New to Netflix from today is the sci-fi drama, Spaceman. Directed by Johan Renck and based on Jaroslav Kalfař’s novel Spaceman of Bohemia, the film stars Adam Sandler, Carey Mulligan, Paul Dano, Kunal Nayyar, and Isabella Rossellini and follows the story of an astronaut who has a life-changing encounter.
In the movie, Commander Jakub Procházka is on a year-long solo mission in space to collect ancient dust. The mission has taken Jakub 500 million km away from the Earth, and with the exception of radio contact to ground control, which keeps him connected to his colleagues and his pregnant wife Lenka, he is completely isolated.
Within the last few days, Jakub has lost contact with Lenka. He is told by ground control they are not sure about her current whereabouts, but in reality she has decided to walk away from their relationship.
Jakub’s team on Earth are keeping this information from him so not to impact his mental health. But Jakub’s mental health is already taking a hit, he’s having difficulty sleeping, and he’s starting to see and hear an unusual spider-like creature aboard the ship.
The creature claims it made its way onto Jakub’s spaceship after sensing his loneliness. At first, Jakub is unsure of the creature’s intentions, but soon he discovers it may be able to help him work through his problems.
I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again, Adam Sandler movies can be very hit-and-miss. Some are good, and allow Sandler to demonstrate his range as an actor, while others are dire and revolve around him doing his usual comedic schtick.
Spaceman falls into the former category and while it may not be for everyone, it features one of Sandler’s stronger performances. Sandler is one of the film’s highlights and his ability to convey a range of human emotions, while spending an entire movie floating around in a spaceship, is yet another reminder he can be a great actor when the right material comes along.
And Spaceman is the right material. It’s an intriguing picture about self-reflection and loneliness, Sandler understands this, and delivers a pitch perfect performance to match.
His interactions with the spider, who he names Hanuš, allows for some interesting lines of dialogue. This film is very much a slow burning piece built around conversations about life and relationships, but Sandler leans into this effortlessly and the end result is something of value.
Outside of Sandler, Spaceman offers up strong visuals, an even tone, and of course one big-ass CGI space spider. Hanuš starts off a bit creepy, but his sinister side soon slides away to reveal a likeable companion, and most important of all at no point does he look ropey.
We’ve seen some awful CGI creatures and characters in movies in recent years but I’m happy to say, this isn’t the case here. Spaceman looks good, and it’s not just Hanuš who delivers, the space scenes look the business too.
Where the film does struggle a bit is in its pace. As noted, Spaceman is a slow burning film and it does lose some momentum during the midsection.
For those who are drawn into the story this shouldn’t be a major problem, but I expect it may slow down a touch too much for some audiences. However, if you can stick with it then do, as you should find yourself coming back around before too long.
The pace doesn’t necessarily pick up as it moves into the final stages, but the ending is emotionally charged and it finds a way to pull at the heartstrings during the last act. Spaceman is also one of those movies which should stay in the mind as the credits roll.
I don’t believe Spaceman will work for all as it may be a bit too sedate at times, but personally, I like what it has to offer. I’m often quite critical of Adam Sandler performances, and I even struggle to get through some of his comedies, but I can’t fault the actor here and the movie as a whole is beautiful.
Spaceman is a touching, thought provoking drama, which places its focus on human emotions. If you’re looking for a film to get lost in, then this could offer you the perfect excursion into the unknown.
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Thank you for taking the time to read this review on It’s A Stampede!. For more reviews, check out the recommended reads below.
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