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Plot Summary
In this interplanetary adventure, a space shuttle embarks on the first mission to colonize Mars, only to discover after takeoff that one of the astronauts is pregnant. Shortly after landing, she dies from complications while giving birth to the first human born on the red planet - never revealing who the father is. Thus begins the extraordinary life of Gardner Elliot - an inquisitive, highly intelligent boy who reaches the age of 16 having only met 14 people in his very unconventional upbringing. While searching for clues about his father, and the home planet he's never known, Gardner begins an online friendship with a street smart girl in Colorado named Tulsa. When he finally gets a chance to go to Earth, he's eager to experience all of the wonders he could only read about on Mars - from the most simple to the extraordinary. But once his explorations begin, scientists discover that Gardner's organs can't withstand Earth's atmosphere. Eager to find his father, Gardner escapes the team of scientists and joins with Tulsa on a race against time to unravel the mysteries of how he came to be, and where he belongs in the universe.
- Written by STX Entertainment
Review
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Hello, Movie Buffs!
The Space Between Us is a well-written sci-fi teen romance about outcasts with the touch of a love story. Since Gardner’s habitat on Mars only stretches a few square miles he decided to turn to the internet where he meets Tulsa (Britt Robertson); a foster kid that’s a bit rough around the edges and continually stuck with crappy foster parents. When Gardner is granted his wish to go to Earth, Tulsa agrees to help him find the father who he believes doesn't know he existed.
The location and setting for this film are outstanding, and the cinematography allows the audience to see the world with almost the same wonder that Gardner does. Since Gardner is experiencing everything for the first time and Tulsa has experienced the harsher sides of life, the audience has the chance to see two different views of the same coin. Gardner gives Tulsa hope and a taste of love, and in return, Tulsa is able to help him understand the reality of this world, although she can’t help but fall in love with his viewpoint; since everything is new to him it, in the end, becomes new to her as well.
The acting was great, of course when you have someone like Gary Oldman in the film, how can you go wrong. Asa Butterfield made an odd character look cool; they both share a certain awkwardness that makes it seem like they grew up being an outcast. Butterfield was able to bring his own originality and still portray a character that has been heavily sheltered and is now yearning for adventure to life. He portrayed Gardner splendidly and I hope that he pursues a few more romance movies like this one in the future.
The only criticism I have for the film is that I wished they would have touched more a Tulsa’s background and her love for music. The film does show a little bit of both but for the most part, the main focus is Gardner. I love Britt Robertson as an actress but I feel like her character should have been a more evolved and not your usual scrappy foster kid who knows how to survive by lying and stealing; this seems to be too normalized in films. Another issue is with Kendra (Carla Gugino), 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 confusing that they did not dedicate much time on her character's development. Perhaps, I wanted Gugino’s and Roberston’s characters to have some more independence and meaning outside of worrying about Gardner.
Overall, The Space Between Us is a sentimental teen romance movie with some sci-fi and some comedy is thrown in here and there. The women of this film were not developed into full characters; Kendra never evolves past the surrogate mother and Tulsa never evolves past being the girlfriend, they are more little characters with hardly any semblance of their own person. I believe that if it was not for Butterfield’s and Roberston’s chemistry then the movie would have been a total flop; the romance is cute but not awe inspiring. And while the story may have a number of characters with some kind of tragedy, you never feel them put the weight of their life on you like in 50 First Dates, Pretty Woman, and 13 Going on 30.
“I was scared I wouldn't know how to be human. You made me human, and no matter what happens, it was worth it. All of it.”
- Gardner Elliot [to Tulsa]
Final Vote
Worth Seeing: 4 of 5 stars
Worth Buying: 3.8 of 5 stars
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Cast & Crew
Directed by: Peter Chelsom
Writing Credits:
(Screenplay) Allan Loeb
(Story by) Allan Loeb, Stewart Schill, and Richard Barton Lewis.
Produced by
John Albanis --- co-producer
Oren Aviv --- executive producer
Robbie Brenner --- executive producer
Adam Fogelson --- executive producer
Kevin Halloran --- executive producer
Sasha Harari --- executive producer
Cherilyn Hawrysh --- associate producer
Simon Horsman --- executive producer
Gabrielle Jerou --- co-producer
Ryan Kavanaugh --- executive producer
Richard Barton Lewis --- producer
Allan Loeb --- executive producer
Patrick Murray --- associate producer
Steven Pearl --- executive producer
Cathy Schulman --- executive producer
Robert Simonds --- executive producer
Jeffrey Soros --- executive producer
Donald Tang --- executive producer
Tucker Tooley --- executive producer
Douglas Urbanski --- executive producer
Zhongjun Wang --- executive producer
Zhonglei Wang --- executive producer
Jerry Ye --- executive producer
Cast:
Gary Oldman --- Nathaniel Shepherd
Janet Montgomery --- Sarah Elliot
Trey Tucker --- Harrison Lane
Scott Takeda --- Dr. Gary Loh
Adande 'Swoozie' Thorne --- Scott Hubbard
BD Wong --- Tom Chen
Lauren Myers --- Alice Myers
Morse Bicknell --- NASA Executive
Beth Bailey --- NASA Chief Doctor
Asa Butterfield --- Gardner Elliot
Carla Gugino --- Kendra Wyndham
William Sterchi --- Debate Moderator
Anthony Jarvis --- College Student
Britt Robertson --- Tulsa
Zacciah Hanson --- Little Bewley Brother
Jesse Romero --- Big Bewley Brother
Tim D. Janis --- Chuck Woodruff
Kristen Rakes --- Maid
Aurora Antonio --- Young NASA Secretary
Bruce McIntosh --- NASA Scientist
Lora Martinez-Cunningham --- NASA Guide
David House --- Roland
Luce Rains --- Homeless Man
Esodie Geiger --- Mrs. Tupelo
Jenny Gabrielle --- Havasupai Woman
Gil Birmingham --- Shaman Neka
Colin Egglesfield --- Sarah's Brother
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