Critic Reviews

The Balloonists is a wild ride, and a captivating journey through this world of adventure. It’s also a deeply human story, one where hubris and courage mix like the gasses aboard the vessel, sometimes making things rise to implausible heights, sometimes crashing to the ground.

It has the disposition of a vintage buddy movie and an underdog tale, one that celebrates human determination and the notion of advancement through science.

It’s Jones who provides the tale with emotional ballast. His softly espoused beliefs in the values of home, family and living in glorious anonymity.

It’s a great adventure story, and Dower’s ebullient doc captures the exhilaration of following it on the news at the time. Perhaps it’s time Piccard embarked on another one of his quixotic expeditions.

It’s a gripping story – though perhaps those involved have told it so many times over the years, they’ve lost their sense of excitement; this may well be for aviation fans only.