“The Aeronauts” Goes Up Up and Away in a Beautiful Trailer

Scene from The Aeronauts

With dozens of trailers seemingly dropping by the day, it becomes difficult to keep track of them all. Still, between Netflix and Amazon Studios alone, the calendar is already full of promising new titles that promise to make the season more exciting. Then again, Amazon may have saved the best for last with director Tom Harper’s The Aeronauts, which is a look at the history of hot air balloons starring two Oscar-nominated performers teaming up for the first time since The Theory of Everything. While that alone is rather exciting, the popping imagery only adds to the curiosity of what this true story has in store. More importantly, can a movie with scenes this wild stand a chance at the Oscars?

While in theory, Eddie Redmayne hasn’t had long to disappear, it does feel at times like he’s been in hiding. With exception to the Fantastic Beasts franchise, he hasn’t had a buzzy Oscar movie since the misguided The Danish Girl. One has to wonder what was next in store for him. After all, he has had a promising career since his turn in the 2011 biopic My Week with Marilyn, and the promise of working with Felicity Jones again only makes The Aeronauts all the more exciting.

Then again, the idea of anyone wanting to make a movie about such an eccentric type is the exact Oscar push we need for any movie trying to crowd the market. We all can’t be Cats. We have to have a unique hook, and for Redmayne, that was starring in a true story about a pioneer in the hot air balloon world. On paper, it sounds silly, especially given that it stars two Oscar-caliber actors in a movie that will have some spectacle, for better or worse.

Check out the trailer below:

Looks like a lot of fun. Here’s the plot description according to IMDb:

Pilot Amelia Wren (Felicity Jones) and scientist James Glaisher (Eddie Redmayne) find themselves in an epic fight for survival while attempting to make discoveries in a hot air balloon.

To be honest, there is a part of me that recognizes how it can be seen as cheesy and more action than prestige. There’s definitely a heaping of that to get out of this trailer. With that said, Amazon is looking to have an eventful Fall with The Report, and a lighter tone movie can possibly give audiences a perfect alternative to the rush. I for one am transfixed on this odd idea and wouldn’t mind seeing it… provided it’s good. With its premiere at Venice currently underway, there’s a good chance that there will be a definitive answer sooner than later. Still, this Oscar season is looking to be more curious and weird than it has been in recent years.

Is The Aeronauts a surefire hit? Not exactly. However, in an Oscar season where Cats has become a delightful punchline, it’s nice to know that there’s more than one film wanting to make the season fun. I have faith that Redmayne and Jones will do good work, and I can only hope the movie compliments this perfectly. At worst, it will be one of the more fascinating box office bombs of recent years. One can hope that it’s something more, though maybe it’s too odd to truly catch on in a crowded market. It’s too early to tell, but hopefully, this is the start of great things.