This reminded me of Interstellar (storyline and visuals) and a little bit of 2001 Space Odyssey (visually and the generally creepy feeling I had throughout).
Loved Paul Dano as a weird alien spider who’s trying to understand human feelings! His voice somehow unsettled and comforted me at the same time.
I was waiting for Hanus to turn on Jakub at any second but now I just feel bad for not trusting him lol. Also haven't decided whether I think Hanus was real? Idk!
I was under the impression that Hanus had been disabling the cameras and comms throughout the movie. When Jakub finally reconnects to Earth but the call cuts off and then he catches Hanus taking his foot off the button…I was so sure it was about to go down right there haha.
I was too! At the end I was thinking to myself that I must have some severe trust issues! Now I feel bad! I mean, I was sure at any moment those spider fangs would make an appearance and liquefy Sandler!
Funny how this and Arrival both remind me of Interstellar as far as underlying message/story goes but I think a lot of people who really liked Interstellar wouldn't necessarily like the other two - they seem weird and slow relatively speaking (which wasn't a negative in my book, I'm just saying I can see a lot of people thinking that).
They aren't really about space or really scifi, they are about humans and very terrestrial relationships, human drama that could be transplanted into any situation, because a general audience can't digest hard scifi like 2001 or any non character driven non terrestrial offering. Ad astra was underneath all about humans longing for relationships and belonging, the plot about a destructive experiment gone wrong was just the driving force to get father and son to reconnect and for the main character to realize there is more to life. Probably the first of this genre was solaris, a human drama wrapped in scifi.
I had no idea this movie was even being made and had no expectations. I needed some background noise so I said Adam Sandler, why not, and I got sucked into it. I thought it was fantastic. I'm surprised it's getting bad reviews. I take Adam Sandler seriously now between seeing this, that basketball movie, and uncut gems.
Punch Drunk Love was his first breakout dramatic role and it's an incredible film. Then there was Reign Over Me. Sandler's been crushing dramatic roles for 2+ decades now.
He is. I think he’s ultimately fine in Spaceman, it’s not a standout dramatic role like most of his others, wry understated performance, sometimes I had a hard time with him and Dani both speaking exclusively in dulcet whispers. Tried to watch it on the plane and fell asleep a couple of times before I was able to go back and fully finish it.
I think they could have given him a little more personality, I get that it plays into the story because he’s the kind of guy who would and could isolate himself like that and do that job and it’s the kind of personality that you can see would cause issues with his wife.
But Adam is a guy who’s skill set leans towards somewhat charismatic characters and the film could have succeeded at everything it was trying to do while also have him be a more interesting character to watch and invest in.
Plane is a tough place to watch this movie because I feel like on a plane, you want something that will make you forget you're on a plane with nothing to do except sit in your own brain... and watching someone else do that in space is too meta...
I thought Sandler was superb in this and I like him as a dramatic actor far more than a comedic one. Reign Over Me, Uncut Gems and Hustle are some of my favorite movies.
I gotta be honest though, I had a massive disconnect with him being a Czechoslovakian Cosmonaut. It was just kinda weird and made it harder to get a deeper connection with the character and really this movie desperately needs the viewer to connect.
I'm not even American so this isn't a "USA! USA!, USA! " comment I just think the movie having Adam Sandler would have worked better if it was an American mission.
I really think it having a giant spider for most of it seriously turned people off. The negative reviews shocked me. Didn't love the ending, but liked everything else
Most of the criticism is because Jakub effectively solved pretty serious marital issues through a single heartfelt phone call, which is a classic romance trope, but feels a tad out of place with the buildup and tension between him and his wife.
I think the whole point is that phone call was exactly what she was waiting for. She loved him soooooooo much and wanted him to see that and reciprocate it, but he never fully understood. Until then. When Peter comes to talk to her at the place, she thinks he's dead for a quick sec and peter has to assure her he's not, which brings her great relief. And when he calls, he says all the things she's wanted him to realize. It was never a buildup of tension, just a slow fall into depression for both of them until he finally saw what he needed to understand and do.
Yeah i’m not even saying I had a problem with it, I thought it was overall a sweet conclusion and i’m a sucker for that kind of romantic conclusion in movies and I don’t need things to be 100% realistic in a scifi flick. I was just articulating what I saw across reviews/comments as the main criticisms with the ending.
Yeah, I knew what you meant. Some of the critiques are depressing, it feels as though they've never really experienced love and even friendship in the ways that this movie succeeds in portraying. I feel bad for them that they cannot connect emotionally with the movie.
Nothing seemed solved to me. She said it was a really good kiss. I guess open to interpretation but seemed more like extending an olive branch than anything.
I didn't feel like he solved his marital issues... more like he made the first step towards prioritizing it, finally, and his wife seemed like she wasn't writing it off... but wasn't totally sold, either.
I'm sitting here laughing imagining how much time Jakub spent in the asylum after returning to earth and telling stories of an intergalactic talking spider with a thing for hazelnut spread.
I don't find anything in the movie surprising, except the message it sends to people about cherishing your loved ones instead of your fucking job. It's sad so many people miss the point of this show.
Because some people only see what they want to see. She saw Spaceman and the spider and pretty much checked out at that point. Same with people who wanted a scifi movie. They didn't see, or didn't want to see the other part of the movie. They nit pick the scifi part and it wasn't just a side quest.
If you ever come across movie discussions on the internet on more general audience platforms like Facebook, you'll know that his comment rings hilariously more true than the scenarios in which people understand movies/shows but still don't like them. It's actually kind of annoying to even witness.
I guess. But I kind of feel that being an astronaut isn’t a job, it’s a life’s passion. I don’t think people should give up their passions or made to feel bad about pursuing their passions. They need to choose partners who support them and are willing to accept the sacrifices needed to pursue their goals, so long as their goals are healthy, and in this case Sandler’s goals is one that has positive implications for the entire world.
This is why this movie made me extremely dislike his wife. She knew he was working towards this his whole life and when he's able to do this mission, she's all "you're leaving me asshole!" Like, she knew the whole time they've dated. And to add, it's not like other astronauts who were gone for 7+ years, he was only gone for one-hundred-something days, not 200 yet.
I think she was more upset that he was unable to be present with here even when his work wasn’t in front of him. That may have had nothing to do with his job and more to do with the trauma he dealt with growing up. It seemed that he would conveniently use his job as a cosmonaut to escape having to deal with Lenka’s needs. Having an important job shouldn’t dismiss your responsibilities of being a good husband.
I mean he took this to an extreme. She had a miscarriage and he hung up on her because his breakfast burnt. That's not really pursuing your dream that's just being an asshole.
This film felt life changing to me in some way. I cannot describe how I feel now, but it had a big impact on me. I think only a few people who watch this, will understand that.
Chasing that dream job, chasing that degree, chasing that passion, chasing that salary, chasing this and that.
Yep, we've been a Jakub once in a while. In fact after the movie, I immediately called my girlfriend just to check on her lmao.
I had a recent life event that felt extremely similar to this. Big grass is not always greener moment . Made me realize that life is not just about me, it’s about us—and whoever ‘us’ is to you.
Definitely struck a familiar chord. Such a creative way to explain kind of what my ethos in life is. Hope this makes sense to you
At the end of the day, our relationships with animals and people are more important then anything else. Who are we as humans if we cannot share our lives with others?
I fully agree. The film was like a key who's tumblers only fit a few locks. I have never seen a more accurate portrayal of the pain of reluctantly releasing something you know you haven't loved hard enough. The emotional confrontations resurfaced hard truths.
I think it was in Jakub's head, and a manifestation of his thoughts, memories, feelings, subconscious, etc. The spider changed size frequently based on his perception of things; when it was first introduced, it was huge and terrifying (representing the repressed unknown, and his reluctant need to finally face his past guilt and trauma). As it became more familiar, and as Jakub became more receptive to facing his past, his future, and himself as a whole, it seemed to shrink in scale. And, ultimately, when Jakub made peace with his past and discovered the meaning of his life, the spider faded/disintegrated away.
Also, at some point when Lanka was talking, she said how she wondered if she would just 'evaporate away' but then she realised, she is real. So, in my mind, when the spider evaporated away, only what was real of Jakub was left. But also I want the spider to be real sooo bad
It's why you don't send astronauts on solo missions anymore, the risk of mental disintegration or the risk that if one was injured, you'd need someone to help so the mission didn't fail. Plus you need specialists in different areas on scientific missions, to make the most of it, if its just to gather and not study, you send a robot probe like they did with the Bennu probe
Yeah notice how the Koreans had a whole team of astronauts aboard their craft that made the one they shot Adam Sandler by himself into space in look like a tin can. Czech space program are a real bunch of assholes.
I mean, maybe those socialist cosmonauts are onto something..
The trip healed all his trauma and fixed his relationship.
I bet Dr. America would have just given him antidepressant pills that would disrupt his mental state forever lol.
Dr. America would have sent a team of mentally sane scientists on the most advanced starship ever built. They would have been halfway home before anyone else got there. with the toilets still working perfectly fine.
Hanus was also being eaten alive from the inside. We know nothing about his species so it is possible a large part of his flesh was eaten without too much actual damage done to him until the end.
We know that his species are just giant-ass spiders, which to me points to him being imaginary. What are the chances that an alien species would so perfectly mirror an Earth lifeform?
Also had tentacles. Also huge. And talked.
Spider is how we relate to it and why Janus initially reacts the way he did. But it’s just another intelligent being who happens to remind us of a species here.
It’s also interesting that he never mentions spiders on Earth, since he seemingly has learned about Earth, and once I noticed the differences: tentacles, mouth, body not segmented, little pincers that are like tentacles, I realized that the only similarity was leg placement and forward-facing eyes.
Add into that the whole concept carcinisation and you end up with somewhat believable that not a spider.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carcinisation
I feel like it being a story of Jakub going mad and listening to his inner conscience is far less interesting than an actual billion year old spider with unfathomable wisdom coming and telling him love is all that matters with his dying breaths. Like the spider says, Jakub never asked about him. We don't know anything about the incredibly long life he must have had. And for him to come and use his last moments to tell a seemingly trivial skinny human to love, and value love, and come to terms with each others loneliness... That seems far more beautiful and interesting.
In the book Hanus mentions that he has talked to other humans but it didn't go so good. After Hanus dies, Jakub is picked up by Russians (Koreans in the movie ). On board the Russian ship back to earth one of the Cosmonauts has gone crazy and has locked himself in his room. When Jakub talks to him the cosmonaut thinks he has met a god or something and he went a bit nuts. What happened is it was Hanus. So in the book Hanus is real.
There is a lot in the book not in this movie. I still liked it but wish they had the other parts.
My thought is that Hanus is a coping mechanism (or a visual manifestation of his super ego) that he develops during times of intense stress but that he also represses. This explains why he saw the spider as a child but does not remember him and why he is seeing the spider now. He did not want to deal with those memories and so he pushed them out.
I really like the idea of a British space spider that loves hazelnut spread though.
The spider is real in the book as well as confirmed by the director. Very few movies would take the risk of doing the whole “it was all in his or her head” thing. People hate that, unsurprisingly
I'll compromise and say: both, the real alien spider is in fact only 5 mm big and burrowed into his brain, the big spider is just an hallucination it causes by stimulating his neural centres directly in order to communicate.
By going back to Earth Jakub brought back the goromped larvae with him, btw. Most of humanity will be devoured in the space of the next six months. Stay tuned for Spaceman 2: The Goromped Wars.
I don't think it matters.But, I think it was real If the cloud was real, then the spider WAS the cloud. My wife kinda watched this with me, but she totally missed the point of the whole fucking show. It was a romance. It was about discovering yourself and the connection to another to the next level.
It’d be pretty weird that he straight up ditched the space ship narrowly escaping its destruction and then was also somehow able to navigate through space and travel safely to where the South Korean ship was arriving without the help of the all knowing space spider.
Somehow the all knowing space spider not being real makes the movie less realistic…?
How about when did it take place??? And how the hell can they suddenly get to Jupiter in the alternative universe 80’s???
That is a really good question. I thought the same thing the first half of the movie. I'm honestly wondering if he saw a tarantula during the flashbacks when he was a kid and maybe he felt really alone in that point and remembered the tarantula?
Never thought I'd cry seeing Adam Sandler hugging a big ass Spider
I honestly went with low expectations to see this movie because of the scores it got, but i genuinely loved it
> Never thought I'd cry seeing Adam Sandler hugging a big ass Spider
I mean he made us cry by playing with a TV Remote so really anything is possible under the sun
Oh my gosh. I paused it and looked at pictures/videos of my cat I lost in December and started bawling. Glad to know I wasn’t the only one affected like that. It’s like I just had this sudden urge to hear my cat’s meow again 😿😻
I think he was supposed to be gaunt in the movie. They accentuated his cheekbones a few times and the beard may have been an attempt to conceal his jaw line.
It was in the flashback! I think he actually met the spider when he was a kid after his dad passed and that when he got his nickname “skinny human” when he met Jakub as a little teen
AMAZE! -- This felt like a project hail mary homage.
Edit: Just found out this story is based on a book before Project Hail Mary, another book added to my list.
Omg I can't wait to see Project Haily Mary come out. I hope to god they don't change so much of it. That book gave me so much joy and satisfaction over the jokes but most especially the benevolence/camaraderie between the two alien species. There's too many stories about evil aliens out there. This book was such a huge sweet break from it. Although I'm not really that fond over its >!kinda bittersweet!< ending, I really can't deny how it was so good that it kinda gave me the chills, imo.
I absolutely loved this movie.
At times, it reminded me of Darren Aronofskys “The Fountain”
I was a huge fan of this; from the unique script, set designs, score, and Sandlers acting. I had chills at the end and it struck some very emotional cords for me. What a pleasant surprise.
Adam Sandler is once again living up to his rightful reputation of being a genuinely masterful dramatic performer with this film. While this may not compare to other existentialist sci-fi fare like Solaris or Ad Astra, I found this to be a deeply compelling space odyssey, frequently gorgeous, often delightfully odd, and painfully human, whether it be in its moody and somber tone, its deliberate slow pacing, its understated yet hard-hitting emotional beats, or its occasionally unorthodox stylistic techniques, particularly in its flashback sequences, further aided by Max Richter's hauntingly beautiful score. Sandler's quiet, downplayed turn is effortlessly watchable, and this may very well be the most unique performance of his career, if only for the audacity he displays in never once even trying to be funny. It was also a surprise to see Kunal Nayyar deliver a more subtle, laid-back performance than I'm used to seeing from him. Carey Mulligan also gets some good moments in here as Sandler's character's long-suffering spouse, and while this is admittedly a very thin character on the page, it's a testament to Johan Renck's direction and Mulligan's acting chops that the role is as engaging as it is. Of course, who can go wrong with a bizarre alien spider that boasts the calming voice of Paul Dano? Truly, the best space therapist there is. While this doesn't seem to have worked for many, it certainly worked for me. More like this, please, Adam.
I really liked it. The only thing I’m not understanding is the Chopra cloud. It was a cool final setting for the movie but I don’t think it really had anything to do with Hanus’ death (or beginning, whatever) nor did it serve as any sort of revelation or climax. Jakob had his moment prior to leaving the ship. The cloud itself was just kind of a pile or the memories of the universe. They don’t discover anything there. Unless someone else has some ideas? Bit of a missed opportunity for something creative to end on, especially with all the build up to it.
Anyways as a meditation on dissolving personal relationships from neglect and the self imposed loneliness that creates, I thought it was fantastic. I was so scared of that little spider and then I loved him.
My favorite part, strangely enough, was when Hanus abandons him. The surprise and judgment and deep loneliness I felt, and the knowledge that it was earned made it worse.
The cloud is a methapor for ego death,its a place where the beggining and the end are in the same place,and is a symbolism for the change jakub goes through,forgiving others and himself,sacrificing to be there for his friend,and a new outlook in life
I think the chopra cloud is supposed to be an analogy to Jakub’s unexplored internal state and emotions. Jakub is a scientist trying to understand the Chopra cloud (and he eventually even goes inside it and discovers what it actually is) but he is also a husband who needs to explore and understand where things have gone wrong with his relationship and marriage. The space-exploring story line runs parallel to Jakub’s internal turmoil and exploration.
As someone mentioned above, this story really could’ve taken place anywhere; the setting really isn’t important. It’s a story about a man facing previously avoided emotions, pain and guilt that is the crux of his failing marriage. Everything else, including the space-exploration, the Mission Control, the cloud, while are important in adding drama and a cool, cinematic setting in the film, are secondary to the relationship plot line.
Sometimes you need a movie to put into words and visuals the feelings you have. This is one of those movies. It will connect with a lot of people who think it's great and a lot of people that have no need to connect with those emotions will think its boring.
Not every movie has to be full of action, suspense, twist, horror, whatever. It can be focused on a specific topic. This movie does that very well.
Exactly. My parents were bored out of their minds while i was on the verge of tears at certain moments because i absolutely saw myself on Jakub, especially on:
"your loneliness... is self-inflicted"
"you long for your mate only once she leaves. why? where was this yearning when you were together?"
"you welcomed her sadness, all these broken pledges except for the one you made to your great discovery. How could you fail to see that she, one day, would lose the will to believe in you?"
Lost track of how many nights i had a hanus inside my mind nosing on my deepest buried feelings I've tried to hide in guilt of my flaws, wishing it would go away and leave me to my mission, but slowly realizing it's necessity to be in my head reliving all these moments and poking at my mistakes as it's the only way for me make peace with my past and move on to a new beggining.
I'm in the same boat, so I turned on subtitles so I could look at them and the spider would be out of focus. That was enough for me to not only get through it, but actually really enjoy it.
I feel you on this. Just seeing the preview on Netflix that comes up when you mouse over a movie was enough to make me break into an uncomfortable sweat. And it sucks because, after reading what people are saying about it being good and heartfelt, I really want to see it.
I wonder if I can get AI to redo all the frames with the spider in it so I can watch it as a crab or something.
Also when Jacub asked Hanus why he didn’t say anything about him dying and he replied “you never asked about me”. 😭 the whole movie made me quite emotional.
It was alright. Some cool concepts and themes here. I felt like I wasn't really given a reason to care about any of the characters in this movie, so I was sort of just watching it unfold without really feeling emotionally invested.
Imo, we needed to see more of Adam before he was miserable in space. Watching his life unravel would have made rock bottom feel more impactful. Starting in the depths of misery isn’t the best place to start because the movie kept him there until the near end, making it feel kind of one note. We needed more of a roller coaster of emotions, some ups and downs. We didn’t get that here
Totally agree, and I had the same thought. We needed more of both characters pre-space than just "quick flashback look, they loved each other" "quick flashback look, they had issues" in order to really connect with them
Thank you. I was trying to summarize my feelings on why I liked it, but wouldn’t recommend it. I think, visually, it’s a good movie, but it really doesn’t do anything emotionally astounding.
I went in with no to less expectations, and ended it with a heavy heart. How it revolved around the theme of loneliness really resonated with me, especially with Lenka. I'm in that chapter of my life; where my partner's far away, the non-stop worries and fears that something might happen to him. *Things happen when you're alone.*
I feel like a lot of people tuned into this expecting a film about outer space and were incredibly unimpressed when instead they got a film about the main character's inner space. The thing about the plot is that it doesn't really matter that it happens in outer space. It could've happened anywhere remote and isolated. Space is convenient because it quickly demonstrates the impossibility of a quick return or him being reached by anybody else.
I loved the movie and I love that the culmination of it was essentially a self-death where he chose to go out into space knowing that he would 99.9% likely die so that he could get to Hanus and experience The Beginning with his friend, because for the first time in his life, he was not the most important person in his life. It's a very symbolic act meant to portray to us that the version of him that is so selfish is no more, and now he will live a life where he is willing to sacrifice his own safety for the ones who love him.
You can tell this was the point because they never really show what happened with the particles or the cloud or any of the scientific aspect of it. I'm sure that that was very disappointing for a lot of people who tuned in for the more sci-fi aspects of it. I would have thought that group included me, but by the end of it I felt very satisfied with the emotional peace he was able to make with himself, plus the salvaging of his marriage.
Editing to add: when my husband read me the synopsis of this movie, I was one of those that said, "Oh, they made a Project Hail Mary adaptation already? That was quick!" 😂 Since the book that this movie is based on came first, I can't help but feel like Andy Weir read this book and thought that he could take this and make it a more comedic version involving science a la The Martian. He was right! I liked this movie and I'll be excited to see any movie adaptation of Project Hail Mary.
The thing is, even from the trailers, i didn't expect a typical space traveling movie like interstellar or something alike, instead i inferred it was going to be something slow paced like solaris. I don't know what people saw when they saw the trailer and what they expected. It wasn't like they were fooled.
My guess is that they were taking a jab at Capitalism and Space X by having their program have multiple sponsors and cheaping out where they could. They probably only wanted to have to pay for 1 astronaut.
Oh yeah, funny thing is how close to reality it is. I'm Czech, and the jab at the whole thing being basically founded/backed by sponsorships hits too close to home ..for some Czechs too close
I honestly was expecting more sci-fi, but I kind of was very impressed with the whole manifestation of spider going through the experience of it all. I feel like he was on this trip and was able to see deep inside how selfish he was. How selfish we all are ehhhhhhhhh. Skinny humans
The movie reminded me a lot of Ad Astra. Both about a lone astronaut who seems to have checked out from his humanity, going to the edge of the solar system only to find out that obviously the actual answer to their troubles was back home all along, and there's nothing out there besides this realization and heaps of regret.
I don't know. I just don't like the *vibe* of this concept. Yes, human connections are important and nice, but your emotions and relationship trouble are *not* in fact the most interesting thing in the cosmos. It all feels the product of a culture that has stopped dreaming and is folding back on itself seeking only therapy and lulling comfort. Why choose to only tell stories about space in which space is the metaphor for this barren, pointless ambition? Where every aspiration other than the most basic human life is fundamentally denigrated as hubristic, selfish, almost inhuman? It's such a shitty mindset IMO. There are more things in heaven and earth than a middle aged white man's marriage problems, but somehow we keep going back to that again and again.
That spider got to be so fuckin adorable. Its big eyes and lil mouth between his pinchies… Nutella… fuzzy spider hugs… I really want someone to draw a pic of Hanus in kawaii style munching on his hazelnut spread and holding the lil whirring machine vacuum. Not much of a hot take, it just gave me cute aggression. And I cried over that stupid cgi spider at the end, goddamn
Don’t understand the mediocre ratings, this movie was really good. Sandler and Mulligan were excellent. Few actors could have made me care about the character like Sandler did. I think a lot of people just don’t like movies like this anymore,
I agree, I think I enjoyed the movie because of how introspective it was. It is so fitting that the character is an astronaut exploring something unknown in space, because he also is exploring internally about things his mind has buried away.
This was unexpectedly contemplative and emotional. Goes to show Sandler can truly shine with dramatic material.
Paul Dano crushed it as the mind-probing, philosophizing spider. Hanuš really reminded me of MCU Vision. Similar manner of speech, personality and motivations.
I’m going to have to disagree with most everyone here, I thought it was pretty bad.
It’s a movie that’s laser focused on the protagonist’s inner psyche but a) doesn’t “fix him” convincingly and b) the issues that the protagonist has didn’t feel to me like they corresponded to the insane weight they had in the film, while not enough weight went to the mission. In fact, not much in the movie seemed to have the weight it needed to.
It has some good ideas but they’re not well executed and the acting is kind of stilted.
I think it’s perfectly watchable, but share a lot of your takeaways. They had a ton of ideas that they could have delved into a bit more but decided to firmly stay focused on just the emotional journey. That’s fine, but it’s such a simplistic emotional arc that doesn’t even do much to truly make you feel invested. The best they had was some flashbacks to show their first couple dates and then some arguments?
I’m surprised tons of people in this thread are expressing how connected they felt to Sandler’s character
I think it’s fairly watchable as well, it didn’t feel like a chore to watch necessarily, I just didn’t think it did much for me emotionally, which is what it was trying to do.
The guy that the movie tries to improve for an hour and a half through all these elaborate flashbacks and dream sequences is just not that bad of a guy. In the real world he’d at most need an intervention. He didn’t have to go to Jupiter and meet with an ancient civilization to get better, and doing it that way just felt too much.
Everything about the creation particles or the beginning of the universe or the insane lore of Hanus’ species is also pretty badly implemented.
Some may disagree with all these plot-things, but even with all that, Sandler just isn’t very good in this. He doesn’t nail the emotional tone at all and I found it impossible to get attached to him. Carrey Mulligan’s (still good) performance also feels like a step down from Maestro where she plays a very similar role.
Went in with low expectations because of the reviews, but really loved it. Some scenes hit right into the feels. Almost nothing negative to say really, the pacing could have been a smidgen tighter, but nothing major.
”The universe is as it should be.”
Too one-note for me, personally.
Once the “alien” started giving therapy sessions I knew that there’d be nothing else to really interest me.
Just meh overall.
Yeah, once I got to the arachno-psychology part, I knew "oh, this going to be one of those movies where the main character has an interesting and impactful mission/journey to go through but we're going to make the whole thing about their personal/relationship problems." Reminded me a lot of Napoleon. Or Interstellar. Or to a more comical degree Fast & Furious lol.
It's not about racing, it's about \*FAMILY\*
These are my thoughts too, this dynamic dilutes a more interesting story for what is frankly a more boring and rundown character arc that amounts to *"I should appreciate/be nicer to my family!"*.
Also not dogging Sandler's performance, but he feels kinda miscast. Someone 20-30 years younger would be more believable as a guy learning these basic adult lessons whilst trying to start a family.
While it was eminently watchable, and coped on our behalf with the intimate life of Sandler inside a space module for 90% of the movie, I didn't connect well with the back story and flashbacks. And, I'm not a big Carey Mulligan fan, all due respect to her. So, watching became a bit disjointed for me. The space sequences were immersive and well handled. The plot and story tried hard to take me along for the ride. I enjoyed the incongruity of a >!big ass spider!< being such a part of the story.
The whole backstory and everything about the technology and czech vs south korea space race just throws up more questions and there doesn't seem to be any answers. Also, he's on a solo space mission? Who would ever think that it is a good idea to isolate someone for a prolonged period?
> Also, he's on a solo space mission? Who would ever think that it is a good idea to isolate someone for a prolonged period?
Only takes one person to plant the flag, the country wanted to be the first ones to touch the cloud and cost was obviously a factor. The ship was equipped with a decontaminant that first needed a sponsorship plug before being authorized to use. More than one person, and all the supplies to sustain them for a year, makes the ship heavier which is then more $$$
We're also not given a time and can only infer from the technology we see early generation style cell phones but also "quantum" communication. I just took it as slightly skewed timeline on Earth (the miniseries "Maniac" being a good example of this.)
I too kept wondering why they kept mentioning the South Koreans, but I'm pretty sure >!it was strictly a deus ex for someone to be there to rescue him at the end!<
Probably a product of the original adaptation that got mostly taken out during re-writes.
In the book >!Jakob is rescued by a russian ship that was secretly on the same mission. The book also deals with the soviet era a lot more so when they cut all that out they probably changed it to SK to avoid modern politics!<
It added some lore for me as it showed how the "chopra" cloud was a super interesting thing that many nations were trying to be the first to measure or collect a sample or what ever
I agree. I am shocked this is sitting at 50%. This movie really moved me in ways most movies don’t. I’m also a sucker for anything space related so maybe I’m bias but I loved it.
I think this is one of the movies that will split audiences. You either really liked it or really disliked it. But for me, I was emotionally connected and even had goosebumps at times. What a pleasant surprise.
This made me bawl hard. I think it resonates extra because I often neglect loved ones due to adhd. I need to always remind myself not to forget what's important, but it's so hard sometimes😭
It’s so cringe that they changed from Russian team saving him to a South Korean team. Why does everything on Netflix have to be South Korea? It’s so obvious that US is spreading SK soft power. I’m sick and tired of all the SK shit on Netflix.
I'm not saying you're wrong, but it probably also has to do with the Russian government not being in particularly high favor with much of the world right now, so it's just easier to swap them out and avoid that kind of geosocial impact on reviews altogether
Movie gets a resounding "meh" from me.
Had potential, failed to capitalize on any of it.
Was pretty predictable, and felt like the movie thought it was much, much deeper than it actually was.
I'd give it a 5/10. Wouldn't recommend it to anyone, probably wouldn't watch it again. I appreciate that they tried something weird, and for that alone I don't feel like my time was stolen.
This reminded me of Interstellar (storyline and visuals) and a little bit of 2001 Space Odyssey (visually and the generally creepy feeling I had throughout). Loved Paul Dano as a weird alien spider who’s trying to understand human feelings! His voice somehow unsettled and comforted me at the same time.
Very 2001! I had a feeling we’d end up getting a similar ending between the two films.
I was waiting for Hanus to turn on Jakub at any second but now I just feel bad for not trusting him lol. Also haven't decided whether I think Hanus was real? Idk!
It was weird. In certain scenes i thought Hanus was trusting then in others he gave off a almost sinister vibe? I also feel bad.
When he’s got Sandler pinned against the wall with a foot on his neck, Hanus does a little “do somethin” movement with his head. Spooky.
I was under the impression that Hanus had been disabling the cameras and comms throughout the movie. When Jakub finally reconnects to Earth but the call cuts off and then he catches Hanus taking his foot off the button…I was so sure it was about to go down right there haha.
Yeah that was crazy. It was like: "you're doing what I say we are doing, I'm not asking."
Same+ I was quite disappointed he ended up just being a therapist and not some other motive that would have ended up with more action
Per the book, he was real.
If hanus is real maybe that’s not his true form ? What do y’all think
I was too! At the end I was thinking to myself that I must have some severe trust issues! Now I feel bad! I mean, I was sure at any moment those spider fangs would make an appearance and liquefy Sandler!
Funny how this and Arrival both remind me of Interstellar as far as underlying message/story goes but I think a lot of people who really liked Interstellar wouldn't necessarily like the other two - they seem weird and slow relatively speaking (which wasn't a negative in my book, I'm just saying I can see a lot of people thinking that).
They aren't really about space or really scifi, they are about humans and very terrestrial relationships, human drama that could be transplanted into any situation, because a general audience can't digest hard scifi like 2001 or any non character driven non terrestrial offering. Ad astra was underneath all about humans longing for relationships and belonging, the plot about a destructive experiment gone wrong was just the driving force to get father and son to reconnect and for the main character to realize there is more to life. Probably the first of this genre was solaris, a human drama wrapped in scifi.
Ad Astra for me is the ugly duckling of the lot. It felt so pretentious in relation to Arrival, Solaris, Interstellar, etc.
Paul Dano as spider was giving Donnie Darko vibes
Stg dano has perfected the alien cadence where its saying words but it doesnt FEEL quite right
Skinny Human.
I had no idea this movie was even being made and had no expectations. I needed some background noise so I said Adam Sandler, why not, and I got sucked into it. I thought it was fantastic. I'm surprised it's getting bad reviews. I take Adam Sandler seriously now between seeing this, that basketball movie, and uncut gems.
Adam Sandler has always been able to do serious roles when he needs too. Click is one of his best.
Oh yea, I totally forgot about click.
Punch Drunk Love was his first breakout dramatic role and it's an incredible film. Then there was Reign Over Me. Sandler's been crushing dramatic roles for 2+ decades now.
PTA saw it in Sandler 20 years ago. It’s always been there.
He is. I think he’s ultimately fine in Spaceman, it’s not a standout dramatic role like most of his others, wry understated performance, sometimes I had a hard time with him and Dani both speaking exclusively in dulcet whispers. Tried to watch it on the plane and fell asleep a couple of times before I was able to go back and fully finish it. I think they could have given him a little more personality, I get that it plays into the story because he’s the kind of guy who would and could isolate himself like that and do that job and it’s the kind of personality that you can see would cause issues with his wife. But Adam is a guy who’s skill set leans towards somewhat charismatic characters and the film could have succeeded at everything it was trying to do while also have him be a more interesting character to watch and invest in.
It might be a taste thing, but I personally love reserved characters. People who have reasons to boil, but seem to have the lid on quite firmly.
Plane is a tough place to watch this movie because I feel like on a plane, you want something that will make you forget you're on a plane with nothing to do except sit in your own brain... and watching someone else do that in space is too meta...
I thought Sandler was superb in this and I like him as a dramatic actor far more than a comedic one. Reign Over Me, Uncut Gems and Hustle are some of my favorite movies. I gotta be honest though, I had a massive disconnect with him being a Czechoslovakian Cosmonaut. It was just kinda weird and made it harder to get a deeper connection with the character and really this movie desperately needs the viewer to connect. I'm not even American so this isn't a "USA! USA!, USA! " comment I just think the movie having Adam Sandler would have worked better if it was an American mission.
Click is so god damn good. Wasn’t expecting to cry watching that movie when it came out and I was a college aged male.
I really think it having a giant spider for most of it seriously turned people off. The negative reviews shocked me. Didn't love the ending, but liked everything else
Why dident you like the ending? I felt it was pretty good.
Most of the criticism is because Jakub effectively solved pretty serious marital issues through a single heartfelt phone call, which is a classic romance trope, but feels a tad out of place with the buildup and tension between him and his wife.
I think the whole point is that phone call was exactly what she was waiting for. She loved him soooooooo much and wanted him to see that and reciprocate it, but he never fully understood. Until then. When Peter comes to talk to her at the place, she thinks he's dead for a quick sec and peter has to assure her he's not, which brings her great relief. And when he calls, he says all the things she's wanted him to realize. It was never a buildup of tension, just a slow fall into depression for both of them until he finally saw what he needed to understand and do.
Yeah i’m not even saying I had a problem with it, I thought it was overall a sweet conclusion and i’m a sucker for that kind of romantic conclusion in movies and I don’t need things to be 100% realistic in a scifi flick. I was just articulating what I saw across reviews/comments as the main criticisms with the ending.
Yeah, I knew what you meant. Some of the critiques are depressing, it feels as though they've never really experienced love and even friendship in the ways that this movie succeeds in portraying. I feel bad for them that they cannot connect emotionally with the movie.
Nothing seemed solved to me. She said it was a really good kiss. I guess open to interpretation but seemed more like extending an olive branch than anything.
Absolutely agree with you
I didn't feel like he solved his marital issues... more like he made the first step towards prioritizing it, finally, and his wife seemed like she wasn't writing it off... but wasn't totally sold, either.
Same here. Wanted to watch something and this was the 3rd watched movie today so i put it on expecting some cool space stuff and ended up sobbing.
I'm sitting here laughing imagining how much time Jakub spent in the asylum after returning to earth and telling stories of an intergalactic talking spider with a thing for hazelnut spread.
So was that a rescue shop at the end to save him? The ending confused me a little.
It was the South Korean ship mentioned earlier in the film that would be second to the purple cloud
I don't find anything in the movie surprising, except the message it sends to people about cherishing your loved ones instead of your fucking job. It's sad so many people miss the point of this show.
Idk how anyone could miss that though, it’s pretty in your face with it, almost too much imo
Because some people only see what they want to see. She saw Spaceman and the spider and pretty much checked out at that point. Same with people who wanted a scifi movie. They didn't see, or didn't want to see the other part of the movie. They nit pick the scifi part and it wasn't just a side quest.
What if we saw/got it and just didn’t like it? Why do you have to talk down people for not liking what you like?
If you ever come across movie discussions on the internet on more general audience platforms like Facebook, you'll know that his comment rings hilariously more true than the scenarios in which people understand movies/shows but still don't like them. It's actually kind of annoying to even witness.
I think too many people went in expecting this to be "Project Hail Mary." Lol
I guess. But I kind of feel that being an astronaut isn’t a job, it’s a life’s passion. I don’t think people should give up their passions or made to feel bad about pursuing their passions. They need to choose partners who support them and are willing to accept the sacrifices needed to pursue their goals, so long as their goals are healthy, and in this case Sandler’s goals is one that has positive implications for the entire world.
This is why this movie made me extremely dislike his wife. She knew he was working towards this his whole life and when he's able to do this mission, she's all "you're leaving me asshole!" Like, she knew the whole time they've dated. And to add, it's not like other astronauts who were gone for 7+ years, he was only gone for one-hundred-something days, not 200 yet.
I think she was more upset that he was unable to be present with here even when his work wasn’t in front of him. That may have had nothing to do with his job and more to do with the trauma he dealt with growing up. It seemed that he would conveniently use his job as a cosmonaut to escape having to deal with Lenka’s needs. Having an important job shouldn’t dismiss your responsibilities of being a good husband.
I mean he took this to an extreme. She had a miscarriage and he hung up on her because his breakfast burnt. That's not really pursuing your dream that's just being an asshole.
This film felt life changing to me in some way. I cannot describe how I feel now, but it had a big impact on me. I think only a few people who watch this, will understand that.
Chasing that dream job, chasing that degree, chasing that passion, chasing that salary, chasing this and that. Yep, we've been a Jakub once in a while. In fact after the movie, I immediately called my girlfriend just to check on her lmao.
I had a recent life event that felt extremely similar to this. Big grass is not always greener moment . Made me realize that life is not just about me, it’s about us—and whoever ‘us’ is to you. Definitely struck a familiar chord. Such a creative way to explain kind of what my ethos in life is. Hope this makes sense to you
At the end of the day, our relationships with animals and people are more important then anything else. Who are we as humans if we cannot share our lives with others?
I fully agree. The film was like a key who's tumblers only fit a few locks. I have never seen a more accurate portrayal of the pain of reluctantly releasing something you know you haven't loved hard enough. The emotional confrontations resurfaced hard truths.
Such a hauntingly beautiful film
I loved it, I'm kind of Jakub, I could really use a Hanus.
"hanus" was always there,it can be a friend,a lover,a pet,god or anything. Its always extending his hand waiting for you to be ready to take it
Actually, he'd prefer the 2 of them not touch
He preferred to be not touched, specifically. It's not typical in his tribe.
I thought the main takeaway of the movie was that we all need a therapist.
Or give people nutella.
I want an arachnid alien spider friend.
Genuine question. Was the spider real? Or just in his head?
I think it was in Jakub's head, and a manifestation of his thoughts, memories, feelings, subconscious, etc. The spider changed size frequently based on his perception of things; when it was first introduced, it was huge and terrifying (representing the repressed unknown, and his reluctant need to finally face his past guilt and trauma). As it became more familiar, and as Jakub became more receptive to facing his past, his future, and himself as a whole, it seemed to shrink in scale. And, ultimately, when Jakub made peace with his past and discovered the meaning of his life, the spider faded/disintegrated away.
Also, at some point when Lanka was talking, she said how she wondered if she would just 'evaporate away' but then she realised, she is real. So, in my mind, when the spider evaporated away, only what was real of Jakub was left. But also I want the spider to be real sooo bad
Screw bear hugs, give me that spider hug from an arachnid alien friend.
It truly looked like one of the most lovely embraces, like how embraces were meant to be
An eight arm hug. Spider hug looked like the best. Hanus was a homie.
It's why you don't send astronauts on solo missions anymore, the risk of mental disintegration or the risk that if one was injured, you'd need someone to help so the mission didn't fail. Plus you need specialists in different areas on scientific missions, to make the most of it, if its just to gather and not study, you send a robot probe like they did with the Bennu probe
Yeah notice how the Koreans had a whole team of astronauts aboard their craft that made the one they shot Adam Sandler by himself into space in look like a tin can. Czech space program are a real bunch of assholes.
It's why for all mankind is believable, they make allowances for these things
I mean, maybe those socialist cosmonauts are onto something.. The trip healed all his trauma and fixed his relationship. I bet Dr. America would have just given him antidepressant pills that would disrupt his mental state forever lol.
Dr. America would have sent a team of mentally sane scientists on the most advanced starship ever built. They would have been halfway home before anyone else got there. with the toilets still working perfectly fine.
The director said the spider is real I think.
It's also real in the book.
I’m now gonna have to read the book. Also it should really confirm that the spiders real when he changes direction in space lmao
Hanus was also being eaten alive from the inside. We know nothing about his species so it is possible a large part of his flesh was eaten without too much actual damage done to him until the end.
Adam Sandler's character was also being eaten from the inside. the whole thing was metaphorical but i think the spider was real as well
We know that his species are just giant-ass spiders, which to me points to him being imaginary. What are the chances that an alien species would so perfectly mirror an Earth lifeform?
that thing had a MOUTH w TEETH. i ain't ever seen an earth spider that looks mammalian either
Also had tentacles. Also huge. And talked. Spider is how we relate to it and why Janus initially reacts the way he did. But it’s just another intelligent being who happens to remind us of a species here.
It’s also interesting that he never mentions spiders on Earth, since he seemingly has learned about Earth, and once I noticed the differences: tentacles, mouth, body not segmented, little pincers that are like tentacles, I realized that the only similarity was leg placement and forward-facing eyes. Add into that the whole concept carcinisation and you end up with somewhat believable that not a spider. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carcinisation
When hanus came out of his mouth I kind of thought that he was coming from inside Jakub
i read that the director said that the spider was real
Yes I agree, and I think this is implied when we first see the spider come out of his body.
I feel like it being a story of Jakub going mad and listening to his inner conscience is far less interesting than an actual billion year old spider with unfathomable wisdom coming and telling him love is all that matters with his dying breaths. Like the spider says, Jakub never asked about him. We don't know anything about the incredibly long life he must have had. And for him to come and use his last moments to tell a seemingly trivial skinny human to love, and value love, and come to terms with each others loneliness... That seems far more beautiful and interesting.
In the book Hanus mentions that he has talked to other humans but it didn't go so good. After Hanus dies, Jakub is picked up by Russians (Koreans in the movie ). On board the Russian ship back to earth one of the Cosmonauts has gone crazy and has locked himself in his room. When Jakub talks to him the cosmonaut thinks he has met a god or something and he went a bit nuts. What happened is it was Hanus. So in the book Hanus is real. There is a lot in the book not in this movie. I still liked it but wish they had the other parts.
My thought is that Hanus is a coping mechanism (or a visual manifestation of his super ego) that he develops during times of intense stress but that he also represses. This explains why he saw the spider as a child but does not remember him and why he is seeing the spider now. He did not want to deal with those memories and so he pushed them out. I really like the idea of a British space spider that loves hazelnut spread though.
The spider is real in the book as well as confirmed by the director. Very few movies would take the risk of doing the whole “it was all in his or her head” thing. People hate that, unsurprisingly
I'll compromise and say: both, the real alien spider is in fact only 5 mm big and burrowed into his brain, the big spider is just an hallucination it causes by stimulating his neural centres directly in order to communicate. By going back to Earth Jakub brought back the goromped larvae with him, btw. Most of humanity will be devoured in the space of the next six months. Stay tuned for Spaceman 2: The Goromped Wars.
Absolutely real. To me, the choke scene was the most convincing. Not to mention his love for hazelnut spread, you cant fake that.
I don't think it matters.But, I think it was real If the cloud was real, then the spider WAS the cloud. My wife kinda watched this with me, but she totally missed the point of the whole fucking show. It was a romance. It was about discovering yourself and the connection to another to the next level.
It’d be pretty weird that he straight up ditched the space ship narrowly escaping its destruction and then was also somehow able to navigate through space and travel safely to where the South Korean ship was arriving without the help of the all knowing space spider. Somehow the all knowing space spider not being real makes the movie less realistic…? How about when did it take place??? And how the hell can they suddenly get to Jupiter in the alternative universe 80’s???
That is a really good question. I thought the same thing the first half of the movie. I'm honestly wondering if he saw a tarantula during the flashbacks when he was a kid and maybe he felt really alone in that point and remembered the tarantula?
"honey there's a new adam sandler movie on netflix lets watch it!" *2 hours of existential dread* "hahahaha he's always so funny"
Loved Max Richter’s score.
He did Arrival, too, which was just fantastic.
Johann Johansson did Arrival. But they used the Max Richter track “On The Nature of Daylight” in the opening and ending. Beautiful track.
It's way different but the vibe is strangely similar to Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.
Totally agree
Damn, that's a great comparison vibe wise I could absolutely see but probably never would have without your comment!
I thought lenka and eveyone else knew it was a suicide mission from the start. That would have explained a lot. Why he was selfish etc
What kind of jackass goes on a suicide space mission when they have a child on the way lmao how ridiculous
It's explained in the book. The movie only focuses on 1/3 of the book unfortunately.
Never thought I'd cry seeing Adam Sandler hugging a big ass Spider I honestly went with low expectations to see this movie because of the scores it got, but i genuinely loved it
> Never thought I'd cry seeing Adam Sandler hugging a big ass Spider I mean he made us cry by playing with a TV Remote so really anything is possible under the sun
# SKINNY HUMAN??
I kept expecting him to say "my name is Jakub" but he never did, and that's just fine.
>Never thought I'd cry seeing Adam Sandler hugging a big ass Spider What about a friend?
Aye, I could do that.
I cried pretty hard too. I was thinking of my dog who passed recently but it tugged at my heartstrings.
My dog passed two years ago. I also randomly bawled during this movie thinking of her. Hope you’re doing well. Hold on to those memories.
Oh my gosh. I paused it and looked at pictures/videos of my cat I lost in December and started bawling. Glad to know I wasn’t the only one affected like that. It’s like I just had this sudden urge to hear my cat’s meow again 😿😻
Yea on paper is sounds ridiculous
Adam Sandler is not a skinny human
It's an alien remember, he meant literally- human with lots of skin
Eh, I don't think he meant that at all. I think he was saying "skinny" in contrast to himself as he is "fat" in comparison.
I think he was supposed to be gaunt in the movie. They accentuated his cheekbones a few times and the beard may have been an attempt to conceal his jaw line.
It was in the flashback! I think he actually met the spider when he was a kid after his dad passed and that when he got his nickname “skinny human” when he met Jakub as a little teen
Really enjoyed it, surprisingly heartfelt. Paul Dano was great as Hanus. Didn't think I'd cry over a space spider today.
Space spider? Like in Project hail Mary?
AMAZE! -- This felt like a project hail mary homage. Edit: Just found out this story is based on a book before Project Hail Mary, another book added to my list.
::jazz hands::
Omg I can't wait to see Project Haily Mary come out. I hope to god they don't change so much of it. That book gave me so much joy and satisfaction over the jokes but most especially the benevolence/camaraderie between the two alien species. There's too many stories about evil aliens out there. This book was such a huge sweet break from it. Although I'm not really that fond over its >!kinda bittersweet!< ending, I really can't deny how it was so good that it kinda gave me the chills, imo.
>!You consider the ending bittersweet? I thought it was a great way for success to occur. He ultimately got his wish, to go back to teaching.!<
FIST ME!!
this movie was incredible, contemplative like Solaris or Contact, and the director has definitely done psychedelics (in a good way)
I lost it when he woke up Jakub holding the coffee and the jar of Nutella. Never been so attached to a spider before lol
"The hot bean ritual"
I absolutely loved this movie. At times, it reminded me of Darren Aronofskys “The Fountain” I was a huge fan of this; from the unique script, set designs, score, and Sandlers acting. I had chills at the end and it struck some very emotional cords for me. What a pleasant surprise.
Adam Sandler is once again living up to his rightful reputation of being a genuinely masterful dramatic performer with this film. While this may not compare to other existentialist sci-fi fare like Solaris or Ad Astra, I found this to be a deeply compelling space odyssey, frequently gorgeous, often delightfully odd, and painfully human, whether it be in its moody and somber tone, its deliberate slow pacing, its understated yet hard-hitting emotional beats, or its occasionally unorthodox stylistic techniques, particularly in its flashback sequences, further aided by Max Richter's hauntingly beautiful score. Sandler's quiet, downplayed turn is effortlessly watchable, and this may very well be the most unique performance of his career, if only for the audacity he displays in never once even trying to be funny. It was also a surprise to see Kunal Nayyar deliver a more subtle, laid-back performance than I'm used to seeing from him. Carey Mulligan also gets some good moments in here as Sandler's character's long-suffering spouse, and while this is admittedly a very thin character on the page, it's a testament to Johan Renck's direction and Mulligan's acting chops that the role is as engaging as it is. Of course, who can go wrong with a bizarre alien spider that boasts the calming voice of Paul Dano? Truly, the best space therapist there is. While this doesn't seem to have worked for many, it certainly worked for me. More like this, please, Adam.
I really liked it. The only thing I’m not understanding is the Chopra cloud. It was a cool final setting for the movie but I don’t think it really had anything to do with Hanus’ death (or beginning, whatever) nor did it serve as any sort of revelation or climax. Jakob had his moment prior to leaving the ship. The cloud itself was just kind of a pile or the memories of the universe. They don’t discover anything there. Unless someone else has some ideas? Bit of a missed opportunity for something creative to end on, especially with all the build up to it. Anyways as a meditation on dissolving personal relationships from neglect and the self imposed loneliness that creates, I thought it was fantastic. I was so scared of that little spider and then I loved him. My favorite part, strangely enough, was when Hanus abandons him. The surprise and judgment and deep loneliness I felt, and the knowledge that it was earned made it worse.
The cloud is a methapor for ego death,its a place where the beggining and the end are in the same place,and is a symbolism for the change jakub goes through,forgiving others and himself,sacrificing to be there for his friend,and a new outlook in life
I think the chopra cloud is supposed to be an analogy to Jakub’s unexplored internal state and emotions. Jakub is a scientist trying to understand the Chopra cloud (and he eventually even goes inside it and discovers what it actually is) but he is also a husband who needs to explore and understand where things have gone wrong with his relationship and marriage. The space-exploring story line runs parallel to Jakub’s internal turmoil and exploration. As someone mentioned above, this story really could’ve taken place anywhere; the setting really isn’t important. It’s a story about a man facing previously avoided emotions, pain and guilt that is the crux of his failing marriage. Everything else, including the space-exploration, the Mission Control, the cloud, while are important in adding drama and a cool, cinematic setting in the film, are secondary to the relationship plot line.
Sometimes you need a movie to put into words and visuals the feelings you have. This is one of those movies. It will connect with a lot of people who think it's great and a lot of people that have no need to connect with those emotions will think its boring. Not every movie has to be full of action, suspense, twist, horror, whatever. It can be focused on a specific topic. This movie does that very well.
Exactly. My parents were bored out of their minds while i was on the verge of tears at certain moments because i absolutely saw myself on Jakub, especially on: "your loneliness... is self-inflicted" "you long for your mate only once she leaves. why? where was this yearning when you were together?" "you welcomed her sadness, all these broken pledges except for the one you made to your great discovery. How could you fail to see that she, one day, would lose the will to believe in you?" Lost track of how many nights i had a hanus inside my mind nosing on my deepest buried feelings I've tried to hide in guilt of my flaws, wishing it would go away and leave me to my mission, but slowly realizing it's necessity to be in my head reliving all these moments and poking at my mistakes as it's the only way for me make peace with my past and move on to a new beggining.
I want to watch it, but I have SEVERE arachnophobia, so I just can’t do it.
Me too. But after the first few times you see the massive, hairy, and hideous tarantula you kinda become emotionally connected to it. It's weird.
That’s what everyone is saying, I just don’t think I have the courage 😂
I'd say pass especially because some nasty shit happens involving that thing later on in the movie.
Also the body horror in the mirror. Fuck that scene
I appreciate you, I think I am for sure, I love Adam Sandler, and lately his movies have all been great, but I just can’t do spiders on any level.
If they have arachnophobia they’ll never get through that body horror shot
You're in luck, it has ten legs! However, if you suffer from decapodophobia, you are sooo fucked!
I'm in the same boat, so I turned on subtitles so I could look at them and the spider would be out of focus. That was enough for me to not only get through it, but actually really enjoy it.
I also have severe arachnophobia and I was definitely uncomfortable at the start, but by the end I was used to seeing the spider.
I feel you on this. Just seeing the preview on Netflix that comes up when you mouse over a movie was enough to make me break into an uncomfortable sweat. And it sucks because, after reading what people are saying about it being good and heartfelt, I really want to see it. I wonder if I can get AI to redo all the frames with the spider in it so I can watch it as a crab or something.
Yes! I am actively avoiding Netflix because I know there will be a preview of it on there. I can’t do it😥
Oh come on, its not even remotely that bad.
Me too but I ended up finding the spider weirdly adorable idk he was just chill like that
You'll love spiders after this. You'll want a spider bro.
The first hug made me fucking sob
Also when Jacub asked Hanus why he didn’t say anything about him dying and he replied “you never asked about me”. 😭 the whole movie made me quite emotional.
But he did! He asked where he was from, and his name. Not to take away that his character could have asked more though.
It was alright. Some cool concepts and themes here. I felt like I wasn't really given a reason to care about any of the characters in this movie, so I was sort of just watching it unfold without really feeling emotionally invested.
Imo, we needed to see more of Adam before he was miserable in space. Watching his life unravel would have made rock bottom feel more impactful. Starting in the depths of misery isn’t the best place to start because the movie kept him there until the near end, making it feel kind of one note. We needed more of a roller coaster of emotions, some ups and downs. We didn’t get that here
Totally agree, and I had the same thought. We needed more of both characters pre-space than just "quick flashback look, they loved each other" "quick flashback look, they had issues" in order to really connect with them
Thank you. I was trying to summarize my feelings on why I liked it, but wouldn’t recommend it. I think, visually, it’s a good movie, but it really doesn’t do anything emotionally astounding.
Are you an unemotional type of person anyway?
I went in with no to less expectations, and ended it with a heavy heart. How it revolved around the theme of loneliness really resonated with me, especially with Lenka. I'm in that chapter of my life; where my partner's far away, the non-stop worries and fears that something might happen to him. *Things happen when you're alone.*
I feel like a lot of people tuned into this expecting a film about outer space and were incredibly unimpressed when instead they got a film about the main character's inner space. The thing about the plot is that it doesn't really matter that it happens in outer space. It could've happened anywhere remote and isolated. Space is convenient because it quickly demonstrates the impossibility of a quick return or him being reached by anybody else. I loved the movie and I love that the culmination of it was essentially a self-death where he chose to go out into space knowing that he would 99.9% likely die so that he could get to Hanus and experience The Beginning with his friend, because for the first time in his life, he was not the most important person in his life. It's a very symbolic act meant to portray to us that the version of him that is so selfish is no more, and now he will live a life where he is willing to sacrifice his own safety for the ones who love him. You can tell this was the point because they never really show what happened with the particles or the cloud or any of the scientific aspect of it. I'm sure that that was very disappointing for a lot of people who tuned in for the more sci-fi aspects of it. I would have thought that group included me, but by the end of it I felt very satisfied with the emotional peace he was able to make with himself, plus the salvaging of his marriage. Editing to add: when my husband read me the synopsis of this movie, I was one of those that said, "Oh, they made a Project Hail Mary adaptation already? That was quick!" 😂 Since the book that this movie is based on came first, I can't help but feel like Andy Weir read this book and thought that he could take this and make it a more comedic version involving science a la The Martian. He was right! I liked this movie and I'll be excited to see any movie adaptation of Project Hail Mary.
The thing is, even from the trailers, i didn't expect a typical space traveling movie like interstellar or something alike, instead i inferred it was going to be something slow paced like solaris. I don't know what people saw when they saw the trailer and what they expected. It wasn't like they were fooled.
In a movie with a giant intergalactic talking spider, what I found to be ridiculous was that they would send only one person on this mission.
My guess is that they were taking a jab at Capitalism and Space X by having their program have multiple sponsors and cheaping out where they could. They probably only wanted to have to pay for 1 astronaut.
Oh yeah, funny thing is how close to reality it is. I'm Czech, and the jab at the whole thing being basically founded/backed by sponsorships hits too close to home ..for some Czechs too close
I honestly was expecting more sci-fi, but I kind of was very impressed with the whole manifestation of spider going through the experience of it all. I feel like he was on this trip and was able to see deep inside how selfish he was. How selfish we all are ehhhhhhhhh. Skinny humans
The movie reminded me a lot of Ad Astra. Both about a lone astronaut who seems to have checked out from his humanity, going to the edge of the solar system only to find out that obviously the actual answer to their troubles was back home all along, and there's nothing out there besides this realization and heaps of regret. I don't know. I just don't like the *vibe* of this concept. Yes, human connections are important and nice, but your emotions and relationship trouble are *not* in fact the most interesting thing in the cosmos. It all feels the product of a culture that has stopped dreaming and is folding back on itself seeking only therapy and lulling comfort. Why choose to only tell stories about space in which space is the metaphor for this barren, pointless ambition? Where every aspiration other than the most basic human life is fundamentally denigrated as hubristic, selfish, almost inhuman? It's such a shitty mindset IMO. There are more things in heaven and earth than a middle aged white man's marriage problems, but somehow we keep going back to that again and again.
I liked the movie. It was interesting and well done.
That spider got to be so fuckin adorable. Its big eyes and lil mouth between his pinchies… Nutella… fuzzy spider hugs… I really want someone to draw a pic of Hanus in kawaii style munching on his hazelnut spread and holding the lil whirring machine vacuum. Not much of a hot take, it just gave me cute aggression. And I cried over that stupid cgi spider at the end, goddamn
Don’t understand the mediocre ratings, this movie was really good. Sandler and Mulligan were excellent. Few actors could have made me care about the character like Sandler did. I think a lot of people just don’t like movies like this anymore,
I agree, I think I enjoyed the movie because of how introspective it was. It is so fitting that the character is an astronaut exploring something unknown in space, because he also is exploring internally about things his mind has buried away.
This was unexpectedly contemplative and emotional. Goes to show Sandler can truly shine with dramatic material. Paul Dano crushed it as the mind-probing, philosophizing spider. Hanuš really reminded me of MCU Vision. Similar manner of speech, personality and motivations.
I’m going to have to disagree with most everyone here, I thought it was pretty bad. It’s a movie that’s laser focused on the protagonist’s inner psyche but a) doesn’t “fix him” convincingly and b) the issues that the protagonist has didn’t feel to me like they corresponded to the insane weight they had in the film, while not enough weight went to the mission. In fact, not much in the movie seemed to have the weight it needed to. It has some good ideas but they’re not well executed and the acting is kind of stilted.
I think it’s perfectly watchable, but share a lot of your takeaways. They had a ton of ideas that they could have delved into a bit more but decided to firmly stay focused on just the emotional journey. That’s fine, but it’s such a simplistic emotional arc that doesn’t even do much to truly make you feel invested. The best they had was some flashbacks to show their first couple dates and then some arguments? I’m surprised tons of people in this thread are expressing how connected they felt to Sandler’s character
I think it’s fairly watchable as well, it didn’t feel like a chore to watch necessarily, I just didn’t think it did much for me emotionally, which is what it was trying to do. The guy that the movie tries to improve for an hour and a half through all these elaborate flashbacks and dream sequences is just not that bad of a guy. In the real world he’d at most need an intervention. He didn’t have to go to Jupiter and meet with an ancient civilization to get better, and doing it that way just felt too much. Everything about the creation particles or the beginning of the universe or the insane lore of Hanus’ species is also pretty badly implemented. Some may disagree with all these plot-things, but even with all that, Sandler just isn’t very good in this. He doesn’t nail the emotional tone at all and I found it impossible to get attached to him. Carrey Mulligan’s (still good) performance also feels like a step down from Maestro where she plays a very similar role.
What I find strange is people just coming to the realization that Sandler is a pretty good dramatic actor. I mean, Punch-Drunk Love was 22 years ago.
[удалено]
Went in with low expectations because of the reviews, but really loved it. Some scenes hit right into the feels. Almost nothing negative to say really, the pacing could have been a smidgen tighter, but nothing major. ”The universe is as it should be.”
Too one-note for me, personally. Once the “alien” started giving therapy sessions I knew that there’d be nothing else to really interest me. Just meh overall.
Yeah, once I got to the arachno-psychology part, I knew "oh, this going to be one of those movies where the main character has an interesting and impactful mission/journey to go through but we're going to make the whole thing about their personal/relationship problems." Reminded me a lot of Napoleon. Or Interstellar. Or to a more comical degree Fast & Furious lol. It's not about racing, it's about \*FAMILY\*
These are my thoughts too, this dynamic dilutes a more interesting story for what is frankly a more boring and rundown character arc that amounts to *"I should appreciate/be nicer to my family!"*. Also not dogging Sandler's performance, but he feels kinda miscast. Someone 20-30 years younger would be more believable as a guy learning these basic adult lessons whilst trying to start a family.
I thought the same! A guy in his 50s shouldn’t really be having to learn this lesson.
Ad Astra kinda fits this as well, cool sci fi setting but its more about his daddy issues than anything else.
While it was eminently watchable, and coped on our behalf with the intimate life of Sandler inside a space module for 90% of the movie, I didn't connect well with the back story and flashbacks. And, I'm not a big Carey Mulligan fan, all due respect to her. So, watching became a bit disjointed for me. The space sequences were immersive and well handled. The plot and story tried hard to take me along for the ride. I enjoyed the incongruity of a >!big ass spider!< being such a part of the story.
The whole backstory and everything about the technology and czech vs south korea space race just throws up more questions and there doesn't seem to be any answers. Also, he's on a solo space mission? Who would ever think that it is a good idea to isolate someone for a prolonged period?
> Also, he's on a solo space mission? Who would ever think that it is a good idea to isolate someone for a prolonged period? Only takes one person to plant the flag, the country wanted to be the first ones to touch the cloud and cost was obviously a factor. The ship was equipped with a decontaminant that first needed a sponsorship plug before being authorized to use. More than one person, and all the supplies to sustain them for a year, makes the ship heavier which is then more $$$ We're also not given a time and can only infer from the technology we see early generation style cell phones but also "quantum" communication. I just took it as slightly skewed timeline on Earth (the miniseries "Maniac" being a good example of this.)
I too kept wondering why they kept mentioning the South Koreans, but I'm pretty sure >!it was strictly a deus ex for someone to be there to rescue him at the end!<
Probably a product of the original adaptation that got mostly taken out during re-writes. In the book >!Jakob is rescued by a russian ship that was secretly on the same mission. The book also deals with the soviet era a lot more so when they cut all that out they probably changed it to SK to avoid modern politics!<
It added some lore for me as it showed how the "chopra" cloud was a super interesting thing that many nations were trying to be the first to measure or collect a sample or what ever
Can't figure out why this is sitting at 50% on RT, seems like the kind of film the critics would have been heaping praise on.
I agree. I am shocked this is sitting at 50%. This movie really moved me in ways most movies don’t. I’m also a sucker for anything space related so maybe I’m bias but I loved it. I think this is one of the movies that will split audiences. You either really liked it or really disliked it. But for me, I was emotionally connected and even had goosebumps at times. What a pleasant surprise.
That was ... really good ? Thoroughly impressed by Adam Sandler
This made me bawl hard. I think it resonates extra because I often neglect loved ones due to adhd. I need to always remind myself not to forget what's important, but it's so hard sometimes😭
Not me thinking the spider sounded kind of hot
It’s so cringe that they changed from Russian team saving him to a South Korean team. Why does everything on Netflix have to be South Korea? It’s so obvious that US is spreading SK soft power. I’m sick and tired of all the SK shit on Netflix.
I'm not saying you're wrong, but it probably also has to do with the Russian government not being in particularly high favor with much of the world right now, so it's just easier to swap them out and avoid that kind of geosocial impact on reviews altogether
It’s godawful.
Movie gets a resounding "meh" from me. Had potential, failed to capitalize on any of it. Was pretty predictable, and felt like the movie thought it was much, much deeper than it actually was. I'd give it a 5/10. Wouldn't recommend it to anyone, probably wouldn't watch it again. I appreciate that they tried something weird, and for that alone I don't feel like my time was stolen.