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While the idea of moving to Mars might not sound so terrible right about now, “The Space Between Us” is about a young man who’s spent all of his 16 years on the red planet and can’t wait to visit Earth—specifically, to meet the cute high school girl with whom he’s sparked an online flirtation. Trouble is, he may not physically be able to withstand the journey—or last long once he gets here.

It’s kind of an intriguing premise, even if it plays a bit like a “Muppet Babies” version of “ Starman ,” with an appealing lead performance from wide-eyed Brit Asa Butterfield . But the sci-fi/mystery element of the film works far better than the romance between Butterfield and an annoyingly feisty Britt Robertson as his interplanetary pen pal, and the whole thing ultimately collapses in a heap of unintentionally hilarious melodrama.

Veterans like Gary Oldman and Carla Gugino bring flashes of dignity and sometimes even emotional truth to this frequently silly enterprise. But—like Will Smith , Kate Winslet , Helen Mirren and Naomie Harris surely found while making “ Collateral Beauty ”—there’s only so much you can do with a soggy Allan Loeb script. The twists are just unbearably ridiculous, which drains all the power out of their supposed catharsis.

Then again, awkward tonal shifts abound in the film from director Peter Chelsom , known for such early-2000s misfires including “Town & Country,” “ Serendipity ” and the English-language remake of “Shall We Dance?” Chelsom, who also provides the voice of the boy’s wisecracking robot pal early on, can’t quite make the transition from a character receiving terrible news to a joyous hot air balloon festival, for example. And a scene in which Robertson’s fiercely independent foster-child character starts playing the piano and singing a ballad in the middle of a Sam’s Club shopping spree is more likely to prompt giggles than the poignancy for which it clearly aims.

There’s reason for hope at the outset, though, simply through the involvement of Oldman. He plays a Richard Branson-type billionaire explorer named Nathaniel Shepherd who’s funding a mission to set up a colony on Mars called East Texas. (There’s the glimmer of a notion that climate change is a motivating factor, but any sort of political underpinning quickly gets swept aside.) But it turns out that the lead astronaut ( Janet Montgomery ) was pregnant when she boarded the rocket; several months later, she dies during childbirth. (Not a spoiler, folks—it happens early in the movie.) The ethical questions at stake are intriguing: whether Nathaniel and his team should report to the world that a boy has been born on Mars, or keep it a secret to avoid jeopardizing the mission. But that’s about the extent of the intellectual ambitions at play here.

16 years later , the colony is thriving and the baby has grown into an inquisitive, slightly awkward young man named Gardner Elliot. Gugino plays the intelligent, supportive astronaut who was sent to East Texas to function as a mother figure to him. But Gardner’s daily chats with Robertson’s character—a similarly frustrated, isolated teen who goes by the nickname Tulsa—make him increasingly curious about Earth. He also hopes to learn the identity of his father, whom he’s seen in photos and snippets of home movies.

Despite the physical toll it likely will take on him, Gardner makes the trek to Earth, where he promptly escapes his government handlers and seeks out Tulsa (who lives in Colorado). Fish-out-of-water antics involving exotic phenomena like rain aim for easy, obvious laughs, but they’re vaguely amusing because of Butterfield’s pleasingly guileless persona. The two go on a road trip across the American West, stealing various cars and stopping in Las Vegas on the way to California, trying to outrun the authorities and his mounting health problems along the way.

Which brings us to the multitude of distracting, inconsistent details. It’s supposed to be 16 years in the future, right? Some elements (like laptops) have a high-tech look about them, while others (like dry erase boards in a classroom and old pickup trucks and cars) are clearly from the present day or even a few decades ago. They make a big deal out of the fact that the beach house that’s their ultimate destination is in the tiny beach town of Summerland, Calif.—a few miles down the coast from Santa Barbara—but then the authorities that arrive are from Los Angeles. Stuff like this sticks out when you’re not engaged emotionally in what is supposed to be the film’s dramatic climax.

Butterfield and Robertson (who’s about 10 years too old to be playing a high-school student at this point) don’t exactly get sparkling dialogue with which to convince us of their burgeoning love. Neither does the score, which works overtime to make us feel all the feels.

But hey, at least there’s an exploding barn. That’s something you don’t see on Mars every day.

Christy Lemire

Christy Lemire is a longtime film critic who has written for RogerEbert.com since 2013. Before that, she was the film critic for The Associated Press for nearly 15 years and co-hosted the public television series "Ebert Presents At the Movies" opposite Ignatiy Vishnevetsky, with Roger Ebert serving as managing editor. Read her answers to our Movie Love Questionnaire here .

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Film Credits

The Space Between Us (2017)

Rated PG-13 for brief sensuality and language.

121 minutes

Asa Butterfield as Gardner Elliot

Britt Robertson as Tulsa

Carla Gugino as Kendra

Gary Oldman as Nathaniel Shepherd

B.D. Wong as Genesis Director Chen

Janet Montgomery as Sarah Elliot

• Peter Chelsom

Writer (story)

• Stewart Schill
• Richard Barton Lewis

Cinematographer

• Barry Peterson
• David Moritz
• Andrew Lockington

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The space between us, common sense media reviewers.

Teen sci-fi romance is sweet, if not out of this world.

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Celebrates the need for connection and friendship.

Gardner is brilliant, kind, and clever. He cares d

A mother dies during childbirth. A plane crashes a

Passionate kissing. One love scene in a sleeping b

Language isn't frequent but includes "bad

Dell computers, Greyhound bus line, Volvo, Mercede

Tulsa's father is drunk and has a bunch of bee

Parents need to know that The Space Between Us is a sci-fi romance starring Asa Butterfield as a teen born on Mars and Britt Robertson as the girl he hopes to meet once he finally travels to Earth. Language is pretty infrequent ("ass," "damn," etc.), and violence is limited to authorities…

Positive Messages

Celebrates the need for connection and friendship. Themes include courage and teamwork.

Positive Role Models

Gardner is brilliant, kind, and clever. He cares deeply about Tulsa. Kendra is loving and maternal toward Gardner. Tulsa is intelligent and compassionate toward Gardner and his mission.

Violence & Scariness

A mother dies during childbirth. A plane crashes and causes a huge explosion but no deaths. Various security forces pursue Tulsa and Gardner as they search for his father. A few times, it seems like Gardner is going to die.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

Passionate kissing. One love scene in a sleeping bag under the stars -- bare shoulders and backs shown.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Language isn't frequent but includes "badass," "ass," "damn," "d--k," and "crap."

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Products & Purchases

Dell computers, Greyhound bus line, Volvo, Mercedes, Chevy, Mars bar, Ford truck, Walmart.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

Tulsa's father is drunk and has a bunch of beer bottles lying around.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that The Space Between Us is a sci-fi romance starring Asa Butterfield as a teen born on Mars and Britt Robertson as the girl he hopes to meet once he finally travels to Earth. Language is pretty infrequent ("ass," "damn," etc.), and violence is limited to authorities pursuing the teen couple and a crash that causes an explosion (but no deaths). Expect some drinking (a parental figure is shown drunk and surrounded by beer bottles) and a whole lot of romantic tension that culminates in passionate kissing and one love scene (bare shoulders and backs are briefly visible). With themes of courage and teamwork, the movie celebrates the need for connection and friendship. But it's likely to appeal a bit more to teens interested in love stories than anyone in the market for a sci-fi thriller. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

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Community Reviews

• Parents say (9)
• Kids say (21)

Based on 9 parent reviews

Reckless behaviour from teens

Fantastic movie for children 11 to 111, what's the story.

THE SPACE BETWEEN US tells the story of the first human born on Mars, a boy named Gardner ( Asa Butterfield ) who was born and raised in a NASA space station. His mother, an astronaut, had no idea she was pregnant when she led the team of scientists to the Red Planet; she died during childbirth. Sixteen years later, there are more scientists on Mars, but Gardner's only friend his age is someone he met online: an Earth high schooler named Tulsa ( Britt Robertson ). Desperate to find his father and meet Tulsa, Gardner ignores medical advice that his body won't last in Earth's atmosphere and sets out to find Tulsa. They then head out on a road trip to find the man Gardner assumes is his father.

Is It Any Good?

This sweet but not particularly out-of-this-world teen romance stars a talented ensemble, but it ultimately lacks the necessary sparks. Although younger audiences may not notice, adults will realize the age discrepancy between the two main characters (almost seven years); Robertson and Butterfield are fine actors, but the filmmakers should cast someone as Tulsa who didn't look old enough to be Butterfield's concerned older sister -- or chosen a male lead who didn't look quite so young. By the time they start their inevitable kissing, it's downright uncomfortable to watch.

That major flaw aside, the story is fairly predictable once audiences figure out what's a red herring and what's reality. Hot on the couple's heels is the Mars mission's former billionaire visionary, Nathaniel Shepherd ( Gary Oldman ). His keen interest in Gardner's health signals an overarching sense of guilt at unknowingly sending a pregnant woman to space, and Goldman plays Shepherd with a constant sense of concern and frenzy. Carla Gugino , an expert at maternal roles, co-stars as Kendra, the scientist who acted as Gardner's primary guardian on Mars. She's always ready with a comforting word to the curious, confused boy. Bottom line? This is no Titanic , but The Space Between Us should appeal to middle-schoolers looking for an easy-to-follow story about teens who find friendship and love from across the solar system.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about The Space Between Us and the enduring popularity of "space" movies. How does this film differ from other movies about humans on other planets?

Discuss the romance in the movie. Is it what you were expecting? Can you think of other sci-fi romances?

Which characters do you consider role models ? How do they exhibit courage and teamwork ?

Gardner and Tulsa's friendship is established online. Their situation isn't average, of course, but what are some guidelines for safe online interactions with others ?

Movie Details

• In theaters : February 3, 2017
• On DVD or streaming : May 23, 2017
• Cast : Asa Butterfield , Britt Robertson , Gary Oldman
• Director : Peter Chelsom
• Studio : STX Entertainment
• Genre : Science Fiction
• Topics : Space and Aliens
• Character Strengths : Courage , Teamwork
• Run time : 121 minutes
• MPAA rating : PG-13
• MPAA explanation : brief sensuality and language
• Last updated : February 9, 2024

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Review: ‘The Space Between Us,’ the Story of a Boy Who Fell to Earth

• Share full article

By Ben Kenigsberg

• Feb. 2, 2017

With the disappearance of video stores, there is something heartening about the existence of “The Space Between Us,” a cheesy hunk of science fiction from Peter Chelsom that once would have drawn curious young eyes to VHS shelves. Set in the near future, it plays like a transmission from 1986, when a boy and a spaceship’s robot pilot could raise hell in “Flight of the Navigator,” and Steven Spielberg set the blockbuster template to emulate.

On a mission to colonize Mars, the lead astronaut (Janet Montgomery) learns she is pregnant. This news upsets Nathaniel Shepherd, the wild-haired mogul responsible for the venture, who fears the consequences of subjecting a fetus to zero gravity. He is played by Gary Oldman, clearly way too enthusiastic about this gig.

Movie Review: ‘The Space Between Us’

The times critic ben kenigsberg reviews “the space between us.”.

In “The Space Between Us,” a teenage boy born on Mars tries to find his father on Earth, but he may not survive the change in planetary atmosphere. In his review Ben Kenigsberg writes: With the disappearance of video stores, there is something heartening about the existence of “The Space Between Us,” a cheesy hunk of science fiction from Peter Chelsom that would have once filled shelves of VHS tapes. The main character Gardner played by Asa Butterfield will learn about human customs, convince his girlfriend he’s not a weirdo and find his father before his space-addled heart gives out. The movie commits to this bogusness without ever quite becoming resistible.

The existence of the child, Gardner (Asa Butterfield), is classified, and he grows up on Mars. Gardner mourns the fact that few know he exists and ruefully watches the copy of “ Wings of Desire ” a German scientist left behind. This sullen teenager has (naturally) a robot friend and (somehow) a video-chat pal on Earth. Because the screenwriter is Allan Loeb (“Collateral Beauty”), she is called Tulsa (Britt Robertson).

Their inevitable meeting — something about using carbon nanotubes to strengthen Gardner’s bone density is muttered — occasions an Earth road trip. Gardner must learn about human customs, convince his girlfriend that he’s not a weirdo and find his father before his space-addled heart gives out.

Committed to this preposterousness, the movie is consistently tougher to resist than it might seem.

Rated PG-13. Nuzzling. Running time: 2 hours.

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Film Review: ‘The Space Between Us’

Rarely has a teen melodrama gone so far — or fallen so flat — in a bald attempt to wring sympathy for an impossible romance.

By Peter Debruge

Peter Debruge

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Taking John Gray’s 1992 title “Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus” a little too literally, “The Space Between Us” concocts an elaborate science-fiction scenario on which to hang an otherwise clichéd tale of impossible teen romance. Here, the tiny detail that prevents 16-year-old Gardner Elliot (“Hugo” star Asa Butterfield ) from dating high-school student Tulsa ( Britt Robertson , of “Tomorrowland”) is the fact that Gardner has spent his entire life on the Red Planet — and if he travels to Earth, he may die.

To some, that may sound like a compelling premise for a weepy romance — call it “The Fault in Our Planets,” if you like. In truth, it’s a ridiculously expensive spin on “The Boy in the Plastic Bubble,” where the mostly Mars-set first act adds millions of dollars to the budget but virtually no value to the story itself, a by-the numbers meller in which a freakishly tall kid with spindly bones and an enlarged heart risks his life in order to experience love and the kind of companionship he’s been denied since birth.

Conceived on Earth by a father he’s never met, Gardner was the first human born on Mars (his mother died moments after holding her son for the first time). He’s been kept a secret ever since by an eccentric British space buff named Nathaniel Shepherd (Gary Oldman), who wrote a letter to the U.S. president when he was 12 explaining how “courage without limits” would lead men to colonize Mars. And now they have — courtesy of Nathaniel’s own company, Genesis Space Technologies.

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Oldman’s character — who was clearly modeled after Virgin’s Richard Branson — may be responsible for colonizing Mars, but he’s otherwise a bottomless well of bad ideas. Because Nathaniel has a brain condition that prevents him from experiencing interplanetary travel, he sends a surrogate mother, Kendra (Carla Gugino), to raise Gardner on East Texas, as his pioneering space station is known. Still, it’s a lonely childhood for the boy: His peers are 14 scientists and a robot named Centaur, and though Gardner grows up much smarter than most kids, he’s still naïve in the ways of the world.

In desperate need of human connection, Gardner somehow figures out a way to video-chat with a girl named Tulsa on Earth (evidently communications technology has evolved more than space travel since they chat in real time, though the commute between planets is still seven months). Now, Gardner wants nothing more than to make the journey “home” and experience the planet everyone else takes for granted. For some reason, Nathaniel agrees to let him take the trip, and after landing, to no one’s surprise but Nathaniel’s, Gardner escapes while under medical evaluation, setting off to find Tulsa and the biological father he never knew — whoever that may be (you get one guess).

In a typical, by-the-numbers story, the repressed young couple would break away from their parents to take a spin across the scenic United States. But here, conveniently, Tulsa is an orphan and so has no parents. Perhaps the most heartening thing about this journey is how well preserved the countryside is — with its spacious skies, amber waves of grain, and all that — so gorgeously rendered by DP Barry Peterson. Where most movies about colonizing Mars double as an indictment of the damage humans have already done to Earth, this one feels like a series of scenic car commercials, smothered in obnoxious emo ballads by the likes of Ingrid Michaelson and James Bay, or else the screensaver stylings of composer Andrew Lockington.

In a movie that supposedly celebrates dreamers over cynics, there are many missed opportunities for poetry: a drive through Vegas represents the closest Gardner will ever get to the Eiffel Tower or Taj Mahal; and not enough is made of the fact that both Gardner’s and Nathaniel’s greatest wish is to experience the planet on which the other has been based. “What’s your favorite thing about Earth?” the boy asks everyone he encounters, which seems a perfect opportunity to explore how someone deprived of simple pleasures might experience them. Apart from a scene in which he devours a sloppy hamburger, however, the movie is content to be a dopey teen romance.

Producers tapped Peter Chelsom (director of such toxic box office flops as “Town & Country” and “Hector and the Search for Happiness”) to helm “The Space Between Us,” and the film flails around trying to achieve the same broad heartland-friendly humor of Chelsom’s last hit, “Hannah Montana: The Movie.” Nathaniel and Kendra chase the kids via helicopter as Gardner discovers the joys of Earth life — stealing cars, crashing crop-dusters, seeing the Grand Canyon and the cliffs of Malibu — while ominous nosebleeds serve to remind that all this fun is finite.

The movie has so overexerted itself with its elaborate sci-fi premise that Chelsom soon stumbles into plot holes bigger than the Valles Marineris, the most egregious of which is the assumption that Tulsa would so quickly click with Gardner after discovering that their entire friendship was based on a lie. No wonder “The Space Between Us” backed away from the “Passengers” release date in favor of a Valentine’s Day-proximate February sortie. Still, if romance-seeking audiences know what’s best for them, they’ll put some space between themselves and this movie.

Reviewed at Real D Screening Room, Jan. 30, 2017. MPAA Rating: PG-13. Running time: 120 MIN.

• Production: An STX Entertainment release of a Southpaw Entertainment, Huayi Brothers production, in association with Los Angeles Media Fund. Producer: Richard Barton Lewis. Executive producers: Robbie Brenner, Kevin Halloran, Sasha Harari, Simon Horsman, Allan Loeb, Patrick Murray, Steven Pearl, Jeffrey Soros, Douglas Urbanski. Co-producers: John Albanis, Gabrielle Jerou.
• Crew: Director: Peter Chelsom. Screenplay: Allan Loeb; story: Stewart Schill, Richard Barton Lewis, Loeb. Camera (color, widescreen): Barry Peterson. Editor: David Moritz. Music: Andrew Lockington.
• With: Gary Oldman, Asa Butterfield, Carla Gugino, Britt Robertson, BD Wong, Janet Montgomery.

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‘the space between us’: film review.

A teenager who has spent his entire life on Mars finds love when he finally travels to Earth in Peter Chelsom's sci-fi/teen romance 'The Space Between Us.'

By Frank Scheck

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Going through adolescence is hard enough without having to do it on Mars. That’s the main takeaway of Peter Chelsom’s sci-fi romance aimed at teens who might prove more indulgent of its sentimental clichés than adults who have made such films as Gravity and The Martian runaway hits. Having had its release date pushed back to not directly compete with the recent Passengers , The Space Between Us is unlikely to capitalize from the distance.

Asa Butterfield ( Hugo ) plays the central role of 16-year-old Gardner, who has spent his entire life on Mars after his astronaut mother (Janet Montgomery) died giving birth during a multiyear mission on the Red Planet. (You would think that NASA would give pregnancy tests to its female astronauts, but apparently not.) Raised in near isolation, with his best friends being his surrogate mother Kendra (Carla Gugino ) and Centaur, the sort of adorable robot endemic to sci-fi films, Gardner is not surprisingly frustrated with his situation. Meanwhile, his existence has been kept secret by NASA, although it seems hardly the sort of thing that could be kept under wraps indefinitely.

Release date: Feb 03, 2017

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Gardner does have one friend on Earth: Tulsa (Britt Robertson), a Colorado high school student with whom he regularly video chats via computer (this, when getting a good Skype connection is problematic). When Tulsa expresses a desire to meet him, Gardner tells her that he lives in a Park Avenue penthouse and suffers from a rare disease that prevents him from being exposed to people.

When Gardner finally gets the chance to travel to Earth, he naturally makes a beeline for the beautiful young woman with whom he’s become smitten. The scenario provides screenwriter Allan Loeb the opportunity for plenty of predictable fish-out-of-water humor, with Gardner reacting in wild-eyed wonder to everything around him despite having presumably watched plenty of films and TV shows. Gardner’s favorite film, in fact, is Wim Wenders’ Wings of Desire (which goes unnamed here despite the inclusion of several clips), since he can relate to the plight of its central character, an angel who falls in love with a human.

Although Tulsa at first reacts suspiciously to Gardner’s eccentricities, sparks eventually fly between them. When she agrees to help him find his biological father, the two teens embark on an unsanctioned road trip, with NASA in hot pursuit. The situation takes on particular urgency when it becomes apparent that Gardner, whose body is unused to Earth’s gravity, may suffer fatal consequences if he doesn’t return to Mars.

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Combining its adventure and romantic plotlines in painfully hokey fashion, The Space Between Us (the title is a pun, get it?) is so ludicrous that only a cinematic stylist might have been able to pull it off. Director Peter Chelsom , whose career has declined precipitously in recent years ( Hannah Montana: The Movie , anyone?), is not that filmmaker. Sluggishly paced and tonally wobbly, the pic , much like its teenage protagonist, suffers under its own weight.

The performers are not to be faulted. Butterfield conveys a touching soulfulness, and Robertson, although looking a bit mature to get away with portraying a teenager, makes for a funnily spunky heroine. As is so often the case, Gugino proves far better than her material, with the same being true for Gary Oldman , here playing an Elon Musk-style billionaire who personally funded the Mars mission. His character mainly comes across as an unintended argument against the privatization of the space program.

Production companies: Los Angeles Media Fund, STX Entertainment, Southpaw Entertainment Distributor: STX Entertainment Cast: Gary Oldman , Asa Butterfield, Carla Gugino , Britt Robertson, BD Wong Director: Peter Chelsom Screenwriter: Allan Loeb Producer: Richard Barton Lewis Executive producers: Robbie Brenner, Kevin Halloran , Sasha Harari , Simon Horsman , Allan Loeb , Patrick Murray, Steven Pearl, Jeffrey Soros, Douglas Urbanski Director of photography: Barry Peterson Production designer: Kirk M. Petruccelli Costume designer: Christopher Lawrence Composer Andrew Lockington Casting: Jo Edna Boldin , Cathy Sandrich

Rated PG-13, 120 minutes

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‘The Space Between Us’ Review: The Fault in Our Planets

Peter Chelsom’s YA romance never captures the wonder of viewing Earth for the first time.

Although it was ostensibly written by adult men, The Space Between Us comes off like it was penned by a lonely teenage boy at space camp. Rather than sweeping us up into a good-natured young adult romance, Peter Chelsom ’s film comes off as a constant parade of missed opportunities. What should have been a unique opportunity to capture the majesty of Earth from the viewpoint of one who has only glimpsed it from afar instead becomes a rote road trip movie featuring two leads who have zero chemistry. Far from embracing the richness of our planet, The Space Between Us is as desolate as Mars.

In 2018, scientist Nathaniel Shepherd ( Gary Oldman ) sends a team of astronauts to Mars to inhabit the red planet for four years. On the journey there, it turns out that one of the astronauts is pregnant. She has the baby on Mars, but dies in childbirth. Nathaniel and the project’s other overseers decide to keep the child’s existence a secret to prevent a public outcry. Sixteen years later, and the child, Gardner Elliot ( Asa Butterfield ), is restless and wants to come to Earth so he can find his father and also meet up with the cute girl he’s been talking to online, Tulsa ( Britt Robertson ), who doesn’t know he’s literally a Martian (she thinks he’s a bubble boy living in New York). After a surgical procedure that allows Gardner to walk on Earth, he escapes the medical facility and teams up with Tulsa find his father while Nathaniel and astronaut Kendra ( Carla Gugino ) try to track down the teens so they can save Elliot from a condition that’s developed from his enlarged heart.

There’s so much potential in The Space Between Us and none of it is realized. The film’s hook is that the protagonist has only seen Earth from afar, and now he’s finally getting to experience it, and yet Chelsom never captures that wonder. If anything, the film always seems to be leaning heavily on the relationship between Gardner and Tulsa, which just makes it an ordinary story. Gardner may as well have been a bubble boy living in New York who goes on a road trip with a girl he has a crush on. His origins and his home planet become nothing more than window dressing, and the sci-fi angle is completely lost in favor of a rote love story.

Perhaps if we could invest a little more in Gardner and Tulsa’s relationship that could save the picture, but Butterfield and Robertson lack any spark. Butterfield gives a stilted, uninteresting performance, and Robertson is stuck playing “tough gal who has a softer side.” What should feel like a thrilling tale of first love instead comes off as cold and distant, as if screenwriter Allan Loeb couldn’t remember what it’s like to be a teenager falling in love so he just threw in some banter and then had Gardner marvel at seeing a horse for the first time.

There isn’t an ounce of emotional honesty or nuance in The Space Between Us , so the film is largely rendered inert. For a movie about a boy from Mars who comes to Earth to search for his father and ends up finding his first love, The Space Between Us is shockingly dull. While it’s easy to see the potential of the story and what could have been with better direction, better writing, and better acting, The Space Between Us ends up being a massive disappointment on every level.

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• Review: <i> The Space Between Us </i>

Review: The Space Between Us

I t’s risky to give a movie points for what it’s trying to be, rather than what it is. In the sci-fi romance The Space Between Us , Gardner (Asa Butterfield), a 16-year-old who has lived on Mars all his life, falls in love with an Earth girl, Tulsa (Britt Robertson), whom he’s met via the Internet. She’s a foster teenager living in Colorado; he’s stuck on the Red Planet, having known no other life. His mother, an astronaut who was one of the planet’s first colonists, died giving birth to him. When this lanky, awkward Martian gets the chance to travel to Earth, where he can meet his crush face-to-face, he leaps. But not everyone thinks Gardner belongs there. And so he and Tulsa take off on an escapee’s road trip, zipping along America’s majestic winding highways in a “borrowed” vehicle. Freedom, they say, is just another word for nothing left to lose.

If you dare to keep track, the dumb stuff in The Space Between Us piles up quickly: Gary Oldman, playing a supremely wealthy Elon Musk–style space enthusiast, spends part of the time loitering dejectedly around his spacious luxury pad, looking forlorn in his rich-guy jogging pants. But it’s not as easy to make fun of the mild sweetness at the heart of the movie. Director Peter Chelsom ( Hear My Song , Serendipity )–tunes it to the wavelength of Gardner’s isolation. When the kid first arrives on Earth, sunlight is so bright for him that he has to wear superdark, boxy, old-people sunglasses–a fashion fate worse than death for normal teens, though he doesn’t know any better. Before long, he trades them for something hipper. But no matter what, a gangly, science-fixated nerd from Mars is always going to be just a little bit square–and thank goodness for that.

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Real Spaceships and Mushy Love: 'The Space Between Us' Delivers

A new science fiction film, " The Space Between Us ," hits theaters today (Feb. 3), and it just might be the most spaced-out teenage love story yet.

The PG-13 film is clearly geared toward younger audiences, but if you're fond of Mars, astronauts and cool spaceships, this movie is well worth the watch — even if a couple of cute and mushy teenage love scenes bring about momentary feelings of awkwardness. With a unique plot and realistic representation of space exploration, it's a movie that space and sci-fi fans of all ages should see. [ 'The Space Between Us' (Movie Photos) ]

Human missions to Mars have been a hot topic in space-themed science fiction stories for decades. "The Space Between Us" introduces a fresh take on this familiar plot, showing audiences a new kind of interplanetary adventure: a young Mars colonists' first trip to planet Earth. 

"The Space Between Us" tells the story of the first person born on the Red Planet , which happens after an astronaut discovers she's pregnant while en route to the Mars colony. In an effort to avoid a scandal, the fictional private spaceflight company in charge of the mission chooses to keep the baby a secret. 

Sixteen years later, the native Martian, named Gardner Elliot, takes his first trip to Earth. There, he hopes to find his father and win the heart of a girl named Tulsa, who he met online while living on Mars. 

The trip doesn't go quite as smoothly as planned, however. Tulsa refuses to believe that Gardner is from Mars, and the search for the boy's father turns into a nationwide police chase. To make matters much, much worse, Gardner's health rapidly declines as his body fights to adjust to a new world that has 62 percent more gravity than where he was born. This new environment makes his body weigh about three times more than it did on Mars. 

In Earth's gravity, Gardner's heart struggles to adequately pump blood through his body. Such a condition can lead to a shortage of oxygen flow between the lungs and the rest of the body, Scott Hubbard, NASA's "Mars czar" who served as a science consultant for the film, told Space.com. So Gardner ends up racing the clock to find his father before his own time runs out. [ How Zero Gravity Affects Astronauts' Hearts in Space ]

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Because there is currently no way to know for sure how the human body would react to a situation like Gardner's, the film's producer Richard Lewis consulted several different medical experts, including cardiologists and flight surgeons, to come up with the most plausible scenario.

The filmmakers clearly studied up on real-world space vehicles and concepts, featuring several of them in the movie. That includes NASA's new rocket, the Space Launch System (SLS), which is still in development and slated for launch in 2018. Dream Chaser, a shuttle-like spacecraft concept by Sierra Nevada Corporation, also appears in the film. In fact, the filmmakers had access to a real prototype of the Dream Chaser . 

In the movie, to get to Mars, an ascent vehicle launches aboard the SLS and docks at the Mars Transfer Vehicle (MTV), which looks like a cross between the International Space Station and Lockheed Martin's " Base Camp " concept. The MTV then goes on a six- to nine-month trip to Mars, where the vehicle remains in orbit after the astronauts ride a descent vehicle down to the planet's surface. Returning to Earth follows the same process. When humans ultimately do go to Mars, this may very well be the way they do it. 

Technology concepts aside, one thing that makes this movie stand out from other space films is its strong focus on human emotions and character development. In most space movies, "the focus tends to be on hardware and not so much the people, which makes this movie unique," Hubbard said.

Even if teenage love stories aren't your style, this movie is worth checking out. 

Email Hanneke Weitering at [email protected] or follow her @hannekescience . Follow us @Spacedotcom , Facebook and Google+ . Original article on Space.com .

Join our Space Forums to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more! And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at: [email protected].

Hanneke Weitering is a multimedia journalist in the Pacific Northwest reporting on the future of aviation at FutureFlight.aero and Aviation International News and was previously the Editor for Spaceflight and Astronomy news here at Space.com. As an editor with over 10 years of experience in science journalism she has previously written for Scholastic Classroom Magazines, MedPage Today and The Joint Institute for Computational Sciences at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. After studying physics at the University of Tennessee in her hometown of Knoxville, she earned her graduate degree in Science, Health and Environmental Reporting (SHERP) from New York University. Hanneke joined the Space.com team in 2016 as a staff writer and producer, covering topics including spaceflight and astronomy. She currently lives in Seattle, home of the Space Needle, with her cat and two snakes. In her spare time, Hanneke enjoys exploring the Rocky Mountains, basking in nature and looking for dark skies to gaze at the cosmos. 

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The Space Between Us Review

18 Aug 2016

120 minutes

Space Between Us, The

In many ways, The Space Between Us is an optimistic film. Sure, a young woman leading a colonisation mission to Mars dies in childbirth the moment she gets there. But she gets there in 2018. That’s next year .

After the baby’s born and it’s decided to keep his existence classified, we skip forward 16 years. Now a teenager, Gardner (Asa Butterfield), is understandably a bit bored of being cooped up on a space station with only scientists and a robot for company. Although he does have a girl-who’s-a-friend, Tulsa (Britt Robertson), who he Skypes with (he tells her he’s confined to his New York apartment), somehow managing to get real-time video conferencing to work of 54.6million km of space.

Despite the very real possibility returning to Earth may kill him — his body unable to deal with the different gravity — it’s decided he may be psychologically better off there. He’ll just have to be monitored closely. So, of course, he soon slips out and heads to Colorado to meet Tulsa.

What follows is a chase film as reclusive scientist Nathaniel Shepherd (Oldman) and Gardner’s Martian minder Kendra (Carla Gugino) try to catch up to him. He and Tulsa, meanwhile, are attempting to track down his real father.

By this point, the sense of déjà vu is overwhelming. Gardner’s deteriorating physical condition recalls The Fault In Our Stars , and there are elements of Short Circuit and even Mel Gibson weepie Forever Young . Much of this can be forgiven if the emotion feels real, but the relationship between Gardner and Tulsa rarely rings true. “Weird kid,” remarks a character at one point, and it’s difficult to disagree — his otherworldliness rarely loveable or endearing. By the end, it’s difficult to shake the feeling this type of thing has been done so much better before.

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The Space Between Us review – cosmically mawkish teen romance

This tale of interplanetary young love falls apart upon take-off with a storyline that offers no surprises and fetishises its protagonist’s debilitating illness

H ere is a love story that quickly turns into an insufferable display of sucrose interplanetary YA ickiness with the most guessable final twist of all time. It features a near-future space travel plot with an awful lot of corporate promotional branding from Nasa – like Ridley Scott’s The Martian but without that movie’s occasional sense of humour. There’s a persistent emo-fetishisation of illness, in the person of a teen visitor from Mars and his romantic infirmity. But it’s not so much The Man Who Fell to Earth as The Fault in Our Stars . Asa Butterfield steps up to his first adult lead as Gardner, whose astronaut mom died giving birth to him 16 years ago, en route to Mars. Since then, he’s been brought up on the Mars station. But he’s got a online relationship with cute Tulsa (Britt Robertson) back on Earth. She’s been in and out of foster homes her whole life; he’s told her he’s confined to home with a rare disease. But soon Gardner gets to come to Earth to see her, despite the health problems caused by the different atmosphere. Earthling authorities such as space travel director Nathaniel Shepherd (Gary Oldman) and his colleague Tom Chen (BD Wong) disapprove of this love, and Gardner is way out of his comfort zone, like a cross between Crocodile Dundee and ET. It’s a wan, anaemic film.

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• Asa Butterfield

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Movie Review: The Space Between Us (2017)

• Frank Ochieng
• Movie Reviews
• One response
• --> February 17, 2017

Somehow Hollywood continues to search for different outlets to convey young love at the box office. Sure, the goal is always the same in terms of tapping into the youth market by promoting yet another transparent teen weepie, but this time with The Space Between Us it’s among the stars. Hey, youngsters need catering at the movie theaters as well, right? However, one is not so convinced that the Young Adult (YA) genre is convincingly elevated by a flimsy frontier sci-fi romancer among the Clearasil crowd.

Director Peter Chelsom (“Hector and the Search for Happiness”) and screenwriter Allan Loeb delve into the conventional clichés of a lame star-crossed lovers theme that wreaks of saccharine-coated simplicity wrapped in scientific triteness. The awkward mixture of lightweight science fiction drama, pandering gooey-eyed overtures toward teenage girls still nostalgically embracing their “ Twilight ” fixation and space-age elements as exploration filler makes for a paper-cutter potency that creates unwanted space between us or any other species watching this cosmic claptrap. I’ll give Chelsom some credit, though — at least his young protagonists are not another incarnation of obligatory hairy, shirtless werewolves or fanged, sparkly vampires.

The adolescent pen pals in The Space Between Us are truly from different worlds, although this does not stop these particular kids from bonding deeply. 16-year old, advanced academic Gardner Elliot (Asa Butterfield, “ Ender’s Game ”) is having a time of his life corresponding with the edgy Tulsa (Britt Robertson, “ The Longest Ride ”) in the chat rooms. Whereas Gardner is a whiz in robotics and comes from prestigious stock (his late mother was a pioneering astronaut) his object of affection is a motorcycle-loving wild child that had bounced around in the foster care system. The other glaring difference between the unlikely young couple is that the scientifically gifted Gardner is located on Mars and Tulsa is a gritty gal living on Earth in the state of Colorado. Geez . . . talking about long distant relationships, huh?

Poor Gardner has always entertained the thought of traveling to Earth — the home planet of his deceased explorer mother who died giving birth to him during her mission to colonize Mars. So now there is more of an incentive for Gardner to yearn for visiting Earth now that his curiosity and fascination with Tulsa has heightened. At this point all the young Martian has going for him socially is his guardian/second mother Kendra Wyndham (Carla Gugino, “ San Andreas ”) and the robotic pal he built to provide companionship. The cruel reality for Gardner not being able to take a trip to Earth has something to do with his sensitive Martian-bred body not being able to withstand the atmospheric gravity settings on our planet (huh . . . is he not still a human?). All Gardner wants to do is come to terms with connecting to the planet Earth and finding some self-discovery about himself and self-fulfillment with his Colorado-based crush in the leather-clad Tulsa.

Of course the film figures out — in convoluted fashion, no doubt — how to place the inquisitive Gardner on Earth’s soil through the far-fetched means of a billionaire, Nathaniel Shepherd (Gary Oldman, “ Dawn of the Planet of the Apes ”), funding the experimentation and expedition of the Red Planet-raised tyke who dreams of reaching the planet that houses his unknown father and his precious Tulsa. Soon, the inevitability of Gardner meeting up with his dream girl comes true as the teenage twosome take off and find liberation in each other’s company as the authorities are hot on their trail. Look out Romeo and Juliet . . . you have a cheesy carbon copy coupling seeking to steal your familiar thunder.

The Space Between Us produces more sappy substance than a row of Vermont trees. The fish-out-of-water routine that Butterfield’s Gardner undergoes when reaching Earth is mechanically clumsy and predictable. Butterfield does what he can to portray Gardner as an alien just not from another planet but from his own skin, though this notion is philosophically ambitious to pull off for an interstellar teen tearjerker that has all the complexity of a sofa cushion. Robertson’s Tulsa is the typical rebellious chick, but her and Butterfield’s Gardner become tiresome as they engage in manufactured chase scenes, teen-angst lovey-dovey lameness and dragged-out space travel drivel that beleaguers this simplistic science fiction yarn.

Ultimately, the results of The Space Between Us is alarming more than charming. Once the payoff is realized, one will be left wondering when the next asteroid is coming to obliterate the memories (and any possible notion of a sequel) of this toothless, romantic sci-fi saga aimed indiscriminately at teenaged targets.

Tagged: alien , astronaut , Earth , friendship , Mars , space

Frank Ochieng has been an online movie reviewer for various movie outlets throughout the years before coming on board at CMC. Previously, Frank had been a film critic for The Boston Banner (now The Bay State Banner) urban newspaper and had appeared on Boston's WBZ NewsRadio 1030 AM for an 11-year run as a recurring media commentator/panelist on the "Movie/TV Night" overnight broadcasts. He is a member of the Online Film Critics Society (OFCS) and the Internet Film Critics Society (IFCS). Frank is a graduate of Suffolk University in the historic section of Boston's Beacon Hill.

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'Movie Review: The Space Between Us (2017)' has 1 comment

February 17, 2017 @ 10:07 pm supermoo

All sap and no substance – Sounds like another one of those rotten Nicholas Sparks adaptations.

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• DVD & Streaming

The Space Between Us

• Drama , Romance

Content Caution

In Theaters

• February 3, 2017
• Asa Butterfield as Gardner Elliot; Britt Robertson as Tulsa; Carla Gugino as Kendra; Gary Oldman as Nathaniel Shepherd; Janet Montgomery as Sara Elliot

Home Release Date

• May 16, 2017
• Peter Chelsom

Distributor

• STX Entertainment

Movie Review

Sometimes people make choices that have unexpected consequences. And sometimes those consequences have teeth.

Take Gardner Elliot for example.

A little more than 16 years ago, his mother rocketed off into deep space on a four-year colonizing mission without checking to see if she just might be pregnant before liftoff.

That resulted in Gardner being born on Mars.

And his mom dying in childbirth.

And his whole physiology being influenced by Mars’ low gravity.

And his childhood being shaped by the fact that he was raised by a group of busy astronauts and scientists rather than a mom and a dad.

In spite of all that—and the fact that his very existence was kept a secret to protect the space agency’s funding—Gardner is a pretty typical teen. He’s rebellious, bullheaded and inventive. He doesn’t know much about life on Earth, but he longs to go there. He yearns to strike out on his own. He really wants to meet this cute teen girl named Tulsa whom he’s been messaging online.

And, probably most important of all, he really, really wants to meet his dad.

Gardner doesn’t actually know who his dad is , since his mom wasn’t married. And her belongings only dropped a few clues about who the man might be. But, hey, those are the small details, really. First, Gardner will have to figure out how to make it back to Earth … and determine if his body will even be able to function properly there.

Whatever it takes, though, he’s determined to do it. He’ll break any rule, circumvent any obstruction, make any reckless choice.

Of course, sometimes people make choices that have unexpected consequences. And sometimes those consequences have teeth.

Positive Elements

As Gardner and Tulsa meet and grow closer, they begin reinforcing positive qualities in each other. Tulsa helps Gardner recognize the value of his goodness and gentleness. And he helps her see that honest communication, earnest commitment and healthy relationships are actually obtainable goals. “You act like you hate the world, Tulsa. It’s all an act,” Gardner tells her. “The beautiful music you make gives you away.”

Kendra, one of the Mars-based astronauts, is steadfastly protective of Gardner. In fact, even though she says she never really had any desire to be a parent, she has come to love Gardner as her own son. After Gardner makes it to Earth and sets off on a dangerous road trip, Kendra puts everything else aside to focus on his well-being. Gardner acknowledges this fact and tells her, “You’re the best mom I never had.”

[ Spoiler Warning ] Kendra later embraces her emerging maternal instincts to the point that she’s willing to offer parentless Tulsa a place the girl can call home. We also find out that the man behind the NASA Mars program, Nathanial Shepard, is actually Gardner’s father. He puts his life on the line to right his past wrongs and save Gardner’s life.

Spiritual Elements

Before launching into space, lead astronaut Sara Elliot says, “Courage is fear … that has said its prayers.” Gardner watches a German movie about an angel falling in love and choosing to become human in order to be with his love. Gardner equates that film to his growing feelings for Tulsa.

In their travels, Gardner and Tulsa make their way to a spiritual shaman whom they believe might have married his parents. (That turns out not to be the case.)

Sexual Content

Though we never see them interact, it is implied that Gardner’s mom, Sara, has an affair with an older man.

As Gardner and Tulsa’s relationship grows, they become more physical. They kiss on several occasions, he puts his hand on her bare leg in a sensual manner. We also see them lightly caressing each other in a large sleeping bag, their bare shoulders sticking out of it.

Violent Content

Experts at NASA decide that Gardner’s bones will need reinforcement to function properly in Earth’s increased gravity. We see a brief shot of surgery as the teen’s arm is cut open and a metal tube is inserted.

Gardner recklessly drives a cart on Mars, crashing it, disconnecting his oxygen tube and almost dying before being rescued. On Earth he and Tulsa do a bit of reckless motoring in stolen vehicles, too, including one point where Tulsa takes her foster father’s crop duster and crashes it into a barn—causing a huge explosion.

Due to elevated levels of the protein troponin in connection with Gardner’s enlarged heart, we see the young man dealing with a number of painful-looking side effects. He has nosebleeds, passes out several times and is said to be on the verge of death in one key moment.

Someone tries to commit suicide by intentionally drowning in the ocean, but is ultimately rescued.

Crude or Profane Language

One use of the English profanity “bloody.” That’s joined by a single use of “d–n,” two of “crap” and several repetitions of the phrase “bad a–.” Someone is told to “stop being a d–k.”

Drug and Alcohol Content

One of Tulsa’s foster parents is an alcoholic who is passed out most of the time. The teen rouses him to go do a job at one point, but he is so out of it that he begs her to fulfill the dangerous task in his place.

Other Negative Elements

Bad choices are made by space agency authority figures in order to cover up earlier bad decisions, and destructive results compound.

In the course of their journeys, Gardner and Tulsa steal money and several vehicles. In fact, theft seems to be Tulsa’s default mode of operation in many difficult situations, though Gardner pushes back against that instinct on occasion.

We eventually learn that Tulsa was abandoned as a 4-year-old, and that her life has consisted of bouncing around from one relatively abusive foster home to another (a plot point that doesn’t do good foster parents in the real world any favors here).

On the face of things, this flick may appear to be a typical sci-fi tale. But’s it’s really not that at all. This is a pretty straight-forward teen boy coming-of-age story. Only in this case the emotionally tortured and awkward guy and his impossible high school crush really are from different planets.

There are some solid messages here about a young person’s longing for love, family and identity. There are self-sacrificial actions in the slightly futuristic mix. And we even get a finger-wag or two at people who make self-centered choices without thinking about the future pain they could potentially be causing.

Like many a tale of teenage exploration, though, the film also launches into some angsty elements that detract from the movie as a whole. Mars-boy Gardner and Earth-girl crush Tulsa leave a trail of stolen vehicles and smoking, damaged property in their wake when they’re not snuggled up romantically in a sleeping bag or relishing the road trip scenery. And the film lightly applauds their lying, rule-breaking and destructive rebelliousness as long as it ultimately leads to truth and love.

That sort of cinematic stuff can be navigable if seen through a metaphoric lens. But teens looking at it as a real-world road map, could find themselves adrift somewhere between here and Mars if they miss the movie’s other positive themes.

After spending more than two decades touring, directing, writing and producing for Christian theater and radio (most recently for Adventures in Odyssey, which he still contributes to), Bob joined the Plugged In staff to help us focus more heavily on video games. He is also one of our primary movie reviewers.

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THE SPACE BETWEEN US

Mars. Long a dream of mankind (and especially Buzz Aldrin) is for man to go to Mars. Not just with land rovers and satellites sending images back to Earth, but to walk upon and colonize. NASA and other space agencies have now long been working toward that very goal. Tests done on space shuttle missions, on the International Space Station, and now the “Twins” experiment with astronauts Mark and Scott Kelly, are all yielding results that will further the realization of the Mars dream. Hollywood, always seemingly light years ahead of science, has already gone to Mars and beyond in live action and animation, most recently with “The Martian”. But what if a filmmaker pushes the envelope, blending science and accuracy with heart and humanity, and asks a single probative question: What if someone gave birth on a spaceship heading to/or already on Mars? The answer to that question sets the stage for THE SPACE BETWEEN US, a film with a truth and a soul that explores multiple metaphoric concepts about the idea of “space” and how there can be vast space between people and places, but at the same time there is seemingly no space between them. THE SPACE BETWEEN US resonates with a probing beauty on both emotional and physical levels.

Directed by Peter Chelsom and written by Allan Loeb with a story by Richard Barton Lewis (also a producer on the film), Stewart Schill and Loeb, THE SPACE BETWEEN US is the story of Gardner Elliot. Born on Mars as a result of his astronaut mother discovering she was pregnant while in-flight, Gardner has spent the last 16 years of his life knowing a total of 14 people. Sadly, his mother died during childbirth which left the crew, and subsequent others, to raise Gardner. He has never left Mars and longs to experience Earth and become “human.” His best friend is a robot named Centaur. But thanks to the internet, Gardner has befriended Tulsa, a teenaged girl in Oklahoma. Damaged, angry and distrustful, as curious as Gardner is and as desirous he is of experiencing a real connection with the “outside world”, Tulsa only wants to escape, leave, get out, leave the planet if she could. She has no idea that Gardner is on Mars, believing instead that he lives in New York and can’t leave his home because of health issues. (As we see unfold, there ends up being great truth in that small deception.)

Desperate to travel to Earth, Gardner begs and pleads with the space team on Earth for the chance to “be human.” One female astronaut, Kendra, was sent to Mars after Gardner’s birth to help raise him. She tries to advocate for him, but with trepidation. No one knows how his body will react to different gravitational forces. Going so far as to have implants surgically inserted into his body as a means to reinforce his body for Earth’s gravity, it is ultimately decided the trip would be too risky. But Gardner is undeterred.

A computer and electronics whiz, he hacks into his the vault where his mother’s possessions have been housed all these years, finding a picture of his mother and a man he believes to be his father. More than ever Gardner wants to travel to Earth and find his father. Plus, he also wants to meet Tulsa with whom he has fallen completely in love with.

Sneaking off and stealing a ship, Gardner heads to Earth. Everything is strange, different and new, but exciting, and Gardner takes in everything with wide-eyed wonderment, eventually making his way to the girl of his dreams, Tulsa. Agreeing to help him find his father, the two take off on a cross-country road trip to Summerland, California, opening up the world for not only Gardner, but the viewing audience. In the meantime, Kendra has followed Gardner back to Earth and Nathaniel Shepherd, the Elon Musk/Richard Branson- esque genius who spearheaded the initial trip to Mars 16 years ago, himself self-exiled after deciding to keep Gardner’s birth a secret from the world, now re-emerges, panicked because testing has shown that Earth’s gravity will kill Gardner within 72 hours.

But there are secrets that come to light, forever changing the lives of Gardner, Tulsa, Kendra and Nathaniel as each struggles to fill THE SPACE BETWEEN US.

Thanks to Chelsom’s storytelling vision and visual detail, compounded by the emotional depth within the story itself, there is an outstanding balance achieved wherein the emotional tonal bandwidth is laced with the truth and authenticity of the science leading to an eye-opening and thoughtful film. Approaching the film as being “connection versus isolation amplified by the vastness of space”, there is a flow to the cinematic connective tissue.

Starting with the initial question of “What would happen if an astronaut discovered she was pregnant on a flight to Mars?”, the story development is comprehensive and detailed. Relying on scientists at NASA Ames Research Center and expert Professor Scott Hubbard for specifics on space flight to Mars, the human body, gravity, and ethical and logistic considerations – all of which we see play out on screen – THE SPACE BETWEEN US has as a very strong science underpinning on which the story of Gardner Elliot and all the emotional gravitas is built. In speaking with producer Richard Lewis, who spearheaded the entire film and storyline, “We had flight surgeons who were advising us about the birth, what conditions would be like and Scott [Hubbard] referred us to some of the researchers that had taken mice that were pregnant and they put them in orbit as part of the space shuttle program. They gave birth and the mice came back and there were all these anomalies. It would be terrifying actually. The chances of the child going to full gestation would be a challenge. . .So all the things Gary Oldman says in the movie and that they talk about are all based in science.”

But going beyond the science, Chelsom focuses on the heart and humanity of THE SPACE BETWEEN US, showcasing each of the four principal characters and their respective human fragility – a boy desperate to be human without really understanding what that means; a girl desperate to avoid humanity because of the hardships and heartache which has consumed her life; a genius visionary who is obsessive compulsive about every detail of his science but can’t control his overriding passion for science from obfuscating the humanity of life; and, a female astronaut who put her life as a wife and mother on hold, opting for the excitement of science and exploration only to find her window of time has passed. Each is flawed, broken in some fashion, but each hopeful in their own respect, something which Chelsom brings forth thanks to his casting choices and the performances elicited from each. While moments of the film may feel a bit “saccharine” as if a YA novel, they still work when we remember this is a 16-year old boy experiencing the world, including love, for the first time.

There is no one but for Asa Butterfield who could play Gardner Elliott. Butterfield has that innate sense of wide-eyed innocence that comes through in every performance. Here is no different. He gives Gardner an honesty and openness, and hopeful outlook, that is embraceable and welcoming. A sweet naivete permeates the character and elevates the emotion of the story as a whole as the audience sees the world anew through Gardner’s eyes – from his first ride in a biplane (a la “Out of Africa”) to encountering dogs for the first time or seeing the ocean and feeling the rush of the surf wash over his body. Thanks to his work in “Ender’s Game”, Butterfield’s return to space is beyond believable, particularly given his expertise working with harnesses in a “zero gravity” environment. However, key to THE SPACE BETWEEN US is that the zero gravity experience is scientifically correct, thus enhancing the medical difficulties encountered by Gardner when on Earth.

As described by director Peter Chelsom, “[W]here other films have not even acknowledged the gravity difference on the Mars surface, I thought we had to because we were a plot point. It’s about a boy brought up with that gravity difference and that was very very challenging. It’s a lot of harnesses. When you see the spaceship land and you see the character running across the landscape to met them, that wire to that [actor], not only is it slightly slo-motion, but there’s a massive crane with a wire coming down lifting him so there’s an oddness to his run. Similarly with Carla [Gugino] running on the training track, Asa running on the training track.”

Britt Robertson, who has also had her own cinematic experiences with the future and “space travel” in “Tomorrowland”, not only gets to play in zero-gravity conditions again, but perfectly fills the bill as wise-cracking, street smart Tulsa. Adding to Robertson’s own emotional arc and character shift as Tulsa starts to see the world through Gardner’s eyes is the chemistry between Robertson and Butterfield. Magical.

Carla Gugino handily tackles the role of Kendra bringing a confidence to the character but also an emotional confusion over Kendra’s maternal instincts towards Gardner.

Scene stealing is Gary Oldman who is simply delicious as Nathaniel Shepherd. Bringing on his best Richard Branson/Elon Musk over-the-top exhilarated enthusiasm, Oldman makes Shepherd’s passion for science and discovery and “doing what no one has done” infectious. Sporting a fake tan, bespoke tailored clothing and shoes, and a lush mane of Branson-esque hair, Oldman doesn’t hold back for even a moment. You relish watching him as much as you believe he relishes the role.

Dogged in getting the overall visuals and the reality on Mars “right”, Chelsom tapped cinematographer Barry Peterson and production designer Kirk Petruccelli to create the worlds in which THE SPACE BETWEEN US lives. Working digitally for the first time, Chelsom and his team capture the magic of Earth and Mars, celebrating not only the visual experience of a fish-out-of-water, but the beauty of wonderment.

Peterson’s lighting design both on Earth and Mars is flawless. From an intense sunlit over-naturalized glare and reflection on the Pacific Ocean to the gradient differences of Martian shadows at different times of the day to the parallel horizons of Mars and the Grand Canyon. Differences and similarities of the two worlds are visually celebratory. Hand-in-hand with Peterson’s work is that of Petruccelli who pushes the envelope with not only the Martian exteriors, but the interior habitat, countering that with Earth and the touchstones of humanity and life. Thanks to the visual detail, sight gags play out to great effect in both worlds. One of the most powerful scenes in the film, however, is Gardner experiencing rain for the first time as he lifts his arms to the heavens, bathing in the phenomena.

Completing the tapestry is Andrew Lockington’s score. At times perhaps a bit over dramatic, the effect is countered with pepperings of pop tunes that embody the teenaged world of Gardner and Tulsa.

Heart, soul and humanity. THE SPACE BETWEEN US fills all the empty spaces within each of our lives. And tissues. Bring lots of tissues.

Directed by Peter Chelsom Written by Allan Loeb with a story by Richard Barton Lewis, Stewart Schill and Loeb

Cast: Asa Butterfield, Britt Robertson, Gary Oldman and Carla Gugino

Site Development: SoCal Web Content

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The Space Between Us

• The first human born on Mars travels to Earth for the first time, experiencing the wonders of the planet through fresh eyes. He embarks on an adventure with a street-smart girl to discover how he came to be.
• 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. — STX Entertainment
• When a female astronaut who was sent on a mission to establish a colony on Mars, discovers she's pregnant after leaving the Earth and went in to labor when they arrived on Mars and died giving birth. Her son who would be named Gardner would grow up on Mars and they fear that being born on Mars; his physiology would be different and not withstand being on Earth, so they don't allow him to leave Mars. Gardner would be well educated and be a genius. He would want to know about his mother, the planet she's from and who his father is. He would get her personal effects in storage and finds a picture of her with a man whom he thinks is his father. He also would chat with a girl named Tulsa who's a foster child who's frustrated with just being a source of income for her foster parents. He would tells her some lame story of being sick and not being able to go to her in person. Kendra, his guardian, asks for permission to let Gardener go to Earth but Nathanniel Shepherd, the man who built the Mars colony and who was with Gardner's mother when she died and thinks it's dangerous for him. But he's overruled and Gardner comes to Earth and likes what he sees. When they do some tests on him, he senses they're going to send him back to Mars but he wants to see Tulsa and find his father. So he bolts. When they learn he's gone, Shepherd is desperate to find him but why is he worried about him or is he trying to keep his existence a secret. He finds Tulsa and she's not pleased to see him at first because he stopped talking to her for months--when he was coming to Earth. When Shepherd and Kendra find him, they run and try to find his father. And his heath gets worse. — [email protected]
• Gardner Elliot (Asa Butterfield), a 16-year-old boy who was the first person born on Mars, copes with his isolated existence on the red planet by striking up an online flirtation with a girl who lives in Colorado named Tulsa (Britt Robertson). Gardner eventually decides to travel to Earth in order to meet Tulsa and find out who his father is, only to discover that his body might not be able to handle Earth's gravity.
• In the near future, Nathaniel Shepard, CEO of Genesis, launches the first ever mission to colonize Mars. During the journey, the lead astronaut, Sarah Elliot, discovers that she is pregnant. Shortly after landing, she dies while giving birth to the first human born on Mars. The father of the child is unknown. In a dilemma, Nathaniel eventually decides to keep the child on Mars as a secret, to avoid a PR disaster for his company and also keep the child safe. Sixteen years later, Sarah's son, Gardner Elliot, has grown up into an inquisitive, highly intelligent boy who has only ever met 14 people in his very unconventional upbringing. One day, in order to find out more about his mother, he hacks into Centaur, a robot he helped build, to gain access to the ship's storage. There, he retrieves his mother's items. Among them are a wedding ring and a USB drive, from which he plays a video of her and a man in a beach house. Convinced that the man is his father, he becomes determined to find him..
• Multi-billionaire Nathaniel Shepard, CEO of Genesis, launches the first mission to colonize Mars. During the journey, astronaut Sarah Elliot discovers she is pregnant. She gives birth to Gardner after landing on Mars, and dies from eclampsia; Gardner's father is unknown. Nathaniel keeps Gardner on Mars as a secret; he fears a public relations disaster and returning to Earth could be dangerous to Gardner's health. Gardner is raised by astronaut Kendra Wyndham and the other scientists on Mars. Sixteen years later, he hacks into a robot he helped build to gain access to his mother's personal belongings. He finds a wedding ring and a video of Sarah and a man in a beach house. Convinced that the man is his father, Gardner determines to find him. In an Internet chatroom, Gardner talks to Tulsa, a street-smart girl from Colorado living in the foster care system. She believes Gardner is confined to a penthouse due to osteogenesis imperfecta. They discuss their plans for the future and Gardner promises to visit her someday. Kendra video calls Nathaniel and Genesis director, Tom Chen; she says that Gardner is extremely intelligent and wants him to be allowed to go to Earth. Nathaniel refuses; Gardner would have to have a risky surgery to increase his bone density and train to adapt to Earth's atmospheric pressure. Gardner undergoes the surgery and training against Nathaniel's wishes and boards a shuttle for Earth with Kendra and several other astronauts. When they arrive on Earth, Nathaniel is angry at Tom who kept Gardner's training a secret. Gardner is quarantined at NASA while undergoing medical tests to determine his fitness for life on Earth. When the tests show Gardner cannot live on Earth very long, he escapes and finds Tulsa and convinces her to help find his father. They are followed by Nathaniel and Kendra, who try to convince Gardner to return to NASA but he runs away with Tulsa and learns the location of the man who married Gardner's parents, Shaman Neka. Nathaniel and Kendra learn that Gardner's body contains dangerously high levels of troponin, indicative of an enlarged heart, which cannot withstand the atmospheric pressure of Earth; Gardner must be returned to Mars immediately if he is to survive. Gardner confesses his true origins to Tulsa who does not believe him. They find Neka, who agrees to help them and lets Tulsa use his computer to locate the beach house from Gardner's video. They travel to Summerland, California, stopping in Las Vegas for fun, where Gardner collapses and is taken to a hospital. X-rays show carbon tubes in Gardner's bones, and Tulsa finally believes Gardner's claims of being born on Mars. Gardner knows he cannot survive on Earth and wants to meet his father before he dies. Tulsa helps him to sneak out of the hospital and they drive to the beach house; they meet the man from Gardner's video who is Sarah's brother, not Gardner's father. Gardner thinks this is a lie and runs to the sea, telling Tulsa that this is where he wants to die before collapsing. Nathaniel and Kendra arrive in time to save Gardner with CPR. Gardner asks Nathaniel about Sarah and realizes that Nathaniel is his father. Nathaniel, Kendra, and Tulsa rush Gardner to a Dream Chaser and launch into orbit, hoping this will stabilize Gardner. Free of Earth's gravity, Gardner is revived. Soon after, Gardner boards a space shuttle to Mars after sharing an emotional parting with Tulsa. Kendra, who is retiring from active flight status with NASA, adopts Tulsa. Determined to join Gardner on Mars, Tulsa joins Kendra's training program. Gardner is seen back on Mars with Nathaniel.

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One small step for a man, one giant leap backward for women

Another in an ever-growing list of movies that will convince you that you too can be a screenwriter, “The Space Between Us” was aimed squarely at the crowd who love to cry over romantic claptrap. But this time it’s sorta set in space.

Here’s the pitch: In the near future, a human boy is born on Mars and raised by astronauts, but cultivates an astro-internet pen-pal with a young lady on Earth. At the age of 16, he travels to Earth to meet her and connect with his long-lost, earth-bound relatives, even though such a trip may literally be the death of him; having been raised on Mars, his heart can’t take our gravity for long. Naturally while reuniting with his family, our two star-crossed young lovers fall for each other and all is well. Pass the Kleenex and count the cash.

Except that the most believable part of this absurd script is that we travel back and forth to Mars on a regular basis with relative ease. The plot is a collection of non-stop coincidences and holes so large you could pilot a shuttle through them. It’s overlong and overwrought; stuffed with at least three misdirects, possibly to counter a trailer that seemed to give away the whole movie. It’s also so tone-deaf to equality for women, I have a tough time believing it’s an accident, especially when written by three guys.

The cast does their best to sell it, though, especially Asa Butterfield who plays Gardner, our adolescent Martian. He gets the few laughs provided by a tedious script when he responds with wonder at the everyday (although he’s also supposed to be a genius who apparently did zero research on Earth before traveling there). Britt Robertson tries unconvincingly to play disillusioned orphan Tulsa, the object of Gardner desire. Gary Oldman pulls off his best Richard Branson, playing private-space program magnate Nathaniel Shepherd. But it’s Carla Gugino who really shines as Kendra, an astronaut who essentially raised Gardener back on Mars. The special effects are also surprisingly good for a movie whose focus is clearly elsewhere.

But none of it can rescue this movie from itself, unless you overlook the poor pacing, rampant improbability, and ingrained sexism in favor of typical boy-meets-girl rubbish.

The Space Between Us

Directed by: Peter Chelsom

Writing Credits:   Allan Loeb (screenplay), Stewart Schill (story by) and Richard Barton Lewis (story by) & Allan Loeb (story by)

TRT: 120 min  

Rated PG-13 for brief sensuality, language, and dubiousness

— Richard Bonaduce

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