Spaceman (2024)

Spaceman was a journey. I’m not 100% sure what that journey was or what I expected, but it was definitely something.

Spaceman discusses some eye-opening topics and takes a philosophical approach that makes you wonder about humanity’s societal, emotional, and moral side. This is the basis of the film and one of the only reasons that kept me watching. Some of the topics of discussion reminded me of scenes from Before Sunrise, where we just witnessed the dialogue of characters and consumed what they were saying. For such an out-of-reach concept that doesn’t have any reality, we learn a lot about ourselves and the human race. Most importantly, we see our consciousness as a physical state, but I will be honest and tell you I was surprised it was in the form of a spider. Though I’m not quite sure where the idea of a travelling, the alien spider came from, I think it was really interesting to see that whilst Adam Sandler’s character (Jakub) mind is dissolving, this alien (or Jake’s Conscience) is evolving and revealing new truths.

I’m also interested in seeing where this story stems from because the names of the characters and the topics seem quite religious.

Adam Sandler is an icon, and yes, we have seen him perform phenomenally in the past in a drama genre-based film. So when I first saw the trailer for the film, I was genuinely really excited to see whether he would have another one of his breakthrough moments. I always love it when actors, especially comedic actors who have so many characters on their belts that juxtapose the very meaning of drama and seriousness, come out with a performance that makes them totally unrecognisable. This is the main reason Robin Williams is my favourite actor of all time. It not only shows you how talented they are for pulling off the much harder genre of comedy in a way that isn’t cringy and just unbearable, but it also shows the diversity of these actors. They completely change their audience’s outlook on them.

Uncut Gems did that for Sandler, but I’m not quite sure about his performance in Spaceman.

I understand he is depressed and all alone in space, dealing with his solitude the best way he can. However, he just seemed sluggish, like there was no emotion at all. I feel like even in the high-intensity scenes, which need a lot of emotion since the film is so quiet and nonchalant, he just didn’t bring it. There were many emotional scenes that just felt completely cold and numb; however, this is where my unsureness comes from. Maybe he is just playing his character this way to symbolise how detached he is from humanity, that when we watch him even, we can’t relate to or feel any connection with him. What do you guys think?

Carey Mulligan and Paul Dano, with their small roles, did impact the movie quite a lot. I really need Paul Dano to do a sleep-arms podcast like Matthew McConaughey! If anyone wants to help me make this a reality, please @ him in the comments. These two actors brought the most presence to the film, which, yes, wasn’t a particularly hard task considering the other aspects of the film being super mundane, but still, I’m grateful for their performance and for bringing more layers/attributes to the film.

Overall, the film wasn’t amazing, but it is watchable. If you’re in the mood to just lay back and think about life, then this film will definitely get your mind jogging. I also think that Adam Sandler pitched the idea of the spider calling him a skinny human constantly, but I can’t blame him, what a power move.

Thank you for reading ‘skinny humans.’

What did you guys think of Spaceman? What’s your favourite Adam Sandler film?