Spaceman

From time to time, a movie comes along that’s hard to define, and, hence, it’s hard to know what to make of it. Such is the case with the second feature outing from filmmaker Johan Renck, a director best known for TV commercials and music videos, a reputation that bleeds through at times in this production. Viewer opinions and interpretations of this one are all across the board, making “Spaceman” one of the most challenging releases to peg in recent memory. This space-faring sci-fi release tells the tale of an astronaut (Adam Sandler) on a solo, long-term deep space mission to investigate a mysterious anomaly. However, he’s experiencing a profound sense of loneliness that’s distracting him from carrying out his quest, in large part because of marital troubles with his pregnant wife (Carey Mulligan) back on earth. As he seeks to sort out these matters, though, he’s further sidetracked by the unexpected appearance of an enigmatic alien that resembles a large nimble spider (voiced by Paul Dano) who possesses a profound philosophical wisdom. But how will all of this shake out, and what effect will it have on the mission? This scenario makes for an intriguing premise, but what exactly is the filmmaker’s intent in carrying it out? There are mixed tonal aspects here, some of which seem sincere, with others that come across as cheeky and cheesy, as if the director is giving the audience a good, sidelong wink. Indeed, it’s often difficult to tell which way the narrative is supposed to go. And, if straddling the fence is the real intent, it doesn’t quite work. So where does that leave us? I suppose it’s up to viewers to decide for themselves, but that seems shamelessly noncommittal. Based on the film’s attributes alone, there are good arguments for and against this offering. For instance, its ample metaphysical and philosophical insights are cogently presented and easy to understand, even if a bit saccharinely encrusted at times. It also represents a promising step up for Sandler’s attempt at reinventing himself as an actor in search of more substantive roles than the inanely silly parts he’s best known for. And the picture’s numerous deftly placed allusions to other sci-fi/fantasy projects enhance the narrative nicely, as seen in homages to “Interstellar” (2014), “Solaris” (2002), “Everything Everywhere All at Once” (2022) and even the lyrics to David Bowie’s Space Oddity. However, tedious pacing, occasionally poor sound quality and less-than-stellar visual effects (especially in the alien’s supremely tacky appearance) get in the way, further adding to the inherent overall ambiguity noted earlier. This one is thus up to you – and don’t be surprised if you come away from it with a different interpretation than what’s written here.