"The Space Between Us" (2017)

Rating: PG-13

Genre: Action & Adventure, Science Fiction & Fantasy

Directed By: Peter Chelsom

Written By: Allan Loeb, Peter Chelsom, Tinker Lindsay

Released: Feb 3^rd, 2017

Runtime: 120 minutes

Studio: STX Entertainment

Summary:

Gardner Elliot, the first human born on Mars, begins an online friendship with Tulsa, a teen in Colorado. On his maiden voyage to Earth, the 16-year-old finally gets to experience all the joys and wonders of a world he could only read about. Problems arise when scientists discover that Gardner's organs can't withstand the atmosphere. United with Tulsa and on the run, the interplanetary visitor races against time to unravel the mysteries of how he came to be, and where he belongs in the universe.

Review:

I enjoyed this film more than I was expecting to. I thought it looked good from the trailer and I felt the plot was something different which is what drew me towards it. I had my reservations after noticing the low ratings its received on other reviewing sites. I was pleasantly surprised by how much of a tear-jerker it turned out to be. 

Brit Robertson plays a lot of the same roles, I think. Her characters are all sort of similar but what she does, she does really well. Gary Oldman is in this which kind of surprised me for some reason, and as always he’s on top of his game. I think having these two as co leads in the film boosted it a lot. It could have been more mundane were it not for their performances. 

It would have cool to see more of his life on Mars. I don’t think they delved into that aspect as much as they could have. They focused more on earth which is something that the main character might not know, but we as an audience are very familiar with it!! So, I think for our entertainment it would have been more striking to include more of his life, other than the four walls of his space-craft room.

On a side note, I was quietly humming David Bowie’s “Life on Mars” the whole way through this film. I challenge anyone to watch this movie and not get this song stuck in their heads every time the concept of life on mars is mentioned. Frankly, this song’s depiction has more imagination put into its visual depiction than this film does.

Be that as it may, the little romance going on throughout the film is very sweet. There’s no denying that even if it is over-sentimentalised at times. I think the main thing that let this film down was the build up towards a “twist” that we pretty much guessed from the first 20 minutes in. Well, I guessed it which rarely happens so if I came to the end conclusion I’m assuming everyone will!!

I enjoyed this. May or may not watch it again but it’s a good film and I don’t think the low ratings are fair.

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