“Spaceman” was one of the biggest new movies on Netflix last week. After a slow burn over the weekend, it now sits at number one in the top 10 movies on Netflix.
I've been eagerly awaiting this sci-fi movie starring Adam Sandler as a lone astronaut and Paul Dano as Hanush, the alien spider he meets in the great unknown. It premiered at the Berlin Film Festival last February, and despite some mixed reviews, audiences seem very much looking forward to giving it a chance. So I decided to watch it too.
After watching it, I… definitely You have some thoughts, including whether or not you should watch this Netflix movie. So let's dive into what “Spaceman” is all about and whether you should stream or skip it on Netflix this week.
What is “Spaceman” about?
This film is based on the 2017 novel “Spaceman of Bohemia.” Adam Sandler plays Commander Jakub Prochazka, an astronaut from the Czech Republic on a mission to the edge of our solar system to explore a mysterious ancient cloud of dust. While out in the vast void of space, Jacob meets Hanoch, an extraterrestrial spider (Paul Dano) who tries to help Jacob through his “emotional distress.”
Meanwhile, back on Earth, this is the cause of Jacob's emotional turmoil. Jacob has left behind a pregnant wife, Lenka (Carey Mulligan), who seems ready to abandon Jacob before he returns home from his solo trip.
If “Spaceman” succeeds in this vein, it will be a must-see film. However, it tries to be more than that premise, and this choice doesn't always work out.
Spoiler alert: Mild spoilers for “Spaceman” after this point.
Spaceman Movie Review – This movie is lost in space
Critical reviews for this movie on Rotten tomatoes Not great. The critical consensus is that the film has themes worth exploring and that the cast is talented. But “that [the movie] He failed to deal consistently with his most interesting ideas.”
After watching the movie “Spaceman,” I have to say that this assessment is quite accurate. There are some interesting things worth exploring, and the budding relationship between Jacob and Hanush is interesting. The film also reaches its strongest points when these two explore the trauma of Jacob's past, especially his past with Lenka.
But this relationship is just one of many moving pieces that conflict with each other in this film. There is an irony of space travel capitalism that is tried and forgotten throughout the film. Linka showing Mulligan back on Earth in the present instead of in flashbacks constantly interrupts the film. And there's a weird plot element about South Korea chasing Jacob and the Czech Republic for the honor of exploring the mysterious cloud first, which doesn't make any sense at all to include in the movie. My only guess is that it made sense when it was in the book.
Should you stream 'Spaceman' on Netflix?
This film is flawed, but not without merit. The second half of the film is much more interesting and cohesive than the first, and the time spent exploring Jacob and Hanush's new relationship and the trauma of Jacob and Lenka's old relationship is emotionally interesting and compelling to watch. The final act of the film ties it all together in a way that grabs your attention and works honestly, even if it's a little weird at times.
Unfortunately, it takes 55 minutes to get to the point where this film begins to pay off. I almost fell asleep during the first half of the movie while I realized what I wanted to be. This was valuable time wasted because it prevented us from exploring the topics covered an act Work with appropriate details.
finally, You should skip “Astronaut”. Sometimes flawed films deserve a reward, but this isn't one of those flawed films. That's a shame because it's pretty clear that the potential is there for this Netflix movie.
More from Tom's guide
