The Aeronauts
There ’s very small aboutThe Aeronautsthat does n’t scream prestige film . It ’s a late fall release ( loosely ) ground on real events draw in Richard Holmes ' book , fall Upwards : How We take to the Air , and reunites the stars of the Oscar - winningTheory of Everything , Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones , for another uplifting biographic story . But in spite of that , the real movie plays less like a stodgy award contender and more like a streamlined , old - fashioned historical risky venture concerned in entertaining , rather than educate . What it lack in substance , The Aeronautscompensates for with flush and emotion , take audiences on an inebriate airborn wedge ' journeying .
The Aeronautspicks up in London circa 1862 , where English scientist James Glaisher ( Redmayne ) pose off on a hot air balloon expedition with hotshot pilot program Amelia Wren ( Jones ) to pile up atmospherical data that support his theories and bring greater credibility to the bud field of weather forecasting . The twain clash in the root ; James is all scientific method acting and straight to business , whereas Amelia has a common sense of showmanship and knows to make a spectacle of their balloon launching . However , as they uprise further , James comes to appreciate there ’s more to Amelia than meet the optic , and realizes just how traumatized she really is by the death of her husband ( a fellow pilot who was kill during a balloon flight of stairs gone wrong ) . It ’s a good thing , too , since they ’ll need one another if they ’re going to break the world trajectory altitude book - not to mention , make it back down to the ground in one piece .
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Written by Jack Thorne ( who , between this film and his work on HBO’sHis Dark Materials , appears to have a heat for stories involve Victorian - earned run average fell vehicles),The Aeronautsis a simple , yet gratifying tale of derring - do , where its heroes must overwhelm the elements and unexpected obstacles time and time again , with nothing but their wits and courage to write them . A story about two people traveling in a live air balloon together could easily become repetitive , but the movie keeps things interesting by smartly jumping back and away between the flight and the events lead up to it for much of its runtime . There ’s a fine message at the heart ofThe Aeronautsabout the importance of moving on and upwards ( whether that means embracing scientific progression or recovering from personal loss ) , but , avowedly , it never dig out all that deeply into it . This , in go , set aside the picture show to maintain a tight pace and lightweight feeling , at the disbursement of being a more meaningful man of storytelling .
That goes double for its characters , who are reasonably conventional on paper ; James is the typical outsider ridicule by his peers for his unorthodox idea , whereas Amelia ( who ’s an merger of a few actual - life individual ) is the archetypical woman in a historic mise en scene who challenges the norm of the beau monde around her . But thanks to Redmayne and Jones ' potent chemistry , it ’s easy to believe the pair would hail together and care about one another as they position off on their voyage . Their human relationship is a platonic one , and there ’s a welcome amour in the moments where they get down their safety gadget and verbalise openly about the thing that motivate them ( as well as the traumas that haunt them).The Aeronautshinges on this dynamic , which only makes the conclusion to regurgitate Redmayne and Jones all the wiser in retrospect .
In many fashion , though , the visuals are as much the star ofThe Aeronautsas its player . There are times when it ’s obvious that Redmayne and Jones are stand up in front of a green sieve , sure , but director Tom Harper ( Wild Rose ) and his DP George Steel ( 2018’sRobin Hood ) otherwise do an excellent Book of Job of creating the conjuration that they really are miles up in the air travel ( those with a fear of heights , you ’ve been warned).The Aeronautspaints its action on a massive canvas , contrast captivating CGI panoramas with cockeyed - knit , claustrophobic closeups to instance how the experience of riding in a hot air balloon hoop is both restrictive and freeing all at once . It ’s too bad , then , that most mass will probably end up seeing the motion-picture show at dwelling house on Amazon Prime , now that its special IMAX run has been scrap ahead of its streaming premiere .
For the same reason , those who have the chance are encourage to giveThe Aeronautsa look when it get in in theaters . It ’s a natural selection adventure mean for the big screen , where the experience of watching two people defy the laws of cathartic with nothing more than a giant basketball hoop , balloon , and some gas ( precariously hold together by a few creaky ropes ) becomes a truly awe - cheer one . If that ’s not potential , though , The Aeronautsstill offers enough rousing entertainment , match with an inspiring fib of two heroes and some handsome Victorian garb by costume designer Alexandra Byrne ( Mary Queen of Scots ) , to justify a feeling - even without a giant screen to make it feel like one false move will send you plunging to your death as you watch it .
NEXT : take in The Official Trailer for The Aeronauts
The Aeronautsis now act in select U.S. theaters , and flow on Amazon Prime begin Friday , December 20 . It is 100 minute long and is rated PG-13 for some jeopardy and thematic chemical element .
Pilot Amelia Wren (Felicity Jones) and scientist James Glaisher (Eddie Redmayne) find themselves in an epic fight for survival while attempting to make discoveries in a hot air balloon
Pilot Amelia Wren ( Felicity Jones ) and scientist James Glaisher ( Eddie Redmayne ) find themselves in an epic fight for endurance while attempting to make find in a hot atmosphere balloon
