Andrew Stanton Attempts a Quantum Leap from Animation Mastermind to Sci-Fi Dreamer
Andrew Stanton has long enjoyed a legendary status in the realm of animated storytelling, helming such modern masterpieces as Finding Nemo and WALL-E. But what happens when one of Pixar’s visionaries ventures into the unpredictable expanse of live-action science fiction? With his latest film, In the Blink of an Eye, Stanton aspires to deliver a contemplative, time-spanning epic, bridging epochs across human evolution. The ambition is undeniable—but does heart follow?
Three Eras, One Humanity: The Story’s Unconventional Structure
Unlike typical sci-fi, Stanton’s film plays with time, jumping across three defining centuries in human (and post-human) existence. We begin in the distant past, with a Neanderthal family clinging to survival: Thorn, Hera, young Lark, and baby Ebb. These opening sequences unfold with near-primal intimacy, exploring ancient struggles through the poignant eyes of Thorn as he desperately tries to secure a future for his bloodline.
Suddenly, we’re thrust into the present—a narrative gear-shift marked with cheeky title cards. Here, Claire Robertson (Rashida Jones), an anthropology PhD candidate, navigates the challenges of love, grief, and groundbreaking discoveries. Claire, alongside her partner Greg (Daveed Diggs, familiar to TV fans as the compelling lead in Snowpiercer), investigates prehistoric remains whose significance links them directly to the film’s opening act. Yet their story often struggles to shine, paling next to the other two timelines.
The trilogy wraps in a sleek, far-future setting aboard a distant spacecraft, piloted by the enigmatic AI Coakley (Kate McKinnon, stepping away from her usual comedic persona) and her android companion, Rosco (Rhona Rhees). Humanity has become cargo—stem cells carried in hope to seed a new world, while the ship’s oxygen source wilts from a mysterious pathogen.
Connecting Threads: Trinkets, Trauma, and Time
Throughout the film, Stanton weaves his sprawling eras together with a recurring acorn-shaped trinket, originally carved by Thorn in the Stone Age. This object becomes a baton, passed from hand to hand, civilization to civilization—a physical symbol of continuity across the ages. The film proudly displays its literary influences, opening with a Sylvia Plath quote encapsulating a recurring theme: the urgency of presence, the bittersweet march of time, and the fleeting nature of all things.
Each storyline grapples with mortality and the desire to leave something meaningful behind. Thorn’s journey, marked by personal loss and primal resilience, stands out for its emotional rawness. In the present, Claire and Greg’s research—the ‘Elixir’, a gene-replacement technology—suggests a flicker of hope amidst generational pain. Meanwhile, in the cold, calculated future, Coakley faces impossible choices, her humanity tested by a crisis threatening the very children she’s meant to protect.
Technical Brilliance Outshines the Characters
If the emotional depth sometimes sputters, the craft behind the film never wavers. Composer Thomas Newman’s score infuses the narrative with longing, tension, and hope, particularly elevating scenes lacking in dialogue. Ola Maslik’s production design deserves attention—not only for gorgeous Neolithic woods and clinical research labs, but also for the spaceship’s lush greenhouse, laboriously detailed to evoke both comfort and isolation. Cinematographer Ole Bratt Birkeland ensures that every frame feels purposeful, from sun-dappled forests to the cold blues of deep space.
Even so, the dramatic stakes occasionally feel muted. Kate McKinnon, known for her rapid-fire wit and comedic prowess, is largely kept restrained, aside from rare moments of levity—an astrophysical pun here, a 3D-printed curry there. If you’re looking for her signature comedic spark, you won’t quite find it here. Instead, the film leans heavily on atmosphere and metaphor, which may test the patience of viewers expecting more traditional momentum.
Where Does In the Blink of an Eye Stand Among Sci-Fi Contemporaries?
For audiences versed in speculative fiction, In the Blink of an Eye will conjure echoes of Cloud Atlas with its interwoven timelines and cosmic aspirations. Its hushed introspection occasionally recalls the mood of Ad Astra. However, the film struggles to evoke lasting resonance beyond the moment. The poignant ideas—of memory, legacy, survival—never quite crystallize into memorable characters. The experience often drifts, beautifully shot and sonically rich, but fleeting in emotional impact.
Yet in a cinematic landscape dominated by franchises and formula, there’s a boldness in Stanton’s attempt to evoke the urgency of living, reminding us that every story—no matter how brief—matters in the larger tapestry of time. The technical craft remains a highlight, making it one for sci-fi aficionados interested more in philosophical musings than bombastic action.
