Movie Review: The Space Between Us

Movie review: The Space Between Us

I'm a sucker for romance movies, and when you throw in the outer space element too, I'm definitely intrigued. The Space Between Us is your typical teen movie, except for one thing: its protagonist was born on Mars, and has lived there for all of his 16 years, whereas the girl he's been talking to online lives in Colorado, on Earth.

Gardner Elliot (Asa Butterfield, Hugo) was born on Mars. His mother was part of a six-person crew sent to inhabit Mars for 4 years; however, upon arriving, she found out she was pregnant. Gardner's ultimate dream is to visit Earth, but his body isn't equipped for it - his bones are too brittle. He's been talking with a girl named Tulsa (Britt Robertson, The Longest Ride) who lives in Colorado, and he tells her that one day he is going to visit her. When he actually shows up, she's very surprised, but eventually helps him evade capture by Nathaniel (Gary Oldman), one of the founders of the Genesis space program, and Kendra (Carla Gugino), who basically raised him on-board the ship. Gardner wants to experience everything he can while on Earth, but what he doesn't know is that he's on a time limit: his heart is engorged, and too big for him to survive Earth's atmosphere.

Asa Butterfield did a great job here in the lead role, and Britt Robertson was great as well. I like Gary Oldman in virtually everything he's in, so it was a pleasant surprise to see him here, and Carla Gugino did a good job too. Janet Montgomery, Colin Egglesfield, and BD Wong also have supporting roles in the film.

Yes, see this movie, but save it for a matinee. Overall, I really liked it, but these types of movies (romance + sci-fi) are usually my favorite. The music throughout the film was good too, and the scenery (mostly Colorado, New Mexico, California, purportedly) was gorgeous. I will say there are a few plot holes - I wanted to know how Gardner met Tulsa (I'm guessing online, but how?) and there were a few inconsistencies throughout. However, the film really makes you think about "what's your favorite thing about Earth?", the question that Butterfield's character asks everyone he meets, and will make you appreciate the planet on which we live.

The Space Between Us is in theaters today, February 3rd, and is rated PG-13 with a runtime of 120 minutes. 3.5 stars out of 5.


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