In the Blink of an Eye

As it spans almost 50,000 years of human existence, In the Blink of an Eye is at least admirable for its ambitious scope.

This tear-jerking drama crosses cultural and chronological boundaries with a high-concept meditation on relationships and the innate desire for human connection. However, its big ideas about the fragility of life and permanence of spirit through past, present, and future become muddled. And the uneven narrative momentum leaves it feeling more tedious than profound.

As it chronicles birth, death, and various stops in between, the film asks us to ponder mortality, love, technological coexistence, and our place in the universe — physically and subconsciously.

It contrasts the vastness of the world it depicts with the intimacy of three loosely intertwined stories about people enduring moral or emotional crises.

First is a prehistoric family during the Neanderthal era dealing with tragedy and rebirth while danger constantly lurks around them.

In the present day, Claire (Rashida Jones) is a Princeton anthropologist whose involvement with a professor (Daveed Diggs) is hindered by commitment issues. Then a family health scare triggers a downward spiral both personally and professionally.

Finally there’s a scientist (Kate McKinnon) stationed aboard a spaceship about 400 years into the future, where her mission is to colonize a distant planet with the as-yet unborn children she’s carrying as cargo. But a virus prompts a drastic decision for her and her AI companion.

Marking a rare live-action directorial effort by animation veteran Andrew Stanton (Finding Nemo), the film is enhanced by imaginative and richly detailed visuals and committed performances by McKinnon and Jones in change-of-pace roles.

Meanwhile, the deliberately paced screenplay by Colby Day (Spaceman) emphasizes heavy-handed sentimentality over meaningful insight while toggling between subplots. The contemporary segment is most compelling primarily because its ideas are less abstract and more moviegoers will be able to relate.

There’s a worthwhile message that we’re more alike than we might realize thanks to basic empathy and compassion, and that companionship provides a source of mutual comfort and generational sustainability.

The result is thoughtful yet somber as it gradually transitions from bleak to life-affirming with minimal subtlety. Even as it optimistically searches for hope amid the heartbreak, In the Blink of an Eye digs deep but winds up shallow.

Rated PG-13, 94 minutes.