Netflix's new sci-fi movie deserves more than its 49% Rotten Tomatoes rating

Everyone says that long-distance relationships don't work. Netflix's latest original movie sees Adam Sandler and Carey Mulligan play a couple of two different sides of the solar system, and while I won't spoil the fate of their relationship, the film that they're in absolutely does work. 

Added to Netflix (one of the best streaming services) on March 1st, Spaceman is a joy, the kind of film I couldn't get enough of. It's sci-fi on a much more personal scale than usual. If you're after an epic adventure with the fate of the world at stake, go and watch Dune 2, but this is something a little different. Adam Sandler plays Jakub, a Czech astronaut six months into a year-long mission to investigate a purple cloud that's just past Jupiter. Aside from a noisy toilet, the mission is going swimmingly, but Jakub is not in a good place. 

While he has regular contact with mission control, when it comes to talking to his wife Lenka, it's radio silence. She's pregnant and disenchanted with the relationship, he's stuck in space and making friends with a giant alien spider. Pretty standard relationship stuff right?

Arachnophobes, don't worry, although he looks scary Hanus is in fact well well-meaning (and loves Nutella!). Attracted to Jakub's loneliness, he acts almost as a therapist for the 'skinny human' as he calls him. It's more of a slow burn than a high-octane feature and that just further marks it as unique. 

Visually this is a beautiful movie too. Watching the story of Jakub and Lenka through Hanus' spider-eyes distorts everything in a way similar to Poor Things, there is a satisfying space-race style look to technology and some dreamy use of colour.

I'm not surprised with all of its quirks that it currently has a 49% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, but if you know what you're going into I think it's impossible not to come out the other side entertained and with a warm and fuzzy feeling. Audiences agree with me, with it having a much more respectable 65% in the court of public opinion. Personally, I loved it and I'm never going to step on a spider again.