The Space Between Us

STX Entertainment | Release Date: February 3, 2017

5.2	USER SCORE Mixed or average reviews based on 85 Ratings

USER RATING DISTRIBUTION

Positive:

Mixed:

Negative:

Watch Now

Buy on

Stream On

Expand

Review this movie

VOTE NOW

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Please sign in or create an account before writing a review.

Check box if your review contains spoilers

0 characters (5000 max)

User Reviews

User score By date Most helpful

TVJerryFeb 10, 2017

An astronaut on the first manned Mars mission dies after giving birth to an unexpected baby. Sixteen years later, the teen (Asa Butterfield) travels to Earth to meet a girl and find his father. This is an interesting blend of typical scienceAn astronaut on the first manned Mars mission dies after giving birth to an unexpected baby. Sixteen years later, the teen (Asa Butterfield) travels to Earth to meet a girl and find his father. This is an interesting blend of typical science fiction, adolescent romance and getaway flick. While there are holes in the plot (and the science), there's enuff mild adventure and fish-out-of-water humor to keep it interesting. It only bogs down with syrupy drama a few times. In addition to those incredible blue eyes (that often look like they're crying), Butterfield charmingly creates a sweet, smart character. The chase part of the plot strains credibility and the final outcome isn't expected, but there's still sufficient entertainment to capture the imagination… Expand

2 of 2 users found this helpful20

All this user's reviews

WrathfaceAlexMar 28, 2017

This was a satisfying watch for me, but the movie had to bend some laws of physics to make it all possible, and there seemed to be some plot-holes, even so it kept me interested all the way through.

2 of 2 users found this helpful20

All this user's reviews

jesskelsJul 12, 2017

Some have said that the story line is predictable, but I didn't quite anticipate the ending myself. You can look at this film in two ways, you can write it off as just another teen movie, or you can choose it see it as something more. ISome have said that the story line is predictable, but I didn't quite anticipate the ending myself. You can look at this film in two ways, you can write it off as just another teen movie, or you can choose it see it as something more. I personally think it was a very interesting idea carried out very well with a good plot and great actors. Perhaps some of the science is questionable, but it is set in the future, and no one can really predict where science will be then. It's not just about love, it's about the idea of home, personal identity, and the simple joys of planet Earth. It's definitely worth watching.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

All this user's reviews

KaptenVideoMar 22, 2017

You know how it goes. The boy (Asa Butterfield) meets the girl (Britt Robertson), there's mutual liking and they want to meet... but there's a space between them. So he will travel to Earth from the Mars colony where he was born. AlsoYou know how it goes. The boy (Asa Butterfield) meets the girl (Britt Robertson), there's mutual liking and they want to meet... but there's a space between them. So he will travel to Earth from the Mars colony where he was born. Also starring: Gary Oldman, Carla Gugino, and B.D. Wong, because even the coolest teenagers need some adults around.

"The Space Between Us" rides on the current wave of Young Adult, or YA for short, novels and movies which has dowsed the cinemas for the last ten years or so. It's still about romance, some sci-fi and action like the most of them (or at least the most popular of them) but it brings some refreshing changes to the menu.

It's based on an original screenplay and not novel. It offers sci-fi and action without relying on done to death YA cliches (dystopian society, dating or fighting supernatural beings, etc). It puts characters in real danger so you can't always predict whether everybody's gonna make it. It doesn't have clear-cut good and bad guys...

And last but by far not least, the movie has a nice classic Steven Spielberg-ian feel which puts the sense of wonder and adventure back to sci-fi which, in my humble opinion, is often missing or buried under all those visual effects and pizzazz setpieces. Even good old Spielberg himself is not always able to pull it off: the movie makes you actually care about the characters because there's a real human backbone to the story. It's entertainment but it also has heart.

All this rests very much on the lead man Asa Butterfield who was 18 during the filming and turns 20 this April. Former child star of "The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas", Scorsese's "Hugo" and "Ender's Game" fame, this guy has grown to become a fine young actor indeed. I very much enjoyed his soft but sure performance as an innocent and fragile alien braving the world unknown to him. He has found a seemingly perfect balance between strange, childlike and soulful that the role asks of him, and I'd be glad to see him getting some awards or nominations for this standout work. He even has this memorable, Pinocchio-ish appearance and style of moving which seems suitable for a person not used to Earth's gravity.

The other characters stay more in the background, so this turns out to be Asa Butterfield's show, and he more than fulfills the promise. The next most interesting performance comes from Oldman who ventures in the land of brashness and theatricality, in a good way. The aging thespian hasn't offered this kind of colorfulness for quite some time (in a big movie, at least) and I enjoyed it to the point of feeling that his character was underused. Holding him in the background makes sense in the context of a whole story, though.

If you find my score surprisingly high, please remember that it's made for a YA crowd, or at least a teenager in all of us. I would not recommend it alongside 8 out of 10 movies made for older viewer groups. Probably.

But 8 is not too generous. I liked "Space" very much and its overall quality more than compensates a shallow story which surely would work better longer. This could be a bona fide modern classic if the characters and events had more room to develop and breathe. Maybe in the form of (mini-)series or something.

If you like "The Space Between Us" and look for something similar to watch, I would recommend 2014's "The Fault in Our Stars" for moving YA story, or 2015's "Tomorrowland" as an uneven but good example of how to combine sci-fi and action in a YA movie.

I choose to end this review with an off-topic anecdote which I just happen to like very much:

Q: Why did astronaut leave his wife?
A: He needed more space… Expand

2 of 3 users found this helpful21

All this user's reviews

iamalanramirezAug 1, 2017

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. it's amagazing the story thye dram is loved and sad and the actors are beautiful and cool i'm a loved the drama and story son increibles ademas me encanta la localidad donde se narra… Expand

2 of 3 users found this helpful21

All this user's reviews

LeZeeAug 10, 2017

What's your favourite thing about Earth?

You might ask that question for yourself while/after watching this film. This is not a great film, but surely different and enjoyable. This kind of storyline can be acceptable for the todays spaceWhat's your favourite thing about Earth?

You might ask that question for yourself while/after watching this film. This is not a great film, but surely different and enjoyable. This kind of storyline can be acceptable for the todays space ambition by the humans they have to accomplish. A couple of decades ago, it was called a fiction, still it is, but quite close to realistically possible.

So we had seen many films based on human connection with the red planet, Mars, but this one was a little different. It is romance theme, though not like east meets west. It is Mars meets Earth. The story of a boy from Mars and the girl from Earth. That's how it ends, but not that how it was initiated. It was the boy who searched for his connection with the Earth, and doing that, all the usual things happen, like some people come after him, like running and chasing.

Well made film. It was not a complicated screenplay, but the twist was unexpected at the end yet I did not think it was strong. Explained everything with details, as well as intentionally added some of scenes to cover up later parts when the narration takes the unexpected route. Best cast for sure.

Britt Robertson played the role ten years younger than her she is. But it does not matter, she still looks like a teenager. And Asa Butterfield was quite good too. The only usual thing about the film was the road adventure, though it did not take the usual route. Nothing was like you have already seen them. That's where it hand upper hand. The end was good, yet I felt it softened to bring a certain type of ending than a relevant one. Because it is a PG13 film and they wanted the conclusion that satisfy their target audience. So, it is a nice film and once watchable.

7/10… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

All this user's reviews

DawdlingPoetNov 23, 2021

I really enjoyed this film - its family friendly and its got a nice innocent feel to it, after some of the heavier films I've seen as of late. I thought it featured some decent CGI effects and I thought Asa Butterfield gave a goodI really enjoyed this film - its family friendly and its got a nice innocent feel to it, after some of the heavier films I've seen as of late. I thought it featured some decent CGI effects and I thought Asa Butterfield gave a good performance, as the child born in space who had never visited earth and was determined to meet a girl on the planet he came from. I enjoyed watching it, so I would recommend it.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

All this user's reviews