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MOVIE REVIEW

The Space Between Us

also known as “Den Sternen so nah,” “El espacio entre nosotros,” “O Espaço Entre Nós,” See all »
MPA Rating: PG-13-Rating (MPA) for brief sensuality and language.

Reviewed by: Pamela Karpelenia
CONTRIBUTOR

Moral Rating: Offensive
Moviemaking Quality:
Primary Audience: Teens Adults
Genre: Sci-Fi Romance Adventure
Length: 2 hr. 1 min.
Year of Release: 2017
USA Release: February 3, 2017 (wide—2,800+ theaters)
DVD: May 16, 2017
Copyright, STX Entertainmentclick photos to ENLARGE Copyright, STX Entertainment Copyright, STX Entertainment Copyright, STX Entertainment Copyright, STX Entertainment Copyright, STX Entertainment Copyright, STX Entertainment Copyright, STX Entertainment Copyright, STX Entertainment Copyright, STX Entertainment
Relevant Issues

Teen Qs—Christian Answers® for teenagers
Teens—Have questions? Find answers in our popular TeenQs section. Get answers to your questions about life, dating and much more.

TRUE LOVE—What is true love and how do you know when you have found it? Answer

Featuring Asa Butterfield … Gardner Elliot
Carla GuginoKendra
Britt Robertson … Tulsa
Janet Montgomery … Sarah Elliot
Gary OldmanNathaniel Shepherd
Colin Egglesfield …
BD WongGenesis Director Chen
See all »
Director Peter Chelsom — “Serendipity” (2001), “Hector and the Search for Happiness” (2014)
Producer STX Entertainment
Southpaw Entertainment
See all »
Distributor

“What’s your favorite thing about Earth?”

“The Space Between Us” opens with an astronaut crew in space, undergoing a 4 year mission to live on Mars. Something goes askew, and one of the females discovers she’s pregnant! The pregnancy is kept secret for fear of losing funding of the groundbreaking expedition

Unfortunately, the mother dies, and her son Gardner Elliott (Asa Butterfield, “Ender’s Game”) is orphaned and raised by a group of astronauts and scientists being dubbed the first child born on Mars. We see him grow up on Mars into a teenager. He longs for Earth, and and to find his father. His desire to go to Earth is further sparked by a Internet visual chat with a teenage girl Tulsa (Britt Robinson). Gardner’s desires are soon realized, and he arrives on Earth and seeks out Tulsa, despite numerous warnings regarding his health in Earth’s atmosphere compared to Mars.

While a very intriguing topic and story, there is a lot lacking in this film. The highlight is the acting of Asa Butterfield. I found his innocence and intrigue very genuine, compelling, and heartfelt; he kept me watching when everything else in the film seemed to be rushed and repetitive. The other actors, especially Tulsa come off as somewhat unauthentic. The Boy Meets Girl chemistry seems forced, due to Robinson’s acting in this quite literal star-crossed romance. For such a unique spin on the genre, it seems very predictable, which was a disappointment.

As for objectionable content, there is some, but not a lot. There is moderate use of profanity. There is a non overt sexual encounter. There is violence, and a pretty vivid birth scene.

As for biblical truth, there is a lot to be discerned from this film. The story deals with death in a very real way—the death of a mother. A child’s longing for a father really rang true for me. I was raised by a single mother, and I was surrounded by children who had a mother and father, and I longed for my father. Today, in a society that undermines the value of fathers in the home, this film hits a truth that every child deserves a mother and a father. Without both, a child will be lacking. That may not be a popular opinion, but, as Christians, we know that it is true.

Another issue dealt with is, what you do with your life while you’re alive on Earth. As Christians, we need to be vigilant in spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ! There’s a great quote that says “God does not have fans; we are all players, get in the game!” So what are you doing for the kingdom of Christ? Are you spreading the gospel at every opportunity, like you share your favorite restaurant or your favorite movie or food? Do you bring Christ to work with you, to tell people what he’s done for you? I know that I struggle with this. We don’t know how long we have on this Earth, but we know, as Christians, what we’re supposed to do while we’re here, seek to save the lost!

Learn how to be more effective in evangelismStumped about how to share your faith in Christ with others? Our EffectiveEvangelism.com site assists Christians in effectively reaching out to others with love and truth. Learn about the worldview of the people you meet, ways to share the gospel, read stories submitted by site users, and more.

If you’re a fan of Asa Butterfield, you’ll probably enjoy watching him in this film, because he does not disappoint. However, the surrounding cast and the pedantic storyline may leave you underwhelmed.

Violence: Mild to Moderate / Profanity: Moderate—OMG (1), Oh G*d (1), God (1), d*mn (1), d*ck (1), a** (4), cr*p (2) / Sex/Nudity: Moderate to Heavy—cleavage, pregnancy out of wedlock, man in his underwear, male puts hand on female’s bare knee and then her bare thigh, kissing, unmarried couple apparently naked in a sleeping bag, fornication

PURITY—Should I save sex for marriage? Answer

the sin of fornication

TRUE LOVE—What is true love? Answer

See list of Relevant Issues—questions-and-answers.


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Movie Critics
…a great concept hurt by half-hearted effort… may speak to teens who feel disenfranchised and misunderstood…
David Blaustein, ABC News
…The cinematography often is gorgeous and the score is full of teary uplift. But none of that matters when little about the film feels authentic. …[D+]
Cary Darling, Fort Worth Star-Telegram
…Rarely has a teen melodrama gone so far—or fallen so flat—in a bald attempt to wring sympathy for an impossible romance…
Peter Debruge, Variety
…Sci-fi hooey for the teen set… The performers are not to be faulted. Butterfield conveys a touching soulfulness…
Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter
…relying on emotional manipulation seen far too often… Mawkish, teen-friendly “Space Between Us” fails to launch… [½/4]
Brian Truitt, USA Today
…this young-adult, science-fiction romance becomes so overwhelmingly saccharine as it progresses that one almost wishes for a trace of madness to offset its leaden metaphors, cheesy dialogue, and overbearing soundtrack…[½/4]
Kenji Fujishima, Slant
…The plot is a jumbled rush of events, a pileup of preposterousness and a clichéd cascade of Hollywood happenstance. …
Neil Pond, Parade
…frantic, spasmodic style. …the script lacks connective tissue. Events follow events, bam bam bam. …All of it is accompanied by music that throbs maniacally, whether or not there’s anything to throb about. …As Gardner’s heart enlarged, mine hardened, but I also found myself laughing a lot. …
Joe Morgenstern, The Wall Street Journal