Is Spaceman by Adam Sandler a Science Fiction Film or a Therapy Session?

As a movie buff, you sometimes find films that, while not well acclaimed, are nonetheless enjoyable to see. Although the teaser for Adam Sandler's Spaceman hinted at a sci-fi film, the film ultimately became more of a voyage of self-discovery. The movie was spot on when it came to the human side, even if the sci-fi portion could have been removed and substituted with a new scenario. The film does a remarkable job of depicting a man's journey of self-discovery with an unexpected partner.

An Unlikely Space Bonding

Adam Sandler’s Spaceman: A Sci-Fi Movie or a Therapy Session? — Picture Source: IMDb

The main character of Spaceman, portrayed by Sandler, is a Czech astronaut called Jakub, who has been sent to the edge of Jupiter to investigate a purple-colored phenomenon in space. During the course of his one-year mission, he has spent 189 days in space. He's in a terrible place right now, both psychologically and physically. He struggles to fall asleep, and when he does, he has strange dreams. He hears a thudding sound one day and finds a massive spider in his spacecraft upon awakening.

The spider is alert, cool, and collected; it can speak and asserts that it is a member of an alien species, which scares Jakub. The enormous spider informs Jakub that he wants to help him with his mental suffering and that he is intigued by his mental state.

Gradually, as their discussions deepen, an unusual companionship is born, and Jakub finally gives the spider the name Hanus (voiced by Paul Dano).

Hanus assists Jakub in exploring his innermost thoughts and discovering the one thing he has been doing incorrectly his whole life throughout the film. The sermon takes the shape of a lovely conversation that will briefly cause you to reflect on your own life.

Notes on Self-Discovery

Alright, so people, before you start viewing the Spaceman movie thinking you're about to see an exciting space adventure, let me assure you that, although taking place in space, it's not exactly an exciting space adventure.

The main topic of this film is self-discovery, or figuring out what you want out of life, particularly if you're as narcissistic and detached from other people's feelings as Jakub. The main character is full of high hopes and aspirations; he wants to go to space and pursue his own interests, but he has always ignored his wife, Carey Mulligan's character Lenka.He has never really been in her life; even after her loss, he showed little to no concern for her suffering, choosing instead to focus on himself. He departed to investigate the Chopra Cloud, a cosmic oddity, when she became pregnant once again. Jakub discovers he has been acting incorrectly all along when Hanus enters his life and makes a complete fool of him by going for his true desires.This film makes observations on the truth of human wants. As humans, we spent our whole lives pursuing our goals, and sometimes, in the process, we lose sight of the things and people we cherish most. Upon reaching our goals, we are alone and have no one to congratulate us on a job well done.In Spaceman, Jakub follows his desires and goes to space, but along the way, he loses his wife's love, a scene that isn't given the emotional depth it deserves. The movie mostly concentrated on the emotional condition of Jakub, our narcissistic protagonist, but in my opinion, a far deeper understanding of Lenka's mental state was necessary to comprehend her decision to file for divorce from him.You will have a negative impression of the character for a large portion of the film due to the lack of understanding of her position, since the reason for her leaving Jakub is only disclosed towards the very end. Additionally, the jumble of flashbacks and haphazard plotlines add to this problem, making you tired by the conclusion.That being said, Spaceman's message is quite apparent. When Jakub arrived on Earth, he would have nowhere to return to if it weren't for the intervention of the extraterrestrial spider Hanus.

Spaceman: An Allegory from the Bible?

One thing I've observed about the Spaceman movie is that it alludes in some way to the afterlife concept found in the Bible. The Holy Bible says that an angel will go with us to heaven once we die, so we won't be traveling there alone. When it comes to Spaceman, Jakub's ignorance of his wife is a metaphor for death, signifying the end of a chapter in his existence.The angel Hanus is the one who even says, "Be not Afraid, Skinny Human," to Jakub when they first meet. The spider assists Jakub with his problems over the whole trip to the Chopra Cloud, building a new existence for him back home as a metaphor for the end of one life and the start of another.Of course, the world-building isn't as extensive as Arrakis in Dune Part 2, but Spaceman succeeds in creating a barren space environment with Sandler at the controls, and he's not his ridiculously crude and humorous self. To be honest, it was a little strange to see him in anything other than a comedy film, but Sandler does a great job portraying Jakub, so if you have the time, you should definitely see this film at least once.I promise you, if you're a person who is a "workaholic" and just thinks about their work, you should watch this right now. Spaceman isn't your typical science fiction film, so don't stream it expecting that; instead, prepare yourself for an entirely unique experience.Adibri's

Take on Spaceman from Adam Sandler.

Although Spaceman was developed with the best of intentions, I believe the marketing strategy used to promote the film was ineffective. I believe that Spaceman would find the correct audience if it were promoted more as a drama and self-help film rather than a science fiction picture. As it is, people are viewing it expecting, you know, a science fiction film since it is named as such, and they are disappointed as such.It seems that the film's creators overlooked the notion that just because a movie features space travel, it does not automatically qualify as science fiction. The movie's genre is determined by its central topic, which in this case is self-help and drama. A promising film in the self-help category is seldom being seen by audiences as a result of this inaccurate classification.Director of Spaceman is .The director of television programs such as Breaking Bad and Chernobyl, Johan Renck, has a strong focus on human psychology. His productions include topics such as character development and the interplay between acts and consequences.The Heisenberg Effect, which is described as "The very act of becoming a player changes the game being played," is shown visually in Breaking Bad. The whole storyline of the program follows Heisenberg as he rises to the pinnacle of his industry and gradually falls from grace as a result of several irrevocable errors.In English literature, these mistakes are also known as "tragic flaws," and the whole story of a character reaching his pinnacle and then falling short due to a tragic fault is called the graph of Hamartia.We also see the character growth of Jared Harris's character, Valery Legasov, at Chernobyl. In the last episode, he decides not to speak what is expected of him and instead states the truth. He said, "What is the cost of lies? " in the film. It's not like we'll accept them at face value. Character development is another issue that is shown by this statement: "The real danger is that if we hear enough lies, then we no longer recognize the truth at all."The similar character development is shown in Spaceman, when Jakub fails to see the depravity of his treatment of his wife. He learns from Hanus that he has been mistreating his wife and focusing too much on his objectives.Lenka, Jakub's wife, has a limited history and screen time, which is one of the film's shortcomings. Furthermore, we were never able to find out whether Hanus was genuine or whether Jakub was just dreaming, despite the fact that this was a question that many had.The movie ends very quickly, and I think a moment where he returns home and makes up with his family would have been a better way to wrap things off. Overall, Spaceman is worth a watch if you're seeking for a self-help film that will make you laugh out loud and cry at the end credits. But if you're in the mood for a more traditional sci-fi experience, IMAX has Dune 2 and buckets of worm-shaped popcorn.