Actors Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones reappeared in a joint film. This time, their picture tells about the events of 150 years ago. In The Aeronauts, they played characters who risk their lives to fly in a hot air balloon and learn how to forecast the weather.

The picture “Aeronauts” begins with the moment when the balloon with two passengers is about to go into the air. Onlookers gathered around him, eager to witness the spectacular event. In the basket of the aircraft are two brave heroes who promised the public that they could change the history of mankind. As the show ends and the balloon begins to rise, tests appear that impede scientific discovery.

The film is based on a real flight that took place in 1862. Then a meteorologist named James Glaisher ventured into the air, planning to break the world record and also make observations of the upper atmosphere. It was an extremely risky journey that could have cost Glacier his life. Everything worked out thanks to the efforts of his companion, an experienced aeronaut Henry Tracy Coxwell, who led the movement of the balloon.

Oddly enough, you won’t see Coxwell in the film. He, following the new trends of cinema, was replaced by a female character played by Felicity Jones. That was the decision of director Tom Harper (who directed the Philip K. Dick’s Electric Dreams series) and screenwriter Jack Thorne (who worked on the His Dark Materials series).

The filmmakers wrote the script, placing a fearless heroine there. She became a collective character reflecting the experience of women aeronauts. It’s pretty good, but that’s just not at the cost of such a substitution. But, alas, the three main characters in the basket would be cramped, so the poor fellow Coxwell was not invited there, and his exploits were attributed to a person who did not exist.

Knowing this, the tape should not be taken as a historical film adaptation, but rather as a spectacular film, thanks to which you can go on a visual air trip. This is true – the picture was shot with an IMAX camera, so it will make a good impression on the appropriate screen.

As for the lead actors, Eddie Redmayne, who played scientist James Glaisher, has already starred with Felicity Jones. The actors played the main roles in the film “Stephen Hawking’s Universe” (The Theory of Everything). In the new film, the actors have less dramatic performances, however, their characters also go through a series of tests. They fight for their lives, come into conflict and quickly switch to external factors that frighten and delight balloon passengers.

Both actors fit well into the atmosphere of the second half of the 19th century, corresponding to the manners of those years. Redmayne fits historical films like no one else, in which he plays enthusiastic and somewhat reckless characters. Something similar has already been in other films of the actor, but this does not prevent him from doing his job well. The same can be said about Felicity Jones, who demonstrates courage and endurance.

It is worth noting that the plot of the film is not limited to one flight. The screenwriters dilute the most tense moments with memories of how the central characters decided to join forces. It all started with the hero Eddie Redmayne, for whom it was important to prove to skeptics that meteorology has a scientific basis.

There is no special intrigue in flashbacks, so they do not particularly enliven the film. In many ways, the script repeats the clichés of other tapes that tell stories of great discoveries. Therefore, it is most interesting to watch the scenes taking place in a balloon – there the heroes will experience a variety of physical difficulties that a person faces when rising to a great height.

The Aeronauts movie shows an adventurous and beautiful (thanks to CGI) adventure. At the same time, it has a predictable background, devoid of enthusiasm, and a distortion of the real story. Despite this, the picture is quite suitable for family viewing in the cinema, where you can appreciate the spectacular scenes.