OVERVIEW
In the Blink of an Eye is a sci-fi drama that spans thousands of years, following three interconnected storylines that echo one another. In the ancient past, a Neanderthal family fights to survive on a harsh coastline. In the present, a university anthropologist named Claire (Rashida Jones) studies that distant world while trying to maintain a long-term relationship with her boyfriend (Daveed Diggs). In the far future, a space mission led by Coakley (Kate McKinnon) faces a life-or-death crisis onboard, including a failing oxygen system.
BACKGROUND
The film marks Andrew Stanton’s second foray into live-action (after the underappreciated but box-office bomb John Carter), and also his second futuristic, ambitious sci-fi (after the masterpiece that is WALL·E). Stanton was drawn to Colby Day’s wide-thinking script and its “big ideas,” especially the notion of “varied chamber pieces through time.” The movie premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 26, 2026, and is set to hit Hulu on February 27, a move he did not sound thrilled about in his festival introduction: “You’re probably some of the only audience who will get to experience it in theaters.”
THE REVIEW
The film has some similarities with 2012’s Cloud Atlas, and 2024’s Here, although its ambitions, narratively, stylistically, and thematically, are much smaller. It is not a film that will have you thinking about its philosophical questions, nor will it tire you with pretentious execution. It does not hold a candle to Malick’s The Tree of Life, another sibling. What you get instead is a well-intentioned film with a clear message, its heart in the right place, and a great score to boot.
The best thing that I can say about it is that, for me, someone who usually despises these “isn’t the world a beautiful place” movies (see The Life of Chuck), and is not a fan of interconnected stories, I was pretty much onboard with it. The stories work well on their own, from the more poetic, mature past timeline, where Stanton best showcases his directorial chops, to the slightly melodramatic yet still touching present-day romance, to the future timeline, where the director offers a different and interesting view of AI than he did in his Pixar masterpiece. The themes of loss, love, human persistence, and legacy that bind the three timelines land cleanly, while Mollie Goldstein’s editing keeps the three strands moving with real ease.
Sure, the film could use more visual ambition. Outside of some locations in the past timeline, the film’s look is fairly bland (the present-day timeline, in particular, feels very TV and thin). The visual effects are nothing to write home about, but they do suggest a budget probably larger than that of a typical straight-to-streaming release. Compensating for it is Thomas Newman’s beautiful score, which retains the composer’s light rhythms while adding more symphonic presence. It is one of his best works in a long time.
The performances are solid, with Kate McKinnon as the highlight in a rare dramatic turn. The SNL comedian has always had a big presence, and the film mostly has her carrying her storyline on her own, playing off an AI voice. She brings real gravitas to a mission framed as crucial for humanity’s future and, surprisingly, convinces as someone you would actually trust with that job. Rashida Jones and Daveed Diggs also do good work, with strong chemistry that helps the film’s most conventional, least interesting plotline land.
FINAL THOUGHTS
I won’t say I will remember much of In the Blink of an Eye after the month is done. Still, more than John Carter, which I generally like more but has some pacing problems, it shows that Andrew Stanton has the chops to portray real human emotions in live action, smartly keeping the story’s scope intimate in a way that contrasts nicely with the large themes at play. Does it compete with his Pixar work? Not really. But for 90 minutes, it is surprisingly effective.