Adam Sandler and Carey Mulligan team up with Swedish director Johan Renck (Chernobyl) for a cosmic exploration of loneliness. Spaceman follows in the footsteps of many great modern sci-fi films that focus on existentialism, such as Ad Astra, Moon, and The Martian. However, Renck’s effort doesn’t come nearly as close to reaching those same heights.
Based on the 2017 science fiction novel Spaceman of Bohemia by Jaroslav Kalfař, Spaceman centers on Czech astronaut Jakub Procházka (Adam Sandler), the very first to venture into space from his country. The story is set sometime after the Czech independence of 1993. At home, Jakub is joined by his wife Lenka (Carey Mulligan), who doubts their marriage despite her current pregnancy. Lenka’s conflicted feelings stem from Jakub putting his career and endeavors first, making him constantly absent for the important moments in their relationship. Nonetheless, he leaves his wife under the orders of Commissioner Tuma (Isabella Rossellini), Jakub’s commanding officer, to embark on a solo mission to reach a pink space cloud that has haunted Earth’s skies from the edge of the solar system for the last four years.
Jakub isn’t the only one in space, though, as the Czechs are closely followed by the Koreans who are also attempting to reach the cosmic dust cloud. Through all of his fame and glory for being the first cosmonaut of the free Czech Republic, Jakub can’t help but think about his pregnant wife Lenka back home. As the movie picks up with Jakub six months into his solitary research mission, he discovers an unexpected stowaway hiding in the bowels of his ship. Hanuš (Paul Dano), a large-sized alien spider who supposedly comes from the beginning of time, turns out to be an ally and guides Jakub in his physical and emotional journey.
Adam Sandler portrays a gruff, troubled explorer who is stuck in a mental solitude of his own creation. The actor takes on a more dramatic performance than usual, as he did in Uncut Gems and Hustle. Now, while Sandler’s Jakub first comes off as loopy and lost, he eventually grows into the role when the film’s mysterious creature comes to his aid. Paul Dano voices a massive arachnid from the outer depths of space who detects Jakub’s emotional state and wishes to help him. The freaky, cosmic spider is philosophical and wise, making him a surprisingly sympathetic friend. Dano’s spider speaks with a soft tone and is brought to life with adequate visual effects, considering the movie’s budget wasn’t huge.
While it is admittedly hard to adjust to seeing a giant extraterrestrial spider crawl around a spacecraft, the visual contrast just isn’t as effective as it could be. Jakub’s unconventional guru teaches him how to find freedom from his woes and understand Lenka’s predicament, but the biggest problem of Spaceman is that these two spell everything out. Nothing is unspoken, very little is left for the mind to ponder upon. Jakub and Hanuš are always reflecting verbally, stating the obvious, which is paired with vivid, yet painfully clear flashbacks that tell the audience everything they already know. It feels as if writer Colby Day’s screenplay doesn’t trust anyone to understand Jakub’s inner trauma, thus not allowing the viewer to think.
One barely gets to know Carey Mulligan’s character as well, it’s hard to feel any attachment to her or empathize with the severe pain she is clearly going through. Lenka Procházka is underwritten and lacks a true presence. It’s surprising to see Mulligan in such a muted role after her Oscar-nominated turnouts in films like Maestro and Promising Young Woman. Sadly, Lenka is merely an afterthought, only being utilized as a narrative device to spur Jakub into his existential crisis.
Everything happens at a snail’s pace in Spaceman. As a sci-fi picture, it never fully grips with its less-than-radical concept. Don’t go expecting anything else than what’s on the surface, Spaceman is not that type of movie. It’s not nearly as ambitious as it should be given the genre and bizarre elements it contains. There are big stretches of the plot that lack intrigue, it just waddles along with its philosophizing without truly understanding how to engage an audience.
The craftsmanship on display, though, is rather impressive. Chernobyl cinematographer Jakob Ihre effectively uses a floating, roaming camera to capture the weightlessness of the scenes inside Jakub’s shuttle. Largely shot in low light with a grainy-looking lens, the visuals also convince the viewer of the story’s period setting. Additionally, the production design and VFX work gracefully together to make every set and location come across as believable and lived-in. These aspects of the production are certainly not to blame for the film’s woes, it’s certainly down to the scripting and direction.
Thankfully, all non-Czech cast members don’t attempt to do accents. Hollywood finds it almost impossible to get accents right so there is no point in attempting if native speakers aren’t the ones being cast. Spaceman is obviously an Americanized take on the Czech source material, it is a bit perplexing why Czechs were involved but then again Hollywood loves to keep things in-house, so it’s not a surprise. There is little to like apart from the filmmaking in Johan Renck’s latest. It’s a shame he couldn’t bring the same quality that he displayed in Chernobyl with his adaptation. However, by the film’s end, it’s clear that Spaceman is equally held back by its script. So much potential here is wasted down the drain.
Release Date: March 1, 2024.
Directed by Johan Renck.
Screenplay by Colby Day.
Based on Spaceman of Bohemia by Jaroslav Kalfař.
Produced by Channing Tatum, Reid Carolin, Peter Kiernan, Michael Parets, Timothy Headington, Lia Buman, & Max Silva.
Main Cast: Adam Sandler, Carey Mulligan, Kunal Nayyar, Lena Olin, Isabella Rossellini, & Paul Dano.
Cinematographer: Jakob Ihre.
Composer: Max Richter.
Production Companies: Free Association & Tango Entertainment.
Streaming Service: Netflix.
Runtime: 107 minutes.
Rated: R.
