"The Aeronauts" Review: This High Flying Balloon Falls Flat
Amazon’s The Aeronauts is based on the true story of early meteorology and flight. The film re-teams The Theory of Everything co-stars Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones. It’s a harrowing adventure high above the clouds that manages to be equally lifeless at any point the film tells the story of life on the ground.
Amelia Wren (Jones) is a balloon pilot who is no stranger to the skies. She flew with her late husband on plenty of flights. So the opportunity to fly on a scientific expedition with James Glaisher (Redmayne) is welcomed. For Glaisher, he hopes to push past the heights previously set by other pilots to document the unknown of what is above us.
Within the balloon, the duo takes on challenges that come from humans facing atmospheric conditions they’ve never seen before. George Steel’s cinematography and sound designer Andy Kennedy’s attention to detail make the experience of watching Wren and Glaisher feel tangible as an audience member. As the balloon starts to ice over, the basket that separates them from a 20,000+ foot fall to their death does as well. The creaks and pops of the equipment draw you in, as does the cool blues and somewhat desaturated hues of the cinematography.
Weaved in between the experience in the sky is the backstory of Wren and Glaisher. These scenes give us context to who they are, how they met, and how the expedition came together but are not interesting enough to keep the viewer engaged. You’re left with a burning desire to get back into the balloon with their present peril instead of on land with their past.
There’s a scene in The Aeronauts in which Glaisher is trying to convince a body of scientists and explorers to allow him to have his own balloon. They laugh in his face and walk out as he pleads for them to hear him out. “Please, please” he clamors. This scene feels fitting for the entire movie. It begs you to hear it out! This is a film about early exploration of the sky above us for goodness sake! Unfortunately, outside of its outstanding visuals, it doesn’t have much to say.
Rating: D+
"Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" Review: Keep Em' Coming!
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is not a film about if, but how. How did the Rebel Alliance get the plans to the Death Star? Well, it wasn’t easy, and that’s where this off shoot from Star Wars episodes fits in.
Imagine what it was like in 1945 as the Atom Bomb was about to be tested. That’s where things stand in Rogue One. The Death Star is up and running, but the planet killer has yet to be used. With time running short, Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones) is recruited by the Rebellion early in the film as an access key. Her bloodline and past makes her important to the group’s plan to see the Death Star destroyed.
The movie is more a war film than anything like its predecessors. Most of the film is tactical in nature. Cassian Andor (Diego Luna), a recruiter and soldier in the Rebel Army, extracts Jyn out of Imperial transport vehicle with the help of his reprogrammed K-2SO (Alan Tudyk). Jyn is offered the opportunity to help the Rebellion, or continue as she was in the hands of The Empire.
Time is of the essence on both sides as Orson Krennic (the always stellar Ben Mendelsohn) is going to show The Empire that the Death Star, the project he’s headed up, is in full working order. As plans on both sides move forward we’re introduced to Chirrut (Donnie Yen) and Baz Malbus (Wen Jiang), two guardians of the temple on planet Jedha, which is being mined by The Empire as fuel. The Empire is on high alert as an extremist in the Rebellion named Saw Gerrera (Forest Whitaker) keeps them on their toes, along with the rest of the Rebel Army.
Suspense and tension is high in this film, while keeping some humor sprinkled in to break things up. With everyone on edge as the clock is running out, it makes for good pacing. Director Gareth Edwards captures the ground and air fights in such a way that we feel entrenched with soldiers, while seeing the scale of the enemy.
A lot should be said about the diversity of the cast. Felicity Jones brings a nice balance of strength to her character, while carrying the emotional weight of her past in her eyes. The combination of Jones, Luna, Yen and Jiang throughout the film make for a great rag tag family and diversity that isn’t too often seen in a big budget film like this because screen time is spread well amongst the group.
In case you were wondering, Darth Vader (voiced by James Earl Jones) is in the film just the right way and for the right amount of time! His presence is known and when it’s felt it’s felt, but it is sure to please any Vader fan. Rest assured, they got that part right!
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is a nice entry in setting up the epic saga to follow. It instills confidence for more stand-alone movies in the coming years as well. Since my kids won’t know the difference, when they reach an age that Darth Vader doesn’t scare them, we’ll start with Rogue One and work our way up to episode 8 (by then)! One through three will always be extra credit.
Rating: B+