The Space Between Us (film)

Content sourced from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

The Space Between Us is a 2017 American romantic science-fiction film directed by Peter Chelsom. It stars Asa Butterfield as Gardner, a boy born on Mars, and Britt Robertson as Tulsa, a girl from Colorado who helps him on Earth. Gary Oldman plays Nathaniel Shepard, the Genesis founder who is Gardner’s father, with Carla Gugino as astronaut Kendra Wyndham who helps raise Gardner on Mars.

Plot
Gardner grows up on Mars after his mother, Sarah Elliot, dies during a mission to colonize the planet. Sixteen years later, Gardner learns about Earth and his father from a video and an online friend, and he longs to visit. He undergoes a risky surgery to strengthen his bones and travels to Earth with a small team, hoping to meet his father.

On Earth, Gardner faces medical dangers from Earth’s atmosphere and is quarantined. He escapes and teams up with Tulsa to search for the man who raised his mother. He eventually learns that his biological father is Nathaniel Shepard, the CEO of Genesis, but also discovers the truth about his heart condition, which makes long life on Earth difficult. After a series of dramatic moments, Gardner is saved in orbit and returns to Mars. Tulsa plans to join him on Mars, and the story ends with Gardner back on the red planet, hopeful for a life there with his family.

Cast
- Asa Butterfield as Gardner
- Britt Robertson as Tulsa
- Gary Oldman as Nathaniel Shepard
- Carla Gugino as Kendra Wyndham
- B. D. Wong and Janet Montgomery in supporting roles

Production and release
- Based on a story by Stewart Schill, Richard Barton Lewis, and Allan Loeb.
- Principal photography began September 14, 2015, in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
- Budget around $30 million.
- Released February 3, 2017, by STXfilms.

Reception and box office
- The Space Between Us earned about $15 million worldwide, well below its budget.
- Critics were largely negative: Rotten Tomatoes around 16%, Metacritic around 33, indicating generally unfavorable reviews.
- Audiences gave it mixed reactions, with CinemaScore averaging around A−.

Overall, the film tells a bittersweet story of a boy from Mars seeking connection on Earth, blending romance with sci-fi adventure.