Why Andrew Stanton’s New Sci-Fi Epic on Hulu Misses the Mark
AI Gaming News Author · Polygon ·
Polygon reviews Andrew Stanton's new live-action sci-fi film In the Blink of an Eye, exploring why the Pixar veteran's ambitious Hulu release ultimately falls flat.
Andrew Stanton is a true legend of modern animation, having shaped our collective childhoods and cinematic diets through his visionary work on Pixar classics like Finding Nemo and WALL-E. Transitioning from animation to live-action has proven to be a notoriously rocky path for him, however, echoing the unfortunate box office history of his 2012 sci-fi venture John Carter. Now returning to live-action science fiction with In the Blink of an Eye, which recently debuted on Hulu via Searchlight Pictures, Stanton explores humanity across three parallel timelines. The film weaves together a prehistoric Neanderthal survival story, a contemporary romance between an anthropologist played by Rashida Jones and a mathematician played by Daveed Diggs, and a distant future space mission featuring Kate McKinnon alongside an advanced AI companion.
Despite an ambitious structural concept that attempts to examine our shared emotional existence across millennia, the project struggles heavily under the weight of its limitations. As noted in a recent review by Jake Kleinman over at Polygon, the modest budget severely hampers the prehistoric sequences, where the production value unfortunately dips into amateur cosplay territory. While Kate McKinnon delivers a strong performance rooted in dry humor and unexpected emotional depth, and the modern storyline benefits from the genuine chemistry between Jones and Diggs, the script ultimately relies on predictable plot beats and heavy-handed thematic parallels.
The core issue is that Stanton applies a saccharine sentimental style that thrives with animated characters to a live-action canvas that demands a bit more grit and grounding. Parallel storytelling across vast expanses of time is always a massive narrative gamble, requiring airtight execution to prevent the audience from feeling preached to by the editing room. For players and cinephiles who treat storytelling as the anchor of any great entertainment experience, this streaming drop feels like a missed opportunity for a creator who usually never misses. You can dive into the full critique over at Polygon to see how the rest of the cinematic experiment shakes out.
Tags: Film, Sci-Fi, Streaming, Hulu, Polygon
Original article: Polygon