Year Released: 2019
Directed by: Tom Harper
Starring: Eddie Redmayne, Felicity Jones
(Pg-13, 101 min.)
Genre: Action and Adventure

“There are two ways to break a storm. One is to travel beneath it. The other, to travel above it. The safest way is up.” –Amelia Wren

This is the kind of movie that used to pack the movie theaters not too long ago. It’s charged with adventure, the kind that literally puts us on the edge of our seats, gasping for breath, or maybe even letting out a few tepid screams – which need not be tepid in this case, since we are watching this original Amazon film in the comfort of our own living room.

And it reunites that couple we all came to love in the exquisite The Theory of Everything, where Eddie Redmayne played brilliant physicist Stephen Hawking with Felicity Jones as his tenacious wife.

Redmayne and Jones are not really a couple in The Aeronauts, but they are certainly a team. And the physics here is way beyond the theoretical. Redmayne doesn’t just scribble about the stars and sky; he ventures up into them with Jones as his pilot:

In 1862, daredevil balloon pilot Amelia Wren (Felicity Jones) teams up with pioneering meteorologist James Glaisher (Eddie Redmayne) to advance human knowledge of the weather and fly higher than anyone in history. While breaking records and advancing scientific discovery, their voyage to the very edge of existence helps the unlikely pair find their place in the world they have left far below them. But they face physical and emotional challenges in the thin air, as the ascent becomes a fight for survival.

This extraordinary adventure and the comparison to what is currently at the cinema remind us of Ricky Gervais, whose searing opening monologue at the Golden Globes noted the superiority of streaming over releases at traditional movie theaters:

No one goes to cinema…Everyone is watching Netflix. (In this case Amazon.) Seriously, most films are awful. Lazy. Remakes, sequels. All the best actors have jumped to Netflix, HBO. And the actors who just do Hollywood movies now do fantasy-adventure nonsense. They wear masks and capes and really tight costumes. Their job isn't acting anymore. It's going to the gym twice a day and taking steroids, really.

In fact, it seems, critics hunger so much for something original that they are easily mesmerized by flights of fancy, though not so much with this one. I’m talking about their gushing praise for Bong Soon Ho’s South Korean film Parasite, currently lapping up the pre Oscar awards like a thirsty cur.

Critics who despair that The Aeronauts is “predictable” relish the stylistic joy ride of Parasite as it jumps from genre to genre without missing a beat. No problems about thin or even shallow character development as long as we have something new and bold. But bold alone isn’t enough to make it, as you will find out in my upcoming review of that film next week.

While having a likable and honorable set of leads who succeed may not be in vogue with the nihilistic Hollywood crowd and their sycophant critics, it has never gone out of favor with the moving-going public, those who used to have a say in what kind of films were made. Perhaps another reason that ticket sales have reached a 25 year low.

The Aeronauts thrills us with its manned balloon flight that even eye-rolling critics have to admit is a technical feat. The storm that quickly engulfs pilot Amelia Wren (Her first name is a nice touch!) and would-be meteorologist James Glaisher has the two hanging on for their lives as they are bashed about like “flies to wanton boys.” The only exit is up, and there they find calm winds at last. They break records as they soar to almost 3700 feet, Glaisher urging pilot Wren on even though she knows the dangers. Very well indeed, actually, as we find out in a flashback showing her watching helplessly as her husband falls to his death on a previous balloon flight.

No winds now, but utter cold and scarce oxygen. When Glaisher becomes delirious, it is up to Wren to rescue them, and the shots of her climbing to the top of the balloon to wrestle with the frozen relief valve may be the highlight of the film. We feel we are right up there with her, frozen hands grasping at ice crusted rope, dangling precariously at times. What an excruciating ecstasy for voyeuristic acrophobiacs like me!

Some complain that Wren’s character is complete fiction, while Glaisher’s real male partner is ignored in the film:

A quasi-factual story dressed up as a prestige picture, the film tells the story of a record-setting 19th-century gas-balloon flight taken by meteorologist James Glaisher, who actually existed and is played by Eddie Redmayne, and Amelia Wren, who did not actually exist, and is played by Felicity Jones. In reality, Glaisher made many balloon ascents with scientist Henry Tracy Coxwell, who is played by nobody, because he’s not in the movie, which comes with the typically dubious opening subtitle, “Inspired by true events.” Frankly, this is all hot air (phrasing), and none of it matters as long as the movie’s entertaining, right? –John Serba

It wouldn’t be the first time Hollywood introduced a female costar to liven things up a bit, as they did as long ago as The Naked Jungle (1954), along with a sexed up title to add some sizzle to the short story "Leiningen Versus the Ants" by Carl Stephenson. Here Eleanor Parker joins Charlton Heston (Leiningen) and the sparks fly.

But we are in a new age. Here, our female takes on the traditional male derring-do instead of becoming his romantic interest. C'est la vie !

A great film for the whole family. And those don’t come along very much nowadays. So cook up a huge batch of popcorn in your own kitchen (instead of paying over 10 bucks at the theater) and enjoy every minute of this spectacle.

–Kathy Borich
🥁🥁🥁🥁

Trailer

Film-Loving Foodie

Different Drummer spent a long time trying to find the right cocktail to go along with this exhilarating film. Our two adventurers probably could do with a good stiff drink upon their return to earth, and that would usually be a very deep swig of brandy. But Different Drummer wanted something more.

My first inclination was a British Cocktail Called Dark and Stormy, and it’s a great drink. Alas, it was invented after our two balloonists’ time:

Dark 'n' Stormy was invented in Bermuda after World War II by Gosling Brothers Ltd. The cocktail is made with a combination of dark rum and ginger beer. It is a protected trademark of Gosling Brothers Ltd since 1991, so similar drinks are often named Safe Harbor in order to avoid litigation.

So, to be more authentic Different Drummer has opted for Black Velvet, and it fits with Amelia’s sadness over her husband’s death on a prior balloon flight.

This classic cocktail was created in London in 1861 by a bartender who mourned the death of Prince Albert.

Black Velvet is made either by mixing the ingredients together or by gently layering chilled dark beer on top of champagne, then pouring it over the back of a mixing spoon for the best visual effect. The cocktail is typically served without garnishes.