Spaceman Movie Explained-Whether The Spider Is Real Is Hinted By His Name

I never thought a giant ridiculous space spider could so touch me, and yet, against all odds, an Adam Sandler movie with said spider affected me in similar ways as Interstellar and Arrival, which it undoubtedly will be compared to. Spaceman is a weirdly special ride that I didn’t know I wanted.

Netflix’s audacious emotional science fiction movie comes from a long list of stories that question why astronauts go into space, to begin with. Everything from For All Man Kind, As Astra, the two I’ve already mentioned, and Apple TV+’s recent Constellations ask the hard questions about where sacrifice ends and selfishness begins. To agree to go into space for months or years at a time takes courage and real heroism. It also takes a tremendous toll on those left behind. Similar to those in the military who are deployed for long periods away from their family, it is something they do willingly to keep us safe, but it comes at a price.

Jakub is on a years-long mission to collect materials from something called the Chopra Cloud past Jupiter. With the exception of his mission control contact, Peter, he is utterly alone in space. Jakub is nearing the end of his mission, and after months of being virtually alone in space, he is struggling. His pregnant wife Lenka(Carey Mulligan) is struggling on Earth and has decided to leave him. Unfortunately, he doesn’t know that as she isn’t speaking to him, and Mission Control hides her decision to divorce him. One night after yet another terrible night’s sleep a giant spider appears and begins talking to him in what can only be described as the most horrifyingly calm voice.

Jakub is understandably freaked out initially, but between the mesmerizing voice(voiced by Paul Dano of Prisoners and Dumb Money) and his desperation to talk to someone, anyone, he relaxes into their new normal. The spider Jakub named Hanus was fleeing his home planet when he sensed Jakub’s sadness and searched for him. Part of Hanus’ ability is the projection of Jakob’s memories. He is able to dredge them up and make them relive them whether he wants to or not. Hanus is curious about what makes Jakub and all humans tick.

In the same way, time is not linear in Interstellar and Arrival; Jakub’s memories are moored to a specific time or place for Hanus. This memory dissection is about understanding and investigation. However, it turns into something far more profound when Jakub finally realizes that he may have waited too long to understand what was most important in life. Here’s everything you need to know about the ending of Spaceman, whether Hanus is real, and what is really important.

The ending of Spaceman

At the end of Spaceman, Hanus returns to Jakub after becoming disheartened by Jakub’s selfish ways. Hanus explains that he doesn’t want to be alone in the end. He is dying, and even though he is angry with Jakub, he needs connection just like Jakub did. The pair reconcile and embrace in a bizarrely touching sequence I didn’t expect to be touched by. As Jakub collects samples, he sees his friend floating outside the ship. He dons his suit, grabs a can of disinfectant, and spacewalks out to save him. He is able to reach him and tries the spray, but the space parasites are too much for Hanus, and after a heartfelt goodbye, he disintegrates.

Before he does, Hanus explains that the Chopra Cloud is the beginning, the end, and everything in between. Hanus tells Jakub it is his ending but not Jakub’s and shows him the moment he sees Lenka. Just as he finds the will to live, he sees the South Korean space station in front of him and is saved. The final scene shows Jakub talking to Lenka via the station’s phone. He tells Lenka he knows what is important now. He asks her if she would do it all over again if she knew then what she does now, and she answers yes. Her reply indicates she still loves him.

Is the spider real?

The sensors don’t detect anything, and conveniently, the cameras aren’t working on most of the ship, so there is no proof of Jakub’s arachnid partner. No one but Jakub sees or hears him. There is zero technological proof that he exists, yet Jakub is forever changed by his experience with the spider. Whether the spider actually exists depends on your view of God. Hanus is a Czech name that means God is kind. The spider, although persistent, is always kind, and as we see later, he was always trying to connect with Jakub and potentially offer him the insight he needed. Hanus frequently talks about the beginning and the end. He could be quite literally the Elder Gods that Lovecraft predicted. Instead of being terrifying, horrible beasts, it is a horrifying-looking but benevolent-acting massive spider.

It’s just as likely the spider is a figment of Jakub’s fevered mind. Sandler’s spaceman was sleep-deprived, mentally depleted, and depressed. Maybe Hanus was just his space Wilson filling a void when it was need the most. I prefer to think Hanus was Kismet. That elusive ruler of fate and karma that helps us all get where we should be going.

Spaceman is the story of Hanus as much as it is Jakub. Yes, Hanus allowed Jakub to confront his selfish behavior and face his demons, but Jakub also gave Hanus the comfort he needed in his last moments. It was a last chance to have a friend and form a bond before he succumbed to the Gorompeds. To cheapen the experience by making Hanus just another delirious hallucination trivializes the idea of hope and higher powers. Whether you believe in something else or not is irrelevant. Jakub did. Hanus is no longer with us, but maybe he is everywhere. We are all just space dust, after all.

Spaceman is on Netflix right now.