The Aeronauts

The bar was pretty darn low for Felicity Jones and Eddie Redmayne to improve on their last biopic pairing, the comically overpraised The Theory of Everything, but they do just that with fact-based adventure film, The Aeronauts.

Wild Rose director Tom Harper’s second thoughtful feminist feature of 2019 tracks the daring, frequently thrilling 1862 gas balloon voyage of young widow Amelia Wren (Jones) and pioneering meteorologist James Glaisher (Redmayne). The script by Jack Thorne (Wonder) centers on the brave duo’s attempt to break the elevation record, and remains active via flashbacks to how their paths came to cross.

Building on the rapport from their previous collaboration — as long as Stephen Hawking could speak, that is — Jones and Redmayne offer steady charm through their characters’ shared professional pursuits, and refreshingly never have romance intrude on their relationship.

The mutual dedication to going where no Brit has gone before allows The Aeronauts’ respectable spectacle to achieve maximum impact, delivering frequent thrills that acrophobes may want to skip — or treat as a safe way to overcome their fears.

Grade: B. Rated PG-13. Now playing at Grail Moviehouse

(Photo: Amazon Studios)