GRADE: B-
THIS FILM IS HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
IN BRIEF: Fine CGI keep this contrived, entertaining, and all so untrue bio-pic stay earthbound.
JIM'S REVIEW: Tom Harper's The Aeronauts is a classy children's film. It is fine family fare about the early days of flight exploration, even though the actual story has been seriously altered from its original source. This revisionist "based on true events" lesson seems to be the unfortunate trend these days as writers playing fast and loose with historical accuracy. As biographies go, this is twaddle. As fantasy adventure, the film is fun.
The real event occurred on September 5, 1862 and would establish scientific data to help guide meteorologists to predict weather patterns. The journey involved two British scientists, James Glaisher and Henry Coxwell, and their balloon flight to test the unknown atmospheric conditions as they broke the world's altitude record during dangerous weather conditions. However, somewhere from page to film, Mr. Coxwell changed gender and became the purely fictitious Amelia Wren, a daredevil aviator, winningly played by Felicity Jones. Her co-pilot remained Mr. Glaisher and Eddie Redmayne is reunited with his co-star. Up, up and away we go!
The film resembles an rousing adventure film for children, an old-fashion Saturday matinee type with lots of peril for our brave heroes to encounter. Forget that our courageous twosome have forgotten to pack hats, scarves, or gloves...those omissions certainly defy logic, but more is the danger! Amelia is played as an independent modern woman, unafraid of society's restrictions or heights. She is women empowerment personified and little girls in the audience will identify with her struggle while her male counterpart as performed by Mr. Redmayne has been essentially neutered. Adults will just shrug at the heroic feats and enjoy the nonsense.
Ms. Jones and Mr. Redmayne are set adrift in a silly and simplified story, lost in the movie's own grandiose special effects. Whenever the film is airborne, the film is action-filled and riveting. The CGI is terrific viewing, Mark Eckersley's editing is concise, and George Steel's photography captures the wondrous beauty of the skies. However, when the movie flashbacks to their aeronauts' personal lives back on earth, the film remains grounded, unable to soar.
Mr. Harper directs skillfully. Yet his screenplay, co-authored by Jack Thorne, takes too many liberties with its subject. Even though the dialog between the two actors is well delivered and quite poetic in its wordplay, the plot is banal and extremely contrived.
The Aeronauts hovers and rarely takes flight, although it is well-crafted and always entertaining...especially for the younger set.
THIS FILM IS HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
IN BRIEF: Fine CGI keep this contrived, entertaining, and all so untrue bio-pic stay earthbound.
JIM'S REVIEW: Tom Harper's The Aeronauts is a classy children's film. It is fine family fare about the early days of flight exploration, even though the actual story has been seriously altered from its original source. This revisionist "based on true events" lesson seems to be the unfortunate trend these days as writers playing fast and loose with historical accuracy. As biographies go, this is twaddle. As fantasy adventure, the film is fun.
The real event occurred on September 5, 1862 and would establish scientific data to help guide meteorologists to predict weather patterns. The journey involved two British scientists, James Glaisher and Henry Coxwell, and their balloon flight to test the unknown atmospheric conditions as they broke the world's altitude record during dangerous weather conditions. However, somewhere from page to film, Mr. Coxwell changed gender and became the purely fictitious Amelia Wren, a daredevil aviator, winningly played by Felicity Jones. Her co-pilot remained Mr. Glaisher and Eddie Redmayne is reunited with his co-star. Up, up and away we go!
The film resembles an rousing adventure film for children, an old-fashion Saturday matinee type with lots of peril for our brave heroes to encounter. Forget that our courageous twosome have forgotten to pack hats, scarves, or gloves...those omissions certainly defy logic, but more is the danger! Amelia is played as an independent modern woman, unafraid of society's restrictions or heights. She is women empowerment personified and little girls in the audience will identify with her struggle while her male counterpart as performed by Mr. Redmayne has been essentially neutered. Adults will just shrug at the heroic feats and enjoy the nonsense.
Ms. Jones and Mr. Redmayne are set adrift in a silly and simplified story, lost in the movie's own grandiose special effects. Whenever the film is airborne, the film is action-filled and riveting. The CGI is terrific viewing, Mark Eckersley's editing is concise, and George Steel's photography captures the wondrous beauty of the skies. However, when the movie flashbacks to their aeronauts' personal lives back on earth, the film remains grounded, unable to soar.
Mr. Harper directs skillfully. Yet his screenplay, co-authored by Jack Thorne, takes too many liberties with its subject. Even though the dialog between the two actors is well delivered and quite poetic in its wordplay, the plot is banal and extremely contrived.
The Aeronauts hovers and rarely takes flight, although it is well-crafted and always entertaining...especially for the younger set.