The Wright Brothers are the pioneers of air travel, having invented the first airplane. Well before that, hot air balloons were the only way to get above the ground, and “The Aeronauts” tells the gripping story of exploration and survival. Directed by Tom Harper, an Englishman who has led the likes of popular BBC series “Peaky Blinders” and 2009s “The Scouting Book For Boys,” comes a film inspired by real-life events which see a pilot and scientist take to the skies to discover more about the weather.
Starring Academy Award nominee Felicity Jones and Oscar winner Eddie Redmayne (both from “The Theory Of Everything”), the adventure will take the duo up above the clouds. Where they must survive everything, mother nature throws at them, the snow, the wind, and the rain are their worst enemies.
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The story is loosely based on the voyage that scientist James Glaisher (played by Redmayne) made back in 1862 when he and Henry Coxwell rose to 37,000 feet. However, here, Coxwell is replaced by Amelia Wren (played by Jones), a decision made by Harper and co-writer Jack Thorne (“National Treasure”) to give a woman’s dynamic in the movie.
But the role that Jones plays is superb; she has clearly invested time into studying the part of a 19th-century female pilot. In Gregory Ellwood’s review from this year’s Telluride Film Festival, he spoke harmoniously about Jones’ performance, “Jones finds a way to transcend the scripted material and have you rooting for Wren when their voyage is in truly dire straits. Redmayne’s character has his own heroic moment, but it’s almost anticlimactic compared to what his co-star pulls off.”
While the main stars are up in the air, back on the ground, the likes of Himesh Patel (“Yesterday”), Phoebe Fox (“Eye In The Sky”) and Anne Reid (“Hot Fuzz”) are part of the thrilling period action.
Here is the synopsis:
In 1862, daredevil balloon pilot Amelia Wren teams up with pioneering meteorologist James Glaisher to advance human knowledge of the weather and fly higher than anyone in history. While breaking records and advancing scientific discovery, their voyage to the very edge of existence helps the unlikely pair find their place in the world they have left far below them. But they face physical and emotional challenges in the thin air, as the ascent becomes a fight for survival.
The film drops in cinemas on December 6, followed by a release on Amazon Prime Video on December 20. Watch the new trailer below.