352: Spaceman

[00:00:00] Hey everybody, please make sure to go ahead and rate, review, and subscribe. Thanks.

[00:00:05] 60. Let's get to Spaceman, which is a Netflix original. Came out just in the last month or so.

[00:00:14] It's directed by Johan Rink, stars Adam Sandler, Paul Dano, Carey Mulligan, Kanala Nayar, Isabella Rossellini, and a few others.

[00:00:26] And the synopsis is, half a year into his solo mission on the edge of the solar system, an astronaut concerned with the state of his life back on Earth is helped by an ancient creature he discovers in the bowels of his ship.

[00:00:40] So this one, as I said, is on Netflix now and it's directed by the guy who directed all of the Chernobyl miniseries, which I still think is one of the best miniseries of all time.

[00:00:52] I think it's amazing and I highly recommend it if you haven't. And he also did some episodes of Breaking Bad and he's a big, big TV director.

[00:01:01] So mainly my draw to this was Adam Sandler because I love when he does dramatic stuff. I think he has given some of his best performances in his dramatic roles and then for the director again, as I said.

[00:01:15] First off, while I think even the synopsis kind of spoils it, I can say for me, I didn't even know about the creature going into this.

[00:01:24] I thought the movie was just about him being lost on a planet all by himself. That's what I thought the movie was.

[00:01:31] And so I won't spoil what the creature is because I think it is a bit of a shock and it was very effective when that was a blind surprise for me.

[00:01:41] But I think the creature and the voice performance by Paul Dano is amazing. I thought that the movie was so unsettling, especially when that's first revealed and you don't know what the creature's motives are and all of that.

[00:01:58] I thought that was so well done and it really does play out like, at least at first, like a horror, sci-fi horror, alien sort of film. And I was loving that.

[00:02:09] I think on a mood, atmosphere level the movie is amazing and that's something that Rink does very well. I think he is a master at creating the right mood and atmosphere for a movie or a show.

[00:02:23] And this is also a great showcase for Adam Sandler. I think he is awesome in this movie and one of his better recent performances.

[00:02:32] Carrie Mulligan, she's been kind of killing it lately but I feel like her character in this is kind of underwritten.

[00:02:38] Like it's sort of talking about the overall movie is Adam Sandler's character who's trying to right wrongs before it's too late.

[00:02:47] You know, trying to learn how to care and love someone properly. And then also deal with not so much in the movie, I understand it's more so in the book I think, but in the movie at least, him having a father who was disgraced, who thought he was doing the right thing for his country.

[00:03:04] And he wasn't. And so then his son, Adam Sandler, having to deal with the mistakes of his father and having to come to terms with who my father was, all that. Which I think is all very interesting.

[00:03:18] The main focus though is on Carrie Mulligan in terms of the commentary I suppose. And that works, it's effective. I think that marriage falling apart trying to be put back together, that's all interesting.

[00:03:29] I don't know if it's amazing but I think it still is compelling. And by far the best part of the movie is the conversations between the creature and Adam Sandler.

[00:03:40] I think visually the character is really, really well done. Special effects wise, design wise, like it really is chill inducing.

[00:03:49] And every time he appears on screen I'm like, oh my god. I can't imagine actually coming across that creature, especially in the context of where Adam Sandler is which is out in the middle of nowhere in space.

[00:04:01] So I love that part of the movie, very unexpected, very unique I think. And I do think the biggest issue though, and it seems to be the main criticism by many, is the ideas overall of the origins of the universe.

[00:04:19] Which it gets into, and that explanation I guess, it's a little messy. I think it's a little goofy sometimes. I don't think it totally works, like it's not on an interstellar kind of level.

[00:04:32] It's lesser than interstellar for sure. And so I think those origins of the universe concepts didn't even really need to be there.

[00:04:41] I think it could have been mainly about Adam Sandler dealing with this creature and having those conversations about his wife and his life back home.

[00:04:50] So the worst part of the movie to me is the origin stuff. There's just something that feels off about it, and trying to go too far with it.

[00:05:01] And I think the more that they talked about it, the goofier it became. So it's still a very unique movie.

[00:05:08] I think that the concept, the direction overall is strong. Like the camera's always sort of floating around the ship and so it really does feel like you're always with Adam Sandler.

[00:05:19] And up is down, down is up, that sort of thing. So I think the cinematography, editing, direction, very strong.

[00:05:26] And I would be curious to read the original novel to see what was left out or added in, whatever. But it really still did leave an impression for sure, mainly because of the creature.

[00:05:37] I would recommend it if you like weird space indie movies, horror dramas, whatever. It's worth a watch. I think there's a lot of interesting pieces there, even if it doesn't all come together perfectly.

[00:05:49] It's not a best of the year or anything like that, but it was still like I was hooked from the first moment of the movie.

[00:05:57] So that one is a three and a half out of five.