The Space Between Us of course isn’t good and clearly aimed at the tween crowd; the plot isn’t as cool as it might sound and it’s utterly predictable, but if there’s any saving grace, it’s with the cast, namely Gary Oldman and Carla Gugino.
The Space Between Us
(2017)
Genre(s): Science Fiction, Romance, Drama
Universal Pictures | PG13 – 121 min. – $34.98 | May 16, 2017
Date Published: 05/24/2017 | Author: The Movieman
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THE MOVIE — 2.5/5 |
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Plot Synopsis: Gardner Elliot (ASA BUTTERFIELD), the first human born on Mars, begins an online friendship with Tulsa (BRITT ROBERTSON), 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, including the CEO of a space exploration company Nathaniel Shepherd (GARY OLDMAN), 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.
The Space Between Us is the kind of movie that excels with a talented cast doing their best in spite of a half baked script that has all the trappings of a bad Nicholas Sparks’ adaptation, meaning all Nicholas Sparks’ adaptations. In this case, Gary Oldman, always giving a solid performance even in weak projects (see The Unborn), can’t make this a recommendable sci-fi romance but at the time makes it watchable. Heck, even Asa Butterfield isn’t terrible and shares some nice chemistry opposite Britt Robertson. Directed by Peter Chelsom, who previously directed the much troubled Town & Country (a drama reportedly cost $90M) as well as Hannah Montana: The Movie, does an okay job with the material provided, and at least has some nice visuals, but as I said before, this is a movie that succeeds based on a talented cast instead of the screenplay. |
SPECIAL FEATURES – 1.75/5 |
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This release comes with a glossy slip cover. Inside is a redemption code for the Digital HD copy. Audio Commentary – Director Peter Chelsom offers his insights into the movie in this track which is on the slow side yet still informative, though having an extra person in the room/booth would’ve helped. Deleted Scenes (13:44; HD) – There are five scenes included, some minor character moments but nothing that would’ve changed the quality of the film. Love Featurette (4:28; HD) is an EPK feature that is part trailer, part canned interview footage with comments by the cast and crew. |
VIDEO – 4.5/5 |
| Universal releases The Space Between Us onto Blu-ray presented in its original 2.40 widescreen aspect ratio and a 1080p high-definition transfer. The picture is rather bright in keeping with the (generally) light-hearted rom-drama that this is (i.e. not to be taken seriously). Detail is rather sharp and well defined and the video is clean as most big budget films usually are. |
AUDIO – 4.5/5 |
| The disc comes with a rather strong DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 which shows its strength during the space travel scenes as well as a few instances (like the escape on the plane) and even some subtle moments like toward the end on the coast. Not sure if it took full advantage of the 7 channels, but there is some nice depth on display even for a romantic-drama. |
OVERALL – 2.5/5 |
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Overall, The Space Between Us of course isn’t good and clearly aimed at the tween crowd; the plot isn’t as cool as it might sound and it’s utterly predictable, but if there’s any saving grace, it’s with the cast, namely Gary Oldman and Carla Gugino. The Blu-ray released by Universal offers up great video/audio transfers and a rather light selection of features. |
Check out some more screen caps by going to page 2. Please note, these do contain spoilers.