Okay, I'm old school dude. Like Golden Age of Science Fiction old. Maybe I'm too tolerant. But I'm not the only one! There is a lot of slamming going on here. The truth is this isn't a bad movie. If you want to be cynical then go right ahead and not enjoy yourself. This isn't science fiction. It's fantasy. Most of the gripes I read are legit. There are plenty of things that aren't scientifically correct. The plot is a new twist on an ancient concept. It's a STORY. I like the movie because it was fun to watch. Entertaining. And for a change, not a shot was fired except for rockets. So cut it a little slack and go in and be entertained.
276 Reviews
Watchable
tlarraya2 May 2017
This movie is a little bit childish and I believe it will be enjoyed more by teenagers. However it is watchable and the special effects are good. The acting is also good. But it wasn't as good as I had hoped. It 's not really a movie about Mars or how it could affect the first human born there but a love story between two teenagers.
questionable set-up
SnoopyStyle2 July 2017
Visionary leader Nathaniel Shepherd (Gary Oldman) organizes the first Martian settlement, East Texas. Sarah Elliot is one of the six astronauts to be the first settlers. Everybody is shock to find that she's pregnant. Fearing a PR nightmare, her pregnancy and her subsequent childbirth death is covered up. Sixteen years later, Gardner Elliot (Asa Butterfield) has been raised in secret by scientists like Kendra Wyndham (Carla Gugino). His only friends are a robot and an online friend, foster kid Tulsa (Britt Robertson), who doesn't know his true identity. His upbringing on Mars has left him incapable of living in Earth's gravity. He manages to escape and with Tulsa's help, goes in search for his unknown father.
Britt Robertson is getting a little old to play a teenager but it actually works well for this character. She's world-weary which matches well with the fish-out-of-water Asa Butterfield. The age difference brings out the experience difference in the two characters. They make for a cute couple.
The main problem is the set-up and the questions that arise. One must ignore a lot of these nagging questions. The kid has trouble with 1g but he has to endure multiple gs in his travels. It's also a pretty big secret to be kept by NASA. The distance between Earth and Mars is about 10 light minutes which would make online communications noticeably delayed. The questions keep pilling on and on. A few more rewrites are required.
Britt Robertson is getting a little old to play a teenager but it actually works well for this character. She's world-weary which matches well with the fish-out-of-water Asa Butterfield. The age difference brings out the experience difference in the two characters. They make for a cute couple.
The main problem is the set-up and the questions that arise. One must ignore a lot of these nagging questions. The kid has trouble with 1g but he has to endure multiple gs in his travels. It's also a pretty big secret to be kept by NASA. The distance between Earth and Mars is about 10 light minutes which would make online communications noticeably delayed. The questions keep pilling on and on. A few more rewrites are required.
charming and cute... and yeah, flawed, but who cares
rmarkd5 June 2020
Warning: Spoilers
Gardner Elliot (Asa Butterfield) is a kid born on Mars who can't go back to earth. While on Mars, he befriends a girl on Earth named Tulsa (Britt Robertson). They finally take the risk to bring him back to Earth, but he's having medical issues and so they plan to bring him back to Mars. Sensing this, Gardner escapes, finds Tulsa, and the two search for Gardner's father.
First, the bad: An awful, cheesy first ten minutes or so. I was ready to turn this movie off after that. A pretty awful 20 minutes after that. Again, I wanted to turn the movie off but figured I invested 30 minutes so far, might as well see it through. And I'm glad I did. Sure, Mars is something like 3-20 light minutes from Earth. Can't have a conversation like Gardner and Tulsa did. And I'm sure there were other scientific inaccuracies. Cute girl Tulsa can't find any friends? Rather unlikely. The two evade all these people looking for them. Rather unlikely. Kids are going to applaud some bit of Tesla/Edison trivia which is pretty well known? Rather unlikely. Probably some other stuff.
If you can get over that, then this becomes a cute story of a boy seeing Earth for the first time and without all the emotional hardening and a girl who has been jaded by the world she's lived in but is really just looking for a reason to let that inner light shine. He gets her to let her guard down, and the two fall in love. I think if you focus on that, it becomes a charming and cute romance story. Yeah, perhaps it's simplistic. It's not some multi-layered, emotionally complex whatever, whatever. So what? Butterfield and Robertson have good chemistry, I thought, and there were some very touching scenes. It's an uplifting romance movie that may not register too high on the believability scale, but it's the kind of story that works if you let it.
My only gripe is that Tulsa didn't go with Gardner when he had to return. Yes, we see her training to go and the implication is that she'll eventually go there, but this is the type of movie where they should have been together at the end, and they could have suspended believability one last time by "smuggling" her onto the ship or hand-waving some solution. I figured that's where they were going given she was an orphan looking to leave once she turned 18. Figured she'd leave for Mars.
Anyway, 7/10 for what it is. A nice, charming romance story thinly veiled in a sci-fi movie.
First, the bad: An awful, cheesy first ten minutes or so. I was ready to turn this movie off after that. A pretty awful 20 minutes after that. Again, I wanted to turn the movie off but figured I invested 30 minutes so far, might as well see it through. And I'm glad I did. Sure, Mars is something like 3-20 light minutes from Earth. Can't have a conversation like Gardner and Tulsa did. And I'm sure there were other scientific inaccuracies. Cute girl Tulsa can't find any friends? Rather unlikely. The two evade all these people looking for them. Rather unlikely. Kids are going to applaud some bit of Tesla/Edison trivia which is pretty well known? Rather unlikely. Probably some other stuff.
If you can get over that, then this becomes a cute story of a boy seeing Earth for the first time and without all the emotional hardening and a girl who has been jaded by the world she's lived in but is really just looking for a reason to let that inner light shine. He gets her to let her guard down, and the two fall in love. I think if you focus on that, it becomes a charming and cute romance story. Yeah, perhaps it's simplistic. It's not some multi-layered, emotionally complex whatever, whatever. So what? Butterfield and Robertson have good chemistry, I thought, and there were some very touching scenes. It's an uplifting romance movie that may not register too high on the believability scale, but it's the kind of story that works if you let it.
My only gripe is that Tulsa didn't go with Gardner when he had to return. Yes, we see her training to go and the implication is that she'll eventually go there, but this is the type of movie where they should have been together at the end, and they could have suspended believability one last time by "smuggling" her onto the ship or hand-waving some solution. I figured that's where they were going given she was an orphan looking to leave once she turned 18. Figured she'd leave for Mars.
Anyway, 7/10 for what it is. A nice, charming romance story thinly veiled in a sci-fi movie.
A lost boy who wanted to see the world!
whitbyscallyred4 February 2017
This is basically a movie about two teenagers on the run. They meet for the first time. The girl is streetwise and assertive. The boy is geeky and naive. They drive off through an America with lots of great scenery, and there's humour and romance and some feel good music. This is what is at the heart of the movie and it works well.
What doesn't work well is the back story, about the boy being born on mars. It makes for a pretty uneven film that starts out as a sci-fi movie with a crew of astronauts heading out to the stars, then morphs into something completely different. The special effects in space are wasted, because this part of the story didn't really need to be shown. Plus, some of the incidental music doesn't work too well.
The makers should've just stuck to the story of a lost boy who wanted to see the world, and a girl who just didn't fit in and was willing to show it to him.
What doesn't work well is the back story, about the boy being born on mars. It makes for a pretty uneven film that starts out as a sci-fi movie with a crew of astronauts heading out to the stars, then morphs into something completely different. The special effects in space are wasted, because this part of the story didn't really need to be shown. Plus, some of the incidental music doesn't work too well.
The makers should've just stuck to the story of a lost boy who wanted to see the world, and a girl who just didn't fit in and was willing to show it to him.
What is your favorite thing about earth?
nogodnomasters23 July 2017
Warning: Spoilers
Gardner Eliot (Asa Butterfield) was born on Mars. His mother dies at childbirth. The company owned by Nathaniel Shepherd (Gary Oldman) opts to keep it all a secret. Eliot develops an on-line relationship with a foster girl named Tulsa (Britt Robertson) who doesn't like Earth boys. She doesn't know Eliot is on Mars because they ignored the fact there are several minutes in time delay between the planets. One of those silly speed of light things. Eliot longs to see Earth, but will have issues if he returns.
This is like a bubble boy escapes and the film has two choices for an ending, one happy and one very sad.
The love story aspect was a bit lame and not believable.It is a film aimed at kids who might like some geek aspect to their love story in spite of the fact science was on the top in some scenes and ignored in others.
Guide: No F-words. Brief implied sex.
This is like a bubble boy escapes and the film has two choices for an ending, one happy and one very sad.
The love story aspect was a bit lame and not believable.It is a film aimed at kids who might like some geek aspect to their love story in spite of the fact science was on the top in some scenes and ignored in others.
Guide: No F-words. Brief implied sex.
Fits for ages 12-15
lgxd1 February 2017
I went to see the movie as an accompanying adult with my little sister and her friends, who are all 13. The plot seemed promising at first. A kid born on Mars, that's a cool take on Martians, right?. That was not the case. About 30 minutes into the film, I started twitching in my seat, about how little sense it all made. Got worse the more it went on. In my opinion, it was a mediocre story built around a great initial idea. I can't rant without spoiling, so I'll just say that the love story is weak and develops too fast. The kids are supposed to be 16 in the film, yet the 22+ looking Britt Robertson makes Asa Butterfield look more 14 than 16. In my opinion, it's unrealistic and pointless to see unless you are into a super super easy watch and won't get disturbed by stuff like 3 inch thick see-through laptops 16 years into the future; 16-year-olds crashing a plane into a building and jumping off on the last minute before a great explosion like Bruce Willis in Die Hard; half the movie being 16-year-olds making out and stealing cars; and of course a super predictable ending.
Good sci-fi romance
TVholic11 August 2019
This movie was fine. It's no masterpiece, but I actually found it much more enjoyable than "The Martian," the vaunted 2015 Matt Damon vehicle. That may be somewhat more scientifically accurate - although it still had its share of errors - but it just used people as setpieces for the situation, with no real character development.
I liked Asa Butterfield as the eponymous character in "Ender's Game," and he's just as good here. Before you tag me as an Asa fan, I didn't like him in Scorsese's "Hugo." Here, he was convincing as a Mars-born child with his childlike, guileless naiveté and tall, gangly build. One professional critic compared this with "Flight of the Navigator," but Gardner isn't the smartmouth kid like David was in that movie, and Asa is a far, far better actor than Joey Cramer was. Likewise Gary Oldman, some of whose roles I have detested (his Doctor Smith in the awful "Lost in Space") while others like his Commissioner Gordon in Nolan's Batman movies were fine. The critics think he was over the top as billionaire mogul Nathaniel Shepard, but I found him to be a rather plausible mix of Steve Jobs' salesmanship, Elon Musk's arrogance and spaceflight ambitions, and Howard Hughes' fascination with flying and reclusive eccentricity.
You can tell that many of the movie's fiercest critics here have their own agendas, usually trying to prove they're smarter than the writer. All their comments do is reveal their closed minds and often their ignorance. One smart aleck claims Gardner's mother looked 5 months pregnant in the film. The shot where she peers out of the spacecraft window as she cradles her expanding belly was at an indeterminate time sometime after her sonogram two months after launch, possibly right before landing more than seven months after launch. Same person talks about Mars gravity being 2/3rd of Earth's. No, it's 1/3rd. Plus she complains that the Earth's resources are said to be depleted. That phrase was Nathaniel reading from a letter he wrote to the President as a 12-year-old, full of youthful enthusiasm and exaggeration, not stated as actual scientific fact. Another critic tries to look intelligent by saying Mars is four light minutes away. It is at its closest, but the distance isn't constant and is over 22 light minutes at its furthest. (Another genius here claims it's 90 light minutes each way.) The communication with Mars was instantaneous because they clearly plastered "QuantumCom light minute compression" on the comm screens to imply they've figured out how to use quantum entanglement for instant data transfer at interplanetary distances (still inplausible as it's based on a common misconception, but still far less fantastical than laser swords, warp drive, time travel, telepathy, teleportation devices or humanoid aliens attacking to steal our water, oxygen, etc.). Besides, it's a dramatic technique, as waiting minutes between messages with no realtime interaction just isn't very interesting, unless you liked "You've Got Mail." Another critic who claims to be an MD rated the movie 1 star for no other reason than they pronounced a test "TROponin" rather than "tropPOnin" as he preferred, even though the former is in fact the correct pronunciation, as any medical dictionary can confirm. I wouldn't want him as my doctor, or even playing one on TV. One complained that Gardner's mother was too young to be a mission commander, but probably never said the same about the similarly young Jessica Chastain in "The Martian." Another smart guy claimed the spacecraft would have accelerated halfway to Mars, providing gravity all the way, then turned around and decelerated. Anybody with a knowledge of physics would laugh him out of the room after telling him that would require several times more reaction mass (fuel) than the total mass of the entire spacecraft, a physical impossibility. One critic savages the movie for having contemporary products in it. It's a relatively low budget science fiction film, not a $400 million blockbuster. They spent their budget on more important things like CGI effects, spacecraft props, Mars sets and weightlessness effects, not wasting it creating an entire future Earth, and the projections in movies set in the near future like "2001" always turn out looking dated after a few years anyway. You get the idea; the criticisms are generally incredibly petty, nitpicky and often just plain wrong. I can see plenty of scientific and technological mistakes, especially the Dream Chaser spacecraft used at the end, which would need a large booster and a launchpad rather than taking off using its own small rocket engines from a runway. But I accept that this is a movie, not a documentary, and focus on the characters, whom I did like and care about.
Basically, the critiques boil down to "it's for kids!" As someone approaching retirement age, I'd much rather be young at heart than cranky and old in the head.
I liked Asa Butterfield as the eponymous character in "Ender's Game," and he's just as good here. Before you tag me as an Asa fan, I didn't like him in Scorsese's "Hugo." Here, he was convincing as a Mars-born child with his childlike, guileless naiveté and tall, gangly build. One professional critic compared this with "Flight of the Navigator," but Gardner isn't the smartmouth kid like David was in that movie, and Asa is a far, far better actor than Joey Cramer was. Likewise Gary Oldman, some of whose roles I have detested (his Doctor Smith in the awful "Lost in Space") while others like his Commissioner Gordon in Nolan's Batman movies were fine. The critics think he was over the top as billionaire mogul Nathaniel Shepard, but I found him to be a rather plausible mix of Steve Jobs' salesmanship, Elon Musk's arrogance and spaceflight ambitions, and Howard Hughes' fascination with flying and reclusive eccentricity.
You can tell that many of the movie's fiercest critics here have their own agendas, usually trying to prove they're smarter than the writer. All their comments do is reveal their closed minds and often their ignorance. One smart aleck claims Gardner's mother looked 5 months pregnant in the film. The shot where she peers out of the spacecraft window as she cradles her expanding belly was at an indeterminate time sometime after her sonogram two months after launch, possibly right before landing more than seven months after launch. Same person talks about Mars gravity being 2/3rd of Earth's. No, it's 1/3rd. Plus she complains that the Earth's resources are said to be depleted. That phrase was Nathaniel reading from a letter he wrote to the President as a 12-year-old, full of youthful enthusiasm and exaggeration, not stated as actual scientific fact. Another critic tries to look intelligent by saying Mars is four light minutes away. It is at its closest, but the distance isn't constant and is over 22 light minutes at its furthest. (Another genius here claims it's 90 light minutes each way.) The communication with Mars was instantaneous because they clearly plastered "QuantumCom light minute compression" on the comm screens to imply they've figured out how to use quantum entanglement for instant data transfer at interplanetary distances (still inplausible as it's based on a common misconception, but still far less fantastical than laser swords, warp drive, time travel, telepathy, teleportation devices or humanoid aliens attacking to steal our water, oxygen, etc.). Besides, it's a dramatic technique, as waiting minutes between messages with no realtime interaction just isn't very interesting, unless you liked "You've Got Mail." Another critic who claims to be an MD rated the movie 1 star for no other reason than they pronounced a test "TROponin" rather than "tropPOnin" as he preferred, even though the former is in fact the correct pronunciation, as any medical dictionary can confirm. I wouldn't want him as my doctor, or even playing one on TV. One complained that Gardner's mother was too young to be a mission commander, but probably never said the same about the similarly young Jessica Chastain in "The Martian." Another smart guy claimed the spacecraft would have accelerated halfway to Mars, providing gravity all the way, then turned around and decelerated. Anybody with a knowledge of physics would laugh him out of the room after telling him that would require several times more reaction mass (fuel) than the total mass of the entire spacecraft, a physical impossibility. One critic savages the movie for having contemporary products in it. It's a relatively low budget science fiction film, not a $400 million blockbuster. They spent their budget on more important things like CGI effects, spacecraft props, Mars sets and weightlessness effects, not wasting it creating an entire future Earth, and the projections in movies set in the near future like "2001" always turn out looking dated after a few years anyway. You get the idea; the criticisms are generally incredibly petty, nitpicky and often just plain wrong. I can see plenty of scientific and technological mistakes, especially the Dream Chaser spacecraft used at the end, which would need a large booster and a launchpad rather than taking off using its own small rocket engines from a runway. But I accept that this is a movie, not a documentary, and focus on the characters, whom I did like and care about.
Basically, the critiques boil down to "it's for kids!" As someone approaching retirement age, I'd much rather be young at heart than cranky and old in the head.
"The Space Between Us" is creative, entertaining and touching, but noticeably flawed.
dave-mcclain4 February 2017
The 2017 adventure-drama-romance "The Space Between Us" (PG-13, 2:00) is the tale of two teens
played by Asa Butterfield and Britt Robertson, who shine as two of the most promising young adult actors of the 2010s. At just eight years old, Butterfield anchored the underseen Holocaust drama "The Boy in the Striped Pajamas". At 10, he filmed the title role in Martin Scorsese's "Hugo" which became a Best Picture Oscar nominee and earned Butterfield several young actor accolades, including a Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Young Performer. In the ensuing years, he starred in high-profile film adaptations of the novels "Ender's Game" and "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children". For her part, Robertson has received similar awards recognition, but mostly for very different kinds of roles. In her teens and very early 20s, she appeared in the films "Keeping Up with the Steins", the Steve Carell comedy "Dan in Real Life", "Scream 4" and "The First Time", followed by a few short-lived TV series including "Life Unexpected" and "Under the Dome". Her film career really started to take off with roles in "White Rabbit", the adaptation of the Nicholas Sparks' novel "The Longest Ride" and the under-appreciated "Tomorrowland". Pretty impressive resumes for this stage in their careers! But before their careers reach the proverbial stratosphere, Movie Fans get to see the two rising stars in an on-screen stratosphere, part of a romance that's "Out of This World", as the film was originally titled.
"The Space Between Us" follows the life of Gardner Elliot (Butterfield), the first person born on Mars, who wants nothing more than to come to earth. Astronaut Sarah Elliot (Janet Montgomery), unaware that she's pregnant, is going into space, leading the first group of humans to actually live on Mars. At the end of her long trip to the Red Planet, she goes into labor. Sarah delivers a healthy baby boy, but dies immediately afterward, which creates a long list of complex problems. The private company which financed the Mars colony (known as "East Texas") is concerned about a probable public relations nightmare (and possible resulting loss in their funding) – but is also very worried about how the young boy caught in the middle of this situation will grow and develop – physically (in Mars' gravity) – and emotionally (with no parents to care for and raise him). After the company's board discusses all of the implications of the situation, Nathaniel Shepherd (Gary Oldman), the company's visionary creator, and Tom Chen (BD Wong), the company's CEO, agree to lie to the world about the reason for Sarah's death, keep her infant son's very existence classified and leave the boy on Mars to grow up in "East Texas".
Gardner ends up being raised by scientists, but mostly astronaut Kendra Wyndham (Carla Gugino), who looks after him and is the closest thing he has to a mother, but it's not the same as actually knowing his own mother. When we see him as a 16-year-old, his intelligence is obvious, but we're also aware that he has never had a friend (or even met anyone) his own age. He builds a robot with rudimentary AI, but it's not the same as having an actual best friend. He has struck up a Skype friendship with a teenage girl who goes by the nickname of Tulsa (Robertson), but Gardner has to lie to her about who and where he really is. Tulsa is a foster kid who was abandoned by her parents when she was four and has been transitioning from bad foster home to bad foster home ever since. Tulsa is jaded and a little bitter, while Gardner is naïve and optimistic, but their shared longing to break out of their current circumstances helps them to bond, along with their shared experience of not having been raised by their birth parents.
When the doctors at East Texas come up with a medical procedure that solves some of the physical challenges Gardner would encounter in earth's gravity, those at NASA and at Shepherd's company who always wanted Gardner to have his chance to visit earth finally prevail and Gardner is prepared for his first trip from the Red Planet to the Blue Planet. When he arrives, he is immediately placed in quarantine while doctors run tests to determine whether he would be in any medical danger on earth. Anxious to experience earth for himself, and worried that the scientists are going to send him back to Mars, he escapes and makes his way to Colorado to meet Tulsa. She is very skeptical when he tells her the truth about his background, but she helps him evade Shepherd and Kendra (who are desperately searching for Gardner) and the two teens go on a road trip to fulfill Gardner's ultimate goal of finding his father.
"The Space Between Us" is creative, entertaining and touching, but noticeably flawed. Butterfield is perfectly cast and exudes an earnest sweetness that is captivating, while Robertson does her usual excellent work, but doesn't feel like the best fit for her role. For comparison (even if it requires referencing movies from different generations), this one is reminiscent of 2014's "The Fault in Our Stars" as well as the 1976 made-for-TV movie "The Boy in the Plastic Bubble". This movie's premise is inspired – and screenwriter Alan Loeb's focus on the budding romance between Gardner and Tulsa personalizes the story – but the improbability of much of the plot almost pushes it from science fiction into fantasy. Director Peter Chelsom strikes a good balance between the drama and the natural humor that would arise from the situations in such a story, but has trouble effectively blending the larger-than-life tale with the very personal saga at the film's core. Still, there are some cool twists. This movie is enjoyable, but there's too much space between its potential and its execution. "B"
"The Space Between Us" follows the life of Gardner Elliot (Butterfield), the first person born on Mars, who wants nothing more than to come to earth. Astronaut Sarah Elliot (Janet Montgomery), unaware that she's pregnant, is going into space, leading the first group of humans to actually live on Mars. At the end of her long trip to the Red Planet, she goes into labor. Sarah delivers a healthy baby boy, but dies immediately afterward, which creates a long list of complex problems. The private company which financed the Mars colony (known as "East Texas") is concerned about a probable public relations nightmare (and possible resulting loss in their funding) – but is also very worried about how the young boy caught in the middle of this situation will grow and develop – physically (in Mars' gravity) – and emotionally (with no parents to care for and raise him). After the company's board discusses all of the implications of the situation, Nathaniel Shepherd (Gary Oldman), the company's visionary creator, and Tom Chen (BD Wong), the company's CEO, agree to lie to the world about the reason for Sarah's death, keep her infant son's very existence classified and leave the boy on Mars to grow up in "East Texas".
Gardner ends up being raised by scientists, but mostly astronaut Kendra Wyndham (Carla Gugino), who looks after him and is the closest thing he has to a mother, but it's not the same as actually knowing his own mother. When we see him as a 16-year-old, his intelligence is obvious, but we're also aware that he has never had a friend (or even met anyone) his own age. He builds a robot with rudimentary AI, but it's not the same as having an actual best friend. He has struck up a Skype friendship with a teenage girl who goes by the nickname of Tulsa (Robertson), but Gardner has to lie to her about who and where he really is. Tulsa is a foster kid who was abandoned by her parents when she was four and has been transitioning from bad foster home to bad foster home ever since. Tulsa is jaded and a little bitter, while Gardner is naïve and optimistic, but their shared longing to break out of their current circumstances helps them to bond, along with their shared experience of not having been raised by their birth parents.
When the doctors at East Texas come up with a medical procedure that solves some of the physical challenges Gardner would encounter in earth's gravity, those at NASA and at Shepherd's company who always wanted Gardner to have his chance to visit earth finally prevail and Gardner is prepared for his first trip from the Red Planet to the Blue Planet. When he arrives, he is immediately placed in quarantine while doctors run tests to determine whether he would be in any medical danger on earth. Anxious to experience earth for himself, and worried that the scientists are going to send him back to Mars, he escapes and makes his way to Colorado to meet Tulsa. She is very skeptical when he tells her the truth about his background, but she helps him evade Shepherd and Kendra (who are desperately searching for Gardner) and the two teens go on a road trip to fulfill Gardner's ultimate goal of finding his father.
"The Space Between Us" is creative, entertaining and touching, but noticeably flawed. Butterfield is perfectly cast and exudes an earnest sweetness that is captivating, while Robertson does her usual excellent work, but doesn't feel like the best fit for her role. For comparison (even if it requires referencing movies from different generations), this one is reminiscent of 2014's "The Fault in Our Stars" as well as the 1976 made-for-TV movie "The Boy in the Plastic Bubble". This movie's premise is inspired – and screenwriter Alan Loeb's focus on the budding romance between Gardner and Tulsa personalizes the story – but the improbability of much of the plot almost pushes it from science fiction into fantasy. Director Peter Chelsom strikes a good balance between the drama and the natural humor that would arise from the situations in such a story, but has trouble effectively blending the larger-than-life tale with the very personal saga at the film's core. Still, there are some cool twists. This movie is enjoyable, but there's too much space between its potential and its execution. "B"
This whole film is just a gigantic plot hole.
Kikisaurus24 April 2017
Warning: Spoilers
Is there anything more infuriating than people who know nothing about science trying to make a film/write a book about science? It seems like they didn't have a single person on board who knew anything about ANYTHING. I'm not even a scientist and I could have come up with a dozen ways to work around all these "issues" that were driving the story onward.
This film is a plot hole after another plot hole, the most infuriating part being that the whole story didn't need to happen.
!!!!!Here come the spoilers!!!!!!:
1. There's no way the mother would have passed the health checks while being pregnant. They're pretty thorough. Not only that, she appeared to be a good 5+ months pregnant when the mission started - absolutely no way in hell no one would have realised (even discounting the vigorous health checks).
2. WTF did they feed the newborn baby? The mother died, and I presume no one thought to pack baby formula for the astronauts to drink.
3. They could have brought the child back when the mission was due to return. First of all, 2/3 gravity isn't a big enough difference to even on its own to cause irreparable damage. I'm certain they could have helped get his body used to a higher gravity by exercising him and making him wear weights or something. Even without all that, they could have simply helped his body and his heart adjust to Earth's high gravity by for example putting him in a freaking water tank, idk. There are ways.
4. He (Gardner) has instantaneous communication with earth, and access to the internet (and presumably everything it has to offer), he's apparently a genius, and he was indeed raised among humans - even if they were only "scientists", rather than "loving parents" who would teach him all about life - yet somehow half the time he's acting like a socially retarded 5-year-old who has never seen even a picture of horse?! Uh-huh. This whole person-from-a-different-time-or-space-is- overwhelmed-by-the-present thing has been done a million times before; it's an old joke, and this time they failed massively.
5. Even though he's now old he could have still done the physical therapy I mentioned earlier. Better late than never!
6. I love how in the beginning of the film they make a point to mention that Earth's resources are pretty much depleted and all that jazz, but then 16 years later they can afford to send a rocket to space just to send a Martian and his father back home. You know how many resources it takes to build a rocket and fuel it? Even if the rocket was part of a mission that was already going there (conveniently leaving so soon after Gardner nearly died), those seats are valuable, and there are no spares.
Alas, that's not even all of it, but those are the biggest, most glaring plot holes that drove me nuts due to the fact that they rendered the whole film pointless.
And all this is ignoring the generally poor story line, shallow character design, crappy writing, and mediocre acting. Ugh.
This film is a plot hole after another plot hole, the most infuriating part being that the whole story didn't need to happen.
!!!!!Here come the spoilers!!!!!!:
1. There's no way the mother would have passed the health checks while being pregnant. They're pretty thorough. Not only that, she appeared to be a good 5+ months pregnant when the mission started - absolutely no way in hell no one would have realised (even discounting the vigorous health checks).
2. WTF did they feed the newborn baby? The mother died, and I presume no one thought to pack baby formula for the astronauts to drink.
3. They could have brought the child back when the mission was due to return. First of all, 2/3 gravity isn't a big enough difference to even on its own to cause irreparable damage. I'm certain they could have helped get his body used to a higher gravity by exercising him and making him wear weights or something. Even without all that, they could have simply helped his body and his heart adjust to Earth's high gravity by for example putting him in a freaking water tank, idk. There are ways.
4. He (Gardner) has instantaneous communication with earth, and access to the internet (and presumably everything it has to offer), he's apparently a genius, and he was indeed raised among humans - even if they were only "scientists", rather than "loving parents" who would teach him all about life - yet somehow half the time he's acting like a socially retarded 5-year-old who has never seen even a picture of horse?! Uh-huh. This whole person-from-a-different-time-or-space-is- overwhelmed-by-the-present thing has been done a million times before; it's an old joke, and this time they failed massively.
5. Even though he's now old he could have still done the physical therapy I mentioned earlier. Better late than never!
6. I love how in the beginning of the film they make a point to mention that Earth's resources are pretty much depleted and all that jazz, but then 16 years later they can afford to send a rocket to space just to send a Martian and his father back home. You know how many resources it takes to build a rocket and fuel it? Even if the rocket was part of a mission that was already going there (conveniently leaving so soon after Gardner nearly died), those seats are valuable, and there are no spares.
Alas, that's not even all of it, but those are the biggest, most glaring plot holes that drove me nuts due to the fact that they rendered the whole film pointless.
And all this is ignoring the generally poor story line, shallow character design, crappy writing, and mediocre acting. Ugh.
Something we could all use.
jrodgers-896-90430726 March 2017
Some of the reviews I have read must have come from those without a beating heart. I finally took the time to watch this film as the reviews were not great. I had an understanding it was a little sci-fi and a lot teenage love story going in. I found the screenplay to be brilliant by such young actors. I also understand there should be some fantastic things in a movie that includes sci-fi so while some of what the teenage couple set out to do seems unrealistic, it fits for what story the director and writer were trying to give us. I wish more adults could express the feelings this movie tries to tell us not to hide, and to enjoy every moment of life that is afforded to us. I found this movie not only heart warming but uplifting and inspiring. Thank you for such a much need film of this type. It has been a while. Take the fantastical with a grain of salt and pay attention to what it is trying to share, we may just all benefit from that thought process rather than the cynical one.
The Space Between Us is cheesy and cute and while it has experienced a series of delays, it seems more so to avoid serious competition than because it is a terrible movie.
Amari-Sali2 February 2017
Warning: Spoilers
Characters & Storyline
After his mother's death when he was born, Gardner spent most of his life on Mars wondering what it would be like to live on Earth. Something he is not allowed to do because his body, as the trailers made clear, can't handle being on Earth.
However, what is a 16-year-old raised by scientist to do when his whole world only stretches the couple of miles where his Mars habitat is? Well, through the power of the internet, he finds a girl to talk to. Said girl, Tulsa, is your run of the mill foster kid. One with crappy foster parents, a bit rough around the edges, yet this boy gives her hope. So, in return, when Gardner is granted his wish to get to Earth, she helps him find the father who he believes doesn't know he existed. All the while, he falls in love with this girl and they mutually teach each other what love is.
Highlights
The Romantic Plot Is Cute
Being that Gardner is experiencing everything for the first time and Tulsa has experienced everything terrible in life at least once, well outside of things which would require trigger warnings, it was nice to see these two together. Garnder gave Tulsa hope, a taste of love, and she was able to bring him to reality. But rather than do so in a mean, sort of knock him off his branch kind of way, she, often flabbergasted tried to explain the way the world was as she came to accept she liked his viewpoint on things. Also with how everything was new to him to the point it seemingly became new to her as well.
The Visuals Of Earth And Colorado
Similar to Hit The Road: India, the landscapes are such a highlight and seeing the world in a way which almost makes you feel the wonder Gardner has.
Butterfield Made an Odd Character into Something More
There is a certain awkwardness, the ability to seem like a person who spent their life being an "Other" which is what draws me to Butterfield. His own brand of quirkiness is all about bringing this sheltered, and often yearning for adventure characters to life. Something he does splendidly with Gardner to the point it makes you think he could do well with a few more romance movies under his belt.
Criticism
The Women in This Film – Their Lives All Revolve and Are For Gardner
One of the things which really bothered me about this movie is that despite all these plans Tulsa seemingly had when it came to getting away from her foster dad, going to school for music, and really having a go at that dream, pretty much we don't see that side of her at all. Only in one scene, at some type of warehouse store, do we hear her sing and play an instrument. Outside of that, it is all Gardner all the time and just being his love interest.
The same issue applies to Kendra. She is a scientist who spent 6 or so years on Mars and not only dedicated her life to her work but also raising Gardner. I found it to be so ridiculous that upon returning to Earth, they didn't hardly dedicate any of her time toward maybe checking out her ex-husband, maybe explaining why, unless it was to continue playing mom, she decided to go to Earth and, in general, with the women of this film I just wanted them to have some sort of autonomy. Some sort of sign or signal that their lives have meaning outside of worrying about Gardner.
On The Fence
Your Usual Scrappy Foster Kid (Who Knows How To Survive By Lying and Stealing)
Noting what I just said, I found it so interesting that with the little information we are given about Tulsa, with her being in multiple foster homes, disappointed many times over, and having a drunk for a step dad, that she couldn't have been made less of a stereotype. I mean, and maybe Callie on The Fosters has set the tone for me, alongside the handful of foster kids I've met, but the scrappy foster kid who can easily justify stealing and lying, seems to find trouble easily, and is highly adaptable, just seems a bit too normalized. Not to say I wanted something darker or even some happy go lucky family worried about their little girl out there with some strange boy who says he is from Mars. It's just, one of the main issues with this film is that no one seems that complicated even as they note how they can't have kids, their mom died, and things of that nature. It is like, the weight of anyone's problems is not felt and everyone's personality is such a trope that if it wasn't for Butterfield and Robertson's chemistry, this movie would be horrible.
Overall: Mixed
I don't imagine myself watching this again, but also the film doesn't really give you a reason to. The romance that I praise is cute but not awe inspiring, the story may have all these characters with some kind of tragedy yet you never feel them put the weight of their life on you. Then, to top it off, the women who like and love Gardner aren't allowed or developed into full people. Tulsa doesn't really evolve past being the girlfriend and she ends up seemingly abandoning her dream to be and do things with Gardner. Then with Kendra, she never evolves past being a surrogate mom and, like Tulsa, as the movie ends they still are but characters in Gardner's life and not people with some semblance of their own.
After his mother's death when he was born, Gardner spent most of his life on Mars wondering what it would be like to live on Earth. Something he is not allowed to do because his body, as the trailers made clear, can't handle being on Earth.
However, what is a 16-year-old raised by scientist to do when his whole world only stretches the couple of miles where his Mars habitat is? Well, through the power of the internet, he finds a girl to talk to. Said girl, Tulsa, is your run of the mill foster kid. One with crappy foster parents, a bit rough around the edges, yet this boy gives her hope. So, in return, when Gardner is granted his wish to get to Earth, she helps him find the father who he believes doesn't know he existed. All the while, he falls in love with this girl and they mutually teach each other what love is.
Highlights
The Romantic Plot Is Cute
Being that Gardner is experiencing everything for the first time and Tulsa has experienced everything terrible in life at least once, well outside of things which would require trigger warnings, it was nice to see these two together. Garnder gave Tulsa hope, a taste of love, and she was able to bring him to reality. But rather than do so in a mean, sort of knock him off his branch kind of way, she, often flabbergasted tried to explain the way the world was as she came to accept she liked his viewpoint on things. Also with how everything was new to him to the point it seemingly became new to her as well.
The Visuals Of Earth And Colorado
Similar to Hit The Road: India, the landscapes are such a highlight and seeing the world in a way which almost makes you feel the wonder Gardner has.
Butterfield Made an Odd Character into Something More
There is a certain awkwardness, the ability to seem like a person who spent their life being an "Other" which is what draws me to Butterfield. His own brand of quirkiness is all about bringing this sheltered, and often yearning for adventure characters to life. Something he does splendidly with Gardner to the point it makes you think he could do well with a few more romance movies under his belt.
Criticism
The Women in This Film – Their Lives All Revolve and Are For Gardner
One of the things which really bothered me about this movie is that despite all these plans Tulsa seemingly had when it came to getting away from her foster dad, going to school for music, and really having a go at that dream, pretty much we don't see that side of her at all. Only in one scene, at some type of warehouse store, do we hear her sing and play an instrument. Outside of that, it is all Gardner all the time and just being his love interest.
The same issue applies to Kendra. She is a scientist who spent 6 or so years on Mars and not only dedicated her life to her work but also raising Gardner. I found it to be so ridiculous that upon returning to Earth, they didn't hardly dedicate any of her time toward maybe checking out her ex-husband, maybe explaining why, unless it was to continue playing mom, she decided to go to Earth and, in general, with the women of this film I just wanted them to have some sort of autonomy. Some sort of sign or signal that their lives have meaning outside of worrying about Gardner.
On The Fence
Your Usual Scrappy Foster Kid (Who Knows How To Survive By Lying and Stealing)
Noting what I just said, I found it so interesting that with the little information we are given about Tulsa, with her being in multiple foster homes, disappointed many times over, and having a drunk for a step dad, that she couldn't have been made less of a stereotype. I mean, and maybe Callie on The Fosters has set the tone for me, alongside the handful of foster kids I've met, but the scrappy foster kid who can easily justify stealing and lying, seems to find trouble easily, and is highly adaptable, just seems a bit too normalized. Not to say I wanted something darker or even some happy go lucky family worried about their little girl out there with some strange boy who says he is from Mars. It's just, one of the main issues with this film is that no one seems that complicated even as they note how they can't have kids, their mom died, and things of that nature. It is like, the weight of anyone's problems is not felt and everyone's personality is such a trope that if it wasn't for Butterfield and Robertson's chemistry, this movie would be horrible.
Overall: Mixed
I don't imagine myself watching this again, but also the film doesn't really give you a reason to. The romance that I praise is cute but not awe inspiring, the story may have all these characters with some kind of tragedy yet you never feel them put the weight of their life on you. Then, to top it off, the women who like and love Gardner aren't allowed or developed into full people. Tulsa doesn't really evolve past being the girlfriend and she ends up seemingly abandoning her dream to be and do things with Gardner. Then with Kendra, she never evolves past being a surrogate mom and, like Tulsa, as the movie ends they still are but characters in Gardner's life and not people with some semblance of their own.
For kidz, by kidz!
cdhansen-4226719 October 2017
I swear this movie was written by a 14 year old. The depictions of science, adults, money, cars, explosions, technology, parenting, office buildings, law enforcement, progression of seasons, gravity, global warming, and magnets are obviously from the viewpoint of someone with no experience with any of the above topics. If Capri Sun produced Interstellar, it might look like this.
It's Good. It's Bad, But It's Good.
nathanduffy-8922320 February 2020
This movie has a lot of flaws. From the instant messaging on Mars to the poor character design, there's a problem in most scenes. HOWEVER. It's a really nice story. It made me feel good. And it holds sentimental value for me. Give it a try.
Enjoyable
Gordon-1129 March 2017
This film tells the story of a teenage boy who lives in a space colony on Mars all his life, without ever having been to the Earth. He longs for visiting the Earth to find his father, and sets out to experience the Earth for the very first time.
I expected "The Space Between Us" to be more science fiction, but it's more romance. The plot is sweet and romantic, as Gardner strikes an unlikely friendship across planets. The girlfriend is believable and convincing as a young woman who faced trauma before. The scenery is beautiful and the ending is unexpectedly touching. I enjoyed watching it.
I expected "The Space Between Us" to be more science fiction, but it's more romance. The plot is sweet and romantic, as Gardner strikes an unlikely friendship across planets. The girlfriend is believable and convincing as a young woman who faced trauma before. The scenery is beautiful and the ending is unexpectedly touching. I enjoyed watching it.
An excellent YA movie
tin-B27 August 2019
Remember when family movies or children's movies or teen movies were all over the place and no one bashed them for being such? An American Werewolf in London. The Computer Who Wore Tennis Shoes. Teen Wolf. Lord Love a Duck. The Breakfast Club. Ferris Bueller's Day Off. Heathers. Revenge of the Nerds. Sixteen Candles...
But slowly, year by year, movies became something that only the smart, cool, fully grown but before middle-age people were allowed to enjoy and all else was trash, not good enough, stupid, too silly, not serious enough, not accurate enough.
This isn't the greatest YA story, but it is definitely a good young story. So be young and wave buh-bye-bye to the people who think only their preferences are allowed.
But slowly, year by year, movies became something that only the smart, cool, fully grown but before middle-age people were allowed to enjoy and all else was trash, not good enough, stupid, too silly, not serious enough, not accurate enough.
This isn't the greatest YA story, but it is definitely a good young story. So be young and wave buh-bye-bye to the people who think only their preferences are allowed.
A touch tale of romance and self discovery
monstermayhem324 February 2017
Warning: Spoilers
I will say that the film was rather cool since it was awesome to see Asa butterfield normally known for darker roles gets a chance to lighten up and work on his comedy side. He plays gardener Elliot the first human born on Mars after his mother Sarah dies giving birth to him, however gardener condition causes him to have an enlarged heart that would kill him if he was to stay on earth for a long period of time. However when he interacts with Tulsa from earth, he wants to be able to meet her in person and experience earth customs. He also falls in love. He also wants to find out how his father is so that is also one of his adventures as well.
The (Empty) Space Between (The Ears)
lbenot9 February 2017
Warning: Spoilers
The screenplay mechanisms which lay out the overall story (space boy wants to live on earth and meet up with pen-pal girl and unknown father) are consistently forced, clunky, and a distraction to the point of being groan-worthy.
A little more behavioral (her portrayal of anger and angst, et al., was over the top) and physiological realism (his repeated on-screen sprinting, his bone-strengthening 'operation,' et al., were a joke) would have given the story more credibility. All the casting, special effect, locational ingredients were in place, but were wasted for the lack of a believable and more seamless script.
Films that fall considerably short like this make one realize how very special those movies are that are able to put all the movie making elements together and entertain the eye, heart, and intellect.
P.S. This movie will most certainly be viewed by and be appealing to young impressionistic teens, and to the extent that the content of movies seeps into their subconscious and affects future behavior, the multiple carefree auto thefts with no consequence, and more particularly the glorified attempted suicide-by-drowning scene at the end were very poor, unnecessary, and irresponsible story-line choices.
A little more behavioral (her portrayal of anger and angst, et al., was over the top) and physiological realism (his repeated on-screen sprinting, his bone-strengthening 'operation,' et al., were a joke) would have given the story more credibility. All the casting, special effect, locational ingredients were in place, but were wasted for the lack of a believable and more seamless script.
Films that fall considerably short like this make one realize how very special those movies are that are able to put all the movie making elements together and entertain the eye, heart, and intellect.
P.S. This movie will most certainly be viewed by and be appealing to young impressionistic teens, and to the extent that the content of movies seeps into their subconscious and affects future behavior, the multiple carefree auto thefts with no consequence, and more particularly the glorified attempted suicide-by-drowning scene at the end were very poor, unnecessary, and irresponsible story-line choices.
Just watched this on Netflix... Ignore the low scores
I3R0K3N7FEET2 March 2019
Give this movie a chance. This movie takes on the inevitable. There will be a first born on Mars, and we can to see a hypothetical situation unfold around that. The characters are fairly typical and different as you would imagine, and the reality is a cliche average earth girl would 99.999999999% dismiss a guy such as this protagonist, but the great acting forces it through to work. Behind the lines and plot holes is a very straight forward and innocent romance that is made to come to life with powerful acting all round. Allow it to be, and you will love this sweet little movie. If you wanna focus on plot holes or simply more believable characters, this may not be for you, but give it a chance certainly is not a 1/10 but it far more enjoyable than the average trumpet laden Hollywood movie.
If sci-fi is not your scene, you'll still enjoy this movie
pietclausen6 May 2017
I enjoyed this movie very much which fitted like a glove. It's sci-fi with an excellent original story, well told and acted. It also has drama, romance and adventure in it. What more do you want for 2 hours of solid entertainment? It may appeal more to teenagers but adults will like it just as much. Don't worry if you dislike sci-fi; the drama and adventure alone will satisfy your taste.
The story is not far fetched and very plausible, but we have to wait a few more years to experience this in the real world. The only obvious flaw which stood out like a sore thumb was a missing communications time-gap between Mars and Earth. But I presume this was done to keep the story flowing.
Nowadays I find real good movies far in between, but this is a fine gem that gets an easy 7 out of 10 in my books.
The story is not far fetched and very plausible, but we have to wait a few more years to experience this in the real world. The only obvious flaw which stood out like a sore thumb was a missing communications time-gap between Mars and Earth. But I presume this was done to keep the story flowing.
Nowadays I find real good movies far in between, but this is a fine gem that gets an easy 7 out of 10 in my books.
A sad let down...to earth
npjy8321 February 2019
I was seriously looking forward to this movie after reading a review, and someone who enjoys Gary Oldman and Asa Butterfield it looked to be good.
However very disappointed with the storyline, felt they rushed it, thus creating plot holes, gaps unfilled and unexplained happenings.
The storyline becomes murky half way through, and it's like they didn't know how to end it, so created a bizarre ending to finish the movie in time for production. The ending was very unexpected, cheesy, corny and didn't fit well with the premise of the storyline. There were character changes throughout the movie from turning incredibly smart to dumb. And the acting in parts was quite poor.
It should have gotten a rewrite and would have been a much bigger movie.
It's "okay" as a one off watch, and I really wanted to like this movie based on actors involved and the premise, however the ending and the plot holes spoiled it for me greatly.
However very disappointed with the storyline, felt they rushed it, thus creating plot holes, gaps unfilled and unexplained happenings.
The storyline becomes murky half way through, and it's like they didn't know how to end it, so created a bizarre ending to finish the movie in time for production. The ending was very unexpected, cheesy, corny and didn't fit well with the premise of the storyline. There were character changes throughout the movie from turning incredibly smart to dumb. And the acting in parts was quite poor.
It should have gotten a rewrite and would have been a much bigger movie.
It's "okay" as a one off watch, and I really wanted to like this movie based on actors involved and the premise, however the ending and the plot holes spoiled it for me greatly.
Great love story
williamollerton3 February 2017
Don't be confused, this is a teen romance picture. It's just that one teen is from Earth, and the other is from Mars. I actually found it very sweet. Mars boy without a clue, and Earth girl with all the answers. Great acting, great direction, fantastic score. The special effect were a bit dodgy. This film was was supposed to come out in August, then pulled to December, and now it's released in February. Please see this film!!! I found it very uplifting. The performances of Asa Butterfield, Britt Robertson, Gary Oldman, Carla Gugino, and BD Wong are fantastic. I have to keep writing because IMDb won't let a review of anything less than 10 lines ling post. Did I mention this is a kid friendly film? Thank you.
very much worth seeing and one of the best date movies that has come along in a while
cosmo_tiger1 May 2017
"My father's somewhere on that thing, Earth." Nathaniel Shepherd (Oldman) has finally seen his dream realized and the first crew has been sent to inhabit and colonize Mars. When one of the women that was sent gives birth to a son on the planet heirs worried as to what will happen to him. He has been trying everything he can to hide what happened from the world, but when Gardner (Butterfield) decides he wants to visit Earth to find his father it becomes a race against time. Nathaniel must find him before its too late. This is first and foremost a very good movie. The movie was just a little too predictable for me but did have enough twists and the ending wasn't 100% what I expected. Even though the movie is science fiction there is still a large element of reality and nothing that was discussed or shown seems that far fetched. That element of reality really added to the impact of the movie. This is a sci fi love story that I really enjoyed and do recommend, even though it did tend to get a little cheesy in some parts. Overall, very much worth seeing and one of the best date movies that has come along in a while. I give this a B+.
Cheesy and horrible with its direction!!! Good talent gone to waste in this sci-fi romantic story.
cruise0114 June 2017
Warning: Spoilers
The Space Between Us cannot be any cheesier with its poor acting and direction in a romantic sci- fi concept that is surely forgettable once it ends. I thought the concept was slightly different for a romantic film about a boy that was born on Mars and is fast maturing to the part were he wants to seek and socialize with others that is on Earth. The only cache about him visiting earth is his body is not well adapted and he suffers from osteogenesis, which he needs to go back to an area with less gravity. The Space Between Us suffers from the cliché romantic story, poor direction that makes you wonder what kind of tone the director was trying to aim for. And the acting was stale from everyone. Which is sad cause these are talented actors in a poorly written script.
Gardner (Asa Butterfield) was born and raised on Mars. Fast growing and wants to visit Earth to search for his father. Nathaniel (Gary Oldman) CEO of the launch program tried to cover up the story of one of his astronauts going on the mission pregnant which she did not realize until on the space station. Kendra (Carla Gugino) is Gardner's guardian and tries to make sure he is safe when entering Earth's atmosphere cause of his osteogenesis condition. Once on Earth, Gardner escapes the facility he is being held up on away from Nathaniel and Kendra so he can go searching for his father. He will need help from a high school girl Tulsa (Britt Robertson). The girl he has been messaging when he was on Mars. They both go out on a chase and hunt for his father whereabouts. While Gardner is seeing the world for the first time through his eyes.
It has an interesting concept but is weighed down by a cliché script. It has a teen boy Gardner, who is becoming a rebel against his guardian Kendra and wanting to see the world for the first time. Then, there is Tulsa who is the cliché out of all of them. May see this trait in other romantic movies before. She is raised by a deadbeat father. She is the responsible one and wants to escape from home when she turns 18. Sure, script gets unbelievable with the characters like her dead beat father acting like a child as he is drunk. And the daughter smart decision is forcing him to go to work as a crop duster on a plane. Father suggest his teen daughter flies for him.
What's even worse with the film is the direction. Its suppose to be a romantic sci-fi film about a growing up story with a teen seeing Earth for the first time. The direction has some unnecessary camera shots of Nathaniel walking on a carless highway with the sunset in the background. Sure, this camera set up is in action movies but this fails at it and it's cheesy when it is shown.
The cast is talented but everyone's performance in the movie is terrible and flat. Gary Oldman is overreacting with every one of his lines. Asa Butterfield tries to be awkward but seems like it is done attentionally. Carla Gugino seems bored with her role. Britt Robertson seems like the only one invested in her character from what she can work with.
Overall, The Space Between Us is a bad film. Direction, the script, and acting is terrible. Has no idea on what it is trying to do with its tone. Seems like its suppose to be serious with its sci-fi growing up tale but looks laughable with its direction.
Gardner (Asa Butterfield) was born and raised on Mars. Fast growing and wants to visit Earth to search for his father. Nathaniel (Gary Oldman) CEO of the launch program tried to cover up the story of one of his astronauts going on the mission pregnant which she did not realize until on the space station. Kendra (Carla Gugino) is Gardner's guardian and tries to make sure he is safe when entering Earth's atmosphere cause of his osteogenesis condition. Once on Earth, Gardner escapes the facility he is being held up on away from Nathaniel and Kendra so he can go searching for his father. He will need help from a high school girl Tulsa (Britt Robertson). The girl he has been messaging when he was on Mars. They both go out on a chase and hunt for his father whereabouts. While Gardner is seeing the world for the first time through his eyes.
It has an interesting concept but is weighed down by a cliché script. It has a teen boy Gardner, who is becoming a rebel against his guardian Kendra and wanting to see the world for the first time. Then, there is Tulsa who is the cliché out of all of them. May see this trait in other romantic movies before. She is raised by a deadbeat father. She is the responsible one and wants to escape from home when she turns 18. Sure, script gets unbelievable with the characters like her dead beat father acting like a child as he is drunk. And the daughter smart decision is forcing him to go to work as a crop duster on a plane. Father suggest his teen daughter flies for him.
What's even worse with the film is the direction. Its suppose to be a romantic sci-fi film about a growing up story with a teen seeing Earth for the first time. The direction has some unnecessary camera shots of Nathaniel walking on a carless highway with the sunset in the background. Sure, this camera set up is in action movies but this fails at it and it's cheesy when it is shown.
The cast is talented but everyone's performance in the movie is terrible and flat. Gary Oldman is overreacting with every one of his lines. Asa Butterfield tries to be awkward but seems like it is done attentionally. Carla Gugino seems bored with her role. Britt Robertson seems like the only one invested in her character from what she can work with.
Overall, The Space Between Us is a bad film. Direction, the script, and acting is terrible. Has no idea on what it is trying to do with its tone. Seems like its suppose to be serious with its sci-fi growing up tale but looks laughable with its direction.
Beautiful
HermanNebelwerfer10 May 2017
Warning: Spoilers
What a bunch of whiny a$$hats! Todays movie goers are spoiled beyond belief. Any film that isn't hyper-realistic, overly complicated or part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is labeled crap, or so it seems. Well, screw the haters. I pity their lack of soul and imagination but that doesn't mean that I have patience for their shortsightedness.
I had zero problems suspending disbelief. The effects are surprisingly good when you consider that the story isn't about science. It's about being human. Beautifully filmed and well acted. The most important parts - the experiences of Gardner and Tulsa - are done perfectly.
Should be highly appealing to younger and female audiences. It's mainly about 2 teens (which would normally put me off) but the story is not written with a kid's mentality. I'm pushing 60 and I loved it.
Give it a chance. You might like it, too. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
I had zero problems suspending disbelief. The effects are surprisingly good when you consider that the story isn't about science. It's about being human. Beautifully filmed and well acted. The most important parts - the experiences of Gardner and Tulsa - are done perfectly.
Should be highly appealing to younger and female audiences. It's mainly about 2 teens (which would normally put me off) but the story is not written with a kid's mentality. I'm pushing 60 and I loved it.
Give it a chance. You might like it, too. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
See also
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