The Aeronauts

Currently showing on Amazon Prime (UK) is The Aeronauts, a based on true events film looking at 19th century scientific discovery.

It tells a story based loosely on that of James Glaisher, a meteorologist who broke the world altitude record to study weather in the upper atmosphere in a balloon piloted by fictional chatacter Amelia Wren, a composite of a number of outstanding female 19th century aeronauts, perhaps most closely tied to real life character Sophie Blanchard.

It is possibly the telling of this partly true, partly fictional story that is at the heart of the problems I had with this film. While at its centre is two watchable and talented actors in Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones the whole thing never quite seems to click.

The characters feel paper thin, never quite developing a back story strong enough to explain why they would take on such an incredibly dangerous adventure and with that there never feels enough jeopardy to the tale from which ultimately unfolds a story I didn’t really care about.

There is a nicely told sub plot with Tom Courtney playing Glaisher’s father in a beautifully judged performance but it is only fleeting.

While I could see that on the big screen some of the effects and set pieces could have looked fantastic again they never really carry the weight or pull you in the way you’d expect at home.

In the end it was a film that never really engaged me enough to care about the characters the adventure or its outcome which is a pity as it had the potential to be a spectacular adventure but it never really hits the heights, which is ironic!