal scene, while James lays unconscious from hypoxia, Amelia climbs on top of the snow-covered balloon to break the ice to prevent a deathly descent -- it's just thrilling to see. I also liked that the film can act as a source of inspiration for engineers, scientists & inventors to improve/save lives. Some of the plot incidentals about flying the balloon went over my head; but the attempt to show integrity with respect to the science behind what they were doing was admirable. I liked this movie. But that 'flatness' was still felt. And even the rushed ending – and no commentary on what happened to the real James Glaisher or what his accomplishments meant - disappointed me. The splendid visuals & Jones' tenacious performance got me through.