The Aeronauts

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The Aeronauts is loosely based on the true story of James Glaischer (played by Eddie Redmayne) as he hires balloon pilot Amelia Wren (played by Felicity Jones) to take him higher than anyone has gone before. Something I should note right away is that Jones’ balloon pilot is a fictional character. This is something I kind of have mixed feelings about. On one hand, I could understand the argument that this takes away from the real-life man who actually was Glaischer’s companion. But, I can’t really say this bothers me either. It’s not like Patch Adams where the fictional female character was really only there to be a love interest. By the end of the film, Glaischer and Wren only seem to remain friends. It is interesting to me that the film is told in a non-linear fashion. The reason I find it interesting is because I don’t really feel that it needed to be. Some of the storytelling is also cliched. I’m glad that these cliches were kind of glossed over. At the same time, as somebody who didn’t necessarily know about this story to begin with, I can just as easily forgive them because I can see that there’s a possibility that some of these obstacles genuinely happened. I do have to give Jones and Redmayne props for their performances. The two have legitimately good chemistry, and they are the ones who really have to carry this film. Jones stands out to me in particular. I was just invested in her every step of the way. Director Tom Harper also seems to know what he’s doing behind the camera for the most part, especially when it comes to the moments that require him to build tension. So, when I first watched The Aeronauts, I came away with what I felt was a good enough movie. Upon thinking about it, I kind of see this as a bit of a mixed bag. There’s good things in it. But, there also things in it that I don’t think actually work that well for me. 

5 / 10