SPACEMAN
Starring: Adam Sandler, Carey Mulligan, Paul Dano, Kunal Nayyar, Isabella Rossellini, and Lena Olin
Director: Johan Renck
PRESTON
Spaceman, if nothing else, is a conversation starter. Adam Sandler continues to impress in his adeptness with any acting role he is given, and the film is mesmerizing with its beautiful cinematography and a particularly eerie character (Hanuš), voiced by Paul Dano. In truth, my adoration for its more compelling elements, including its lofty narrative about the human condition, the need for connection, and the exploration of what really matters in life, isn’t enough to pull it out of its esoteric and shallow hole. It doesn’t quite come together in the end, leaving me in a confused and rather somber state.
AMARÚ
There’s a weird thing that happens with Adam Sandler’s Czech accent in Spaceman. He doesn’t really attempt the accent, but he’s not speaking normally either, except, occasionally, when a New York inflection creeps through. It’s very fascinating to witness, if not well executed, and the movie is just as fascinating in its flawed execution. The premise is immediately intriguing, but something unintentionally funny or deadpan often takes you out of it. However, that disconnect brings about another premise that you're compelled to keep watching. This two-hour cycle of peculiarity ultimately ended in an uncanny experience I couldn’t help but enjoy.
PAIGE
Unfortunately, Spaceman is a plodding astronaut drama that gets lost in space. Apart from its pretty cinematography, decent score, and Paul Dano's calming vocal performance as the inquisitive and compassionate space spider, Hanuš, this self-serious sci-fi movie falls short on many levels. Carey Mulligan is underused, Adam Sandler is completely miscast, and the film struggles to evoke a thought-provoking contemplation on loneliness. All in all, we’re left with a simple man slipping down the rabbit hole, reliving his fragile memories and dealing with his mistakes.
QUENTIN
Spaceman is a slow-moving, meditative, and melancholy sci-fi oddity that, while I can’t say is something I loved overall, is *thisclose* to being a subtly brilliant examination of the human psyche, loneliness, and the evolution of a potentially fading love. Broken down to its individual parts, it offers a lot to be enamored with: Adam Sandler’s soulful performance, a talking spider (voiced terrifically by Paul Dano), and aesthetically pleasing, planetarium-esque visuals. However, despite all that, it’s a bit of a drag. Much like Steven Soderbergh’s Solaris, Spaceman is a worthy movie for extremely patient fans of cerebral sci-fi, but it’s certainly not for everyone.
ADRIANO
While I am very pleased to see Adam Sandler continue down a path that allows him to show off just how good of a dramatic actor he is, Spaceman is not great. It’s not horrible by any means, as there are some visually grand moments and Sandler is fantastic alongside a great vocal performance from Paul Dano; however, the film's attempts at deep and emotional wisdom are just too much at a distance, especially when it's in contrast to nonsensical world-building and a third act that makes no sense. I see genuine motives in this film, but the execution falls flat.
CALEB
Beneath its veneer of cosmic wonder, Spaceman lacks depth. Jakub (Adam Sandler) and Lenka’s (Carey Mulligan) star-crossed relationship is the focus of this space-drama, but their marriage isn't complex enough to justify the time spent on it. Jakub’s arc is extremely basic, and it’s a chore watching him come to the obvious realization that he should treat his wife better. Hanuš (Paul Dano), the telepathic alien, is likable, but his tendency to bluntly state how the protagonist is feeling gets old fast. Spaceman may look great, but its impressive visuals are wasted on a script that never really takes off.
