By Paul Hall
The average distance between Mars and the Earth is approximately 140 million miles. In director Peter Chelsom’s new film The Space Between Us, it seems like it is just a hop, skip and a jump away.
Gardner Elliot (Asa Butterfield) is the first human born on Mars. His mother, astronaut Sarah Elliot, was the commander of a mission to inhabit Mars. Almost immediately after liftoff, those in charge were made aware that she was pregnant and they decided to push forward anyway. But childbirth cost Sarah her life and left Gardner without a mother.
Fast-forward 16 years and Gardner wants to have more human connection than simply with the small number of individuals who have inhabited the East Texas settlement on Mars. His journey needs approval and when he gets it he heads to Earth, where he immediately becomes the subject of a battery of tests. Everyone wants to know about Gardner in the small scientific research facility, but Gardner just wants to find his friend Tulsa (Britt Robertson), whom he has been communicating with online.
Gardner breaks free from the endless testing and heads to find his friend in the hopes that she will help him find his father. But can Tulsa get past her own insecurities and inadequate dealings with friends to see the true person standing before her in Gardner?
I’ve given a fair look at the plot for The Space Between Us and now I’ll be fair with the film, at least as I see it. This movie is a mess.
I like many of the players here, from Britt Robertson to Asa Butterfield, and Carla Gugino to Gary Oldman. They are all solid actors who usually give us performances to remember. But in this film they become over-the-top caricatures of the individuals they are portraying. There are moments where their talents shine through the roles they were cast in, but those moments are totally fleeting, and if you blink you will miss them.
The main problem here is the ridiculously incoherent storytelling. I’m one who usually gives a lot of leeway to a plot and the leaps of faith it may require, but when thinking through this film, I was literally coming up with a new question every 30 seconds until it felt like my head was about to explode. We viewers are smarter than this film and deserve better.
And the kids are smarter than this; it is definitely geared for a teenage audience, but I think most kids would see right through some of the nonsense we are asked to believe.
Watching the trailer again before I wrote this, I pondered what happened to the movie I thought I was going to see — the smart mix of science and romance with a bit of comedic fun and a dramatic moment or two along the way. I guess the difference between what I expected and what I got would be the space between us.
Paul’s Grade: D+
The Space Between Us
Rated: PG-13
Stars: Gary Oldman, Asa Butterfield, Britt Robertson
Director: Peter Chelsom
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