It’s one thing to have a bad biopic, but it’s a completely different thing to have a fake biopic. The Aeronauts, directed by Tom Harper of Peaky Blinders fame, is the latter, even if it’s a good film. The Aeronauts, advertised as a biopic, is based on the record-breaking flight of British climate scientist James Glashier (Eddie Redmayne), famous for reaching an altitude of 12,000 feet in a hot-air balloon. He is aided by a pilot friend of his, the flamboyant pilot Amelia Wren (Felicity Jones).
Let’s start with the positives. First off, the special effects are terrific – the neo-Victorian and steampunk aesthetics work really well, and combined with the top-notch cinematography and decent world-building on Harper’s side, it makes for a wonderful experience. Watching it in IMAX like I did is a great choice because of all of these features combined. It is transcendental. The action scenes in the rather unusual setting of the hot air balloon are charming and the whole film is just extremely pretty to look at.
Additionally, the leads give great performances and have excellent chemistry together. I was genuinely surprised because while I’m not the biggest fan of either Jones or Redmayne, I really enjoyed both of them in this film, as much as I did in The Theory of Everything. I definitely want to see more of them together, especially if they keep having humorous exchanges in their dialogue like they do here.
Narratively, however, it’s extremely confusing. The film is almost real-time in its depiction of the balloon ride, but the constant flashbacks that help establish the story are somewhat annoying and intrusive, and filled with inaccurate depictions of Glashier’s backstory. While they do fill some important blanks in the present narrative, they just feel like an excuse for exposition that cuts through pivotal balloon moments. The film is much more enjoyable in the balloon scenes than in the flashbacks, and a lot of it is due to the differences in pacing and dialogue.
The character of Amelia is problematic as well, just not as much as what I mentioned before. While I’m all for more female representation in cinema, especially in period pieces like this, Amelia just feels like a forced replacement of Glashier’s real partner, Henry Coxwell, to appeal to a “wider” audience. She is an interesting character and a good inspiration for young girls, but she feels really forced into the film. She’s just an amalgamation of several real-life people, including the aforementioned Coxwell and legendary French balloonist Sophie Blanchard, but doesn’t have much backstory or exposition centered around her for viewers to figure out what makes her unique.
What is different about Amelia, however, is the way she completely changes gender stereotypes. She is the daring adventurer who always wants more, while Redmayne’s Glashier is the quirky geek who just wants to please everyone. She is just as skilled, if not more, as her male partner, and has the common sense to recognize dangers that he can’t. Roadblocks aside, this film celebrates the fact that men don’t have to be macho and women don’t have to be weak and reserved to be successful, and that being different still makes you human. It’s a good message, but wasn’t really fleshed out well until the end. At least it’s a step in the right direction.
This movie should have been made in a slightly different way – it works as a fictional film inspired by Glashier’s flight, but definitely doesn’t work as a biopic like the director and advertisements say it is. Having more fictional elements and changing the main character’s name while also reminding viewers about Glashier’s flight being the inspiration for it would have been a much better film. It’s equal parts entertaining, beautiful, and thrilling, yet it’s hindered by its biopic branding and confusing story elements. It tries way too hard to fit its branding, and that just makes it something that it’s not. Overall, The Aeronauts is good. It just could have been better. It has a lofty ambition, and tries to soar, but unfortunately never really lands.
3/5 STARS