WARNING: SPOILERS ahead for Spaceman.
The exact timeline of Netflix’s new contemplative sci-fi drama Spaceman is intentionally ambiguous and undefined. The unique and existential Spaceman was directed by Johan Renck, known for his exceptional work on Chernobyl (2019), Breaking Bad (2009–2011), The Walking Dead (2010), Vikings (2013), and Bloodline (2015). Despite Renck’s impressive filmography, Spaceman has received mixed reviews from critics off the bat, earning a Rotten Tomatoes score of just 51% as of its streaming release date of March 1, 2024.
Spaceman stars Sandler in another notable dramatic performance seen in previous works such as Uncut Gems, Punch-Drunk Love, and Hustle. Sandler’s Jakub receives the unfortunate news that his wife Lenka, played by Academy Award nominee Carey Mulligan, wants to divorce him while he’s halfway on a 12-month solo mission to outer space. Jakub is tasked with gathering samples of the mysterious yet mesmerizing Chopra Cloud that randomly becomes visible in the Earth’s sky when a bizarre but friendly alien arachnid creature appears to share in his cosmic loneliness.
Spaceman Ending Explained: What Happened To Jakub?
The ambiguous ending of Spaceman leaves Jakub on a personal high note after a cerebral, life-changing experience in the mysterious Chopra Cloud.
Spaceman Seems To Take Place In A Parallel ’80s Or ’90s
Despite being rooted in the sensibilities of a modern-day Earth, there are clear juxtapositions between the technological capabilities and aesthetics in Spaceman. For example, the Chopra Cloud is said to be as far out in outer space as Jupiter is from Earth yet Jakub was able to reach it in his spaceship in roughly half a year. This impossible-made-possible feat is also made more interesting considering that all of the technology in Spaceman looks like it is from the 1980s or early 1990s.
Spaceman never confirms or specifies the exact year that its story takes place in, which supports the case that the film is purely a product of space-age fantasy. Director Johan Renck seems to have designed the world of Spaceman to defy any realistic time and place, saying in a recent interview with Dextero, “It doesn’t take place in our timeline. I think it’s a parallel kind of idea because, like you say, we have this retrospective visual aspect to it. It’s quite analog, isn’t it? You know, there’s nothing that in any way shape or form suggests that it has to do with now. But at the same time, we’re dealing with space travel in a way that we cannot do yet.”
6 Reasons Reviews For Adam Sandler’s New Sci-Fi Space Movie Are Mixed
Adam Sandler’s Netflix movie Spaceman has divided critics, with common concerns about the film’s conflict and themes but high praise for the acting.
How Long Was Jakub On His Mission In Spaceman?
Spaceman opens with Jakub being on Day 189 of his mission and nearing the midway point of the total expedition, which is expected to last for a total duration of 1 year. In the book “Spaceman of Bohemia” by Jaroslav Kalfař which inspired the 2024 Netflix movie, Jakub’s mission takes a total of 8 months. Regardless, that type of accelerated space travel does not yet exist and contributes to the theme that Spaceman doesn’t actually exist in any recorded or possible time and space, adding to its innate cerebral and space fantasy elements.
Spaceman
Spaceman is a sci-fi drama starring Adam Sandler and directed by Chernobyl director Johan Renck. The film, based on the book Spaceman of Bohemia by Jaroslav Kalfař, follows Jakub Procházka who goes on a solo mission to space and encounters a mysterious creature as he begins to lose touch with reality.
- Director
- Johan Renck
- Release Date
- March 1, 2024
- Studio(s)
- Free Association , Tango Entertainment
- Distributor(s)
- Netflix
- Writers
- Colby Day
- Cast
- Adam Sandler , Paul Dano , Carey Mulligan , Kunal Nayyar , Lena Olin , Isabella Rossellini
- Runtime
- 107 Minutes
- Where To Stream
- Netflix
