Adam Sandler may not usually be my cup of tea, but the promise of a narrative exploring solitude certainly piqued my interest. Spaceman unfurls with a visually arresting opener, before marching into a measured and contemplative pace. Taking on the role of Jakub, Adam Sandler broadcasts from the fringes of Jupiter to a bunch of voters back on Earth. With imagery of his mission’s purpose showcased on a nearby screen, he talks about his current whereabouts and objectives. As a pioneering member of the Euro space agency, Jakub’s historic endeavor is to look into a dust cloud that has been ominously lingering for years.
The discovery of this weird pink dust collection is not the point of Spaceman though. As an astronaut, his job is to collect the material and hopefully uncover the answer to life’s mysteries. The idea of Jakub’s loneliness is introduced first by a young girl in the audience who asks;
“Does it make you the loneliest person in the world?”
Qutoe from Spaceman 2024
Spaceman sets out to show that Jakub, his mission, his environment, and then his life back on Earth are all in a state of flux. This assignment to Jupiter does make him lonely. Back on Earth is his pregnant wife Lenka who he worries about because he hasn’t been able to communicate with her. Jakub’s team intervenes with a message from Lenka that tells him that she is done. This latest assignment is one ask too much and while he is on Jupiter, she is formulating her exit plan.
Not wanting to further fuel Jakub’s depression, his superiors decide to not deliver her message. Without news from home, isolation, and an already unwavering sadness, Jakub sees a large spider on his craft that tells him he wants to learn about the people from Earth. Not much of the runtime has passed by this stage of the film and my instant conclusion was that Jakub has succumbed to his mental state. The spider is large and has telepathic talents that extend to being able to not only infiltrate Jakub’s memories but also show them some he missed as well.
The Spider, Is It Real?
Unfortunately for the Spaceman film, this spider is about as exciting as the movie gets. I didn’t enjoy the monotone sound bites of Sandler’s character which only seems to hold one emotional state. There is also the absence of interesting side characters, narrative pivots, or twists, Spaceman gets old quickly. As well as being highly uninteresting given the source material’s ethos about life’s mysteries, Jupiter, and Space travel, there isn’t enough to chew on here.
There isn’t enough to look at given most of the movie is set inside the spacecraft. Additionally, there is a lot of unemotional dialogue between Jakub and the resident spider called Hanuš. Hanuš is a figment of Jakub’s life choices and could be seen as the source of all his fears. He frequently tries to prove its existence with his team back home but can’t.
Is Spaceman 2024 A True Story?
The premise is based on a novel called Spaceman of Bohemia which uses a political backdrop and additional characters to add some extra excitement. In comparison, Spaceman only delves into the emotional state of Jakub and his wife. The origin source cites a completely different ending compared with the movie too. Both the novel and the movie are fictional.
“You have many boundaries, skinny human Perhaps they are the cause of your loneliness.”
Spaceman Quote
As for the mysterious dust cloud, Spaceman 2024 does explain the outcome of the expedition and research, however never dives into what that means, who the spider was, or what parasite affected Hanuš. If you are the type of film lover looking for a cathartic big reveal, Spaceman is not that type of film.
It’s the type of story that might make you question whether ambition and sacrifice are worth it in the long run. The narrative also touches on how some couples handle their relationships showing firsthand how to put yourself in someone else’s shoes to gain some insight that might have been overlooked. While thoughtful, Spaceman showed me in detail how insensitive some of us can be to the ordeals of those in our lives.
Spaceman Reviews
Reviews for Spaceman 2024 rate the title as the middle of the road. IMBD.com rating has the movie at 5.8/10. Rotten Tomatoes met the film as a fail with 58% satisfaction. Many online reviews found the Netflix Spaceman movie profound, original, and beautiful given the idea behind it. Watch the Spaceman trailer on RollingStone Magazine for more information on the film’s release.
Movies that have pink dust as well as themes of transhumanism are found in the science fiction film, Infinite Summer.
Spaceman is rated
2 relationship dramas set in space out of 5
For another review of Spaceman by Australian website Jordan and Eddie, follow this link.
Spaceman Explained
Spaceman 2024 is a dramatic science fiction movie. The space drama wants the audience to relate to the idea of thinking about what truly matters in life. Jakub spent his whole life chasing career goals while his wife tried to make a life with him. He chooses his career and his isolation over being inside the life he built with his wife. Initially, he can’t figure out why he is so unhappy.
That is until an imaginary spider borne of his mental state talks to him about it providing thoughts about how his wife has felt all this time. He confronts his truth and makes adjustments afterward. At the end of the Spaceman movie, Lenka and Jakub reunite showing that he finally realizes what’s important for him to be happy as well as understands why she isn’t happy too.
