Inspired by true events, The Aeronauts takes to the sky in Tom Harper's second feature of the year. It stars Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones as a weather scientist and daredevil pilot attempting to make a discovery in a gas balloon thousands of meters above the ground - but can The Aeronauts rise to the occasion?
James Glaisher and Amelia Rennes begin an unlikely partnership when his metrological expertise and her aerial pilotry come together to lead an exploration into the sky to study the weather. Their bravery and determination could lead them to new heights in the name of scientific discovery - but their perilous journey presents life-changing difficulties.
If there's one element weighing Tom Harper's The Aeronauts down, it is the lacklustre writing. While Jack Thorne's screenplay wastes no time heading for the skies, it's dragged back down to earth every time it cuts to the backstory, stopping the film in its tracks and distracting from the more interesting and immediate survival story. As it leans into "against the odds" conventions, it rattles between narrative beats, held back further by wooden and exposition-ladened dialogue that stifles the character's emotional rapport and development of the story.
However, The Aeronauts makes up for its screenplay deficiencies with sumptuous visuals and impressive action beats which elevate it beyond those storytelling flaws. A Gravity for the lower atmosphere, The Aeronauts' breathtaking aerial shots never cease to astonish, no matter how often the film veers towards them as a crutch. George Steel's superb cinematography curates such a stunning sense of scope and scale truly enhanced by the big screen - it is a real shame that most audiences won't experience the film in this way, given that the US distributors are skipping a theatrical run and heading straight to Amazon Prime later this year.
Harper does a solid job of contrasting the cramped, claustrophobic basket with the openness of the skies that threaten to engulf them; he can't resist a hazy close-up but it works given the characters physical closeness and evolving relationship. Harper also nails the action beats: one particular sequence focused on Amelia fixing a problem with the balloon is exhilarating, a real edge-of-your-seat intensity that surprises in its effectiveness. A tighter edit and rejig of the structure would benefit The Aeronauts but Harper does a fine job of getting this thing airborne.
Eddie Redmayne provides a serviceable if safe performance as James Glaisher, but Felicity Jones shines brightest here. Her Amelia Rennes is a breath of fresh air, bursting onto the screen like a shot of adrenaline that film really needed to sustain this historically-set picture. As convincing in her heroic moments as she in her more vulnerable scenes, Jones delivers an accomplished performance that demonstrates her talent for anyone still foolish enough to be in any doubt. She carries this film completely - which makes the fictionality of her character all the more conflicting.
While the first words presented on-screen read that The Aeronauts is "inspired by a true story", it is perhaps one of the loosest uses of that term in recent film memory: Jones' Amelia, for example, is entirely constructed for the purpose of the film. Henry Coxwell accompanied Glaisher on the journey to record-breaking heights. While you may find yourself scrutinising the film's decision to alter history as drastically as it has, you are able to overcome it because the screen lights up when Amelia appears - that is, until the film begins exploring themes of feminism and equality. They simply don't ring true when the context is considered, feeling strained and extraneous while creating a distance between audiences in the know as it strays from fact and real life. As some have pointed out, there are a plethora of talented female scientists who deserve a film that captures their contributions to the world, and it's a great shame that the screenwriting team couldn't honour them instead of falsifying a complete character.
The Aeronauts is a flawed but ultimately solid tale of bravery and scientific discovery that has stunning visuals and Felicity Jones' winning performance to thank for lifting it off the ground. While it never quite reaches the heights it aims for, held back by a false contextuality and an underwhelming script, in the moments the wind catches The Aeronauts, you cannot help but be swept up - it's just disappointing that it drops you back down to earth with a bump every so often.
6.5/10
Summary: It doesn't hit the astronomical heights it has its sights set on but The Aeronauts more often than not rises to the occasion on the back of its breathtaking visuals and Felicity Jones' wonderful performance.
James Glaisher and Amelia Rennes begin an unlikely partnership when his metrological expertise and her aerial pilotry come together to lead an exploration into the sky to study the weather. Their bravery and determination could lead them to new heights in the name of scientific discovery - but their perilous journey presents life-changing difficulties.
If there's one element weighing Tom Harper's The Aeronauts down, it is the lacklustre writing. While Jack Thorne's screenplay wastes no time heading for the skies, it's dragged back down to earth every time it cuts to the backstory, stopping the film in its tracks and distracting from the more interesting and immediate survival story. As it leans into "against the odds" conventions, it rattles between narrative beats, held back further by wooden and exposition-ladened dialogue that stifles the character's emotional rapport and development of the story.
Harper does a solid job of contrasting the cramped, claustrophobic basket with the openness of the skies that threaten to engulf them; he can't resist a hazy close-up but it works given the characters physical closeness and evolving relationship. Harper also nails the action beats: one particular sequence focused on Amelia fixing a problem with the balloon is exhilarating, a real edge-of-your-seat intensity that surprises in its effectiveness. A tighter edit and rejig of the structure would benefit The Aeronauts but Harper does a fine job of getting this thing airborne.
Eddie Redmayne provides a serviceable if safe performance as James Glaisher, but Felicity Jones shines brightest here. Her Amelia Rennes is a breath of fresh air, bursting onto the screen like a shot of adrenaline that film really needed to sustain this historically-set picture. As convincing in her heroic moments as she in her more vulnerable scenes, Jones delivers an accomplished performance that demonstrates her talent for anyone still foolish enough to be in any doubt. She carries this film completely - which makes the fictionality of her character all the more conflicting.
While the first words presented on-screen read that The Aeronauts is "inspired by a true story", it is perhaps one of the loosest uses of that term in recent film memory: Jones' Amelia, for example, is entirely constructed for the purpose of the film. Henry Coxwell accompanied Glaisher on the journey to record-breaking heights. While you may find yourself scrutinising the film's decision to alter history as drastically as it has, you are able to overcome it because the screen lights up when Amelia appears - that is, until the film begins exploring themes of feminism and equality. They simply don't ring true when the context is considered, feeling strained and extraneous while creating a distance between audiences in the know as it strays from fact and real life. As some have pointed out, there are a plethora of talented female scientists who deserve a film that captures their contributions to the world, and it's a great shame that the screenwriting team couldn't honour them instead of falsifying a complete character.
The Aeronauts is a flawed but ultimately solid tale of bravery and scientific discovery that has stunning visuals and Felicity Jones' winning performance to thank for lifting it off the ground. While it never quite reaches the heights it aims for, held back by a false contextuality and an underwhelming script, in the moments the wind catches The Aeronauts, you cannot help but be swept up - it's just disappointing that it drops you back down to earth with a bump every so often.
6.5/10
Summary: It doesn't hit the astronomical heights it has its sights set on but The Aeronauts more often than not rises to the occasion on the back of its breathtaking visuals and Felicity Jones' wonderful performance.