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The 2019 Amazon Studios original film “The Aeronauts,” directed by Tom Harper and starring Felicity Jones and Eddie Redmayne, is billed as a drama thriller that is inspired by true events surrounding the use of hot air balloons for the advancement of meteorological science in 1860s Britain. While this pair of leading actors has made cinematic magic together before (e.g., in the 2014 film “Theory of Everything”), Amazon’s attempt to recreate that falls flat. So although the balloon in the film takes a scientist and his aeronautical pilot to new heights, the film itself deflates in terms of audience enthusiasm.
In London in 1862, scientist James Glaisher (Eddie Redmayne) awaits renegade pilot Amelia Wren (Felicity Jones) to set off on their attempt of a record-setting hot air balloon flight, with Amelia bringing the entertainment to the excited crowd waiting for the launch of the balloon. Apparently part of the entertainment includes Amelia throwing her dog Posey off of the balloon for some shock factor, then a parachute pops out to guide Posey safely to the ground. (This is an important trigger warning for dog lovers in the audience who will gasp at seeing Amelia Wren drop the innocent pooch over the side of the basket mid-air.) Meanwhile, James futzes with his scientific instruments that he intends to use to measure various meteorological elements during their flight, and he argues with Amelia about her making a spectacle of the balloon launch.
As the balloon ascends, the tone quickly shifts — it goes from being a light and frivolous show for the enjoyment of a crowd to a serious and potentially perilous journey for the sake of scientific discovery. The potential peril turns to actual peril as they encounter a storm, but thankfully they (and the balloon) make it through in one piece. James notes readings from his various instruments and attaches his notes to carrier pigeons to bring the data to his colleagues should he and Amelia not make it. Throughout the balloon journey, we see many flashbacks that fill in the characters’ backgrounds: James’ flashbacks reveal that the Royal Society has ridiculed him for his theory about predicting weather, and Amelia’s flashbacks reveal that her late husband, Pierre Rennes (Vincent Perez), had been her aeronautical co-pilot in the past, and that he reached his demise in a tragic ballooning incident with her on board.
The balloon continues traveling higher, the air gets thinner, and the temperature drops. James starts experiencing hypoxia from the lack of oxygen and hypothermia from the cold — because evidently he didn’t bring proper clothing for the cold temperatures, which seems odd for a man who has spent his life studying weather. James and Amelia reach a height of over 23,000 feet to break the standing record. After more flashbacks, arguments, and moments of deep understanding of themselves and each other, James and Amelia decide it is time to descend. But alas, the valve at the top of the balloon is frozen, so Amelia makes a treacherous climb along the side of the balloon with her hands frostbitten (did they not have gloves in the 1860s?) and James unconscious in the basket below. More treachery as they realize the balloon is actually collapsing, and they parachute down to the ground with what seems to be a great deal of injury, but of course, they ultimately live to tell the tale.
The fantastical nature of this story raises serious questions of historical accuracy. A quick Google search about the film reveals that there was indeed no scaling of the side of balloon nor such a perilous fall back to Earth. More importantly, The Washington Post notes that there was indeed no Amelia Wren, but rather James Glaisher’s pilot was a professional aeronaut named Henry Coxwell. It is certainly quite the revisionist history to replace a real male pilot with a fictional female one, but let’s say we accept that as a creative and imaginative update. Even so, the film does not do nearly enough to portray the challenges that a woman might face in this situation during this era, both in the world generally and in science specifically. There are glimpses of gender discrimination, such as when in one flashback Amelia walks through an academic building and a male Royal Society member scoffs, “We have a policy in regards to the fairer sex,” and when in another flashback Amelia’s concerned sister scornfully states, “Women don’t belong in balloons.” But aside from the glimpses, it seems that there is very little question and challenge in the film as to a woman taking charge and piloting a balloon in a scientific pursuit. Especially given that we see that James has already faced contempt and mockery for his theories, it seems far-fetched that, in this era, having a female pilot would help his case. And yet the film asks us to ignore the inequities of the time of which I’d imagine that most everyone in the audience is at least slightly aware.
“The Aeronauts” does have elements of cinematic excellence. The issues I’ve mentioned are in the story itself, but the acting by Jones and Redmayne holds up. The effects are also quite well done, as they lend a certain sense of realness — for example, when the balloon is rapidly careening to the ground, the acting and effects help the audience to feel like we’re right there with Amelia and James. The story does also provide an interesting window into a little-known history. Despite the fact that my own grandfather was a meteorologist who subjected me to many a scientific slide show throughout my childhood, I knew nothing about the use of hot air balloons for the study of weather in the late 1800s. And I’ve certainly learned a lot more about aeronautical pursuits in the time since I’ve watched this film than I have in, well, probably my entire life.
However, the shortcomings of this film overshadow these positive aspects. The narrative structure feels flawed — I’m not convinced that presenting the backstories through flashbacks is more effective than showing those backstories and the story of the balloon journey in chronological order. The pacing of the story jerks the audience around; it goes from almost excruciatingly slow exchanges (and silences) between James and Amelia which I believe are intended for deep character development, to fast-moving scenes of the balloon and its passengers in seriously life-threatening danger. All this, coupled with the playing fast and loose with historical accuracy, the film ultimately struggles to stick the landing.
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