CREDIT: STX ENTERTAINMENT
The Space Between Us is a truly unique and fascinating failure that delivers a gorgeous visual experience and plenty of cringe.

The Space Between Us is a romantic science fiction film set in the future about the relationship between two teenagers: Gardner Elliot, a boy who grows up in isolation on Mars and a girl named Tulsa from Colorado raised in the foster care system.

The film opens with a press event directly preceding the deployment of six astronauts who are to live on Mars.

Following the deployment it is discovered that Sarah Elliot is pregnant. Nathaniel Shepherd and other NASA employees deliberate over the inevitable biological complications and potential public relations strategies, ultimately deciding to keep it a secret.

Sixteen years after he’s born, Gardner, having been raised by scientists, is a brilliant teenager who starts to engage in rebellious behavior, seeking information about his parents and using the Internet to form a relationship with Tulsa, telling her they can’t meet because he has a disease that confines him to his home.

Eventually it is decided that Gardner should go to Earth and he undergoes an operation allowing his body to withstand the new conditions. Upon arriving he is quarantined for further observation to ensure the operation’s success. He escapes the hospital and meets Tulsa at her high school. The two go on the run together in search of Gardner’s father while being pursued by Shepherd and NASA.

The cinematography in The Space Between Us is calming and beautiful with interesting angles, clean pans and plenty of stunning aerial views that facilitate a thought provoking “big picture” perspective. There are incredible outer space sequences and great science fiction settings, space ships and technologies. The movie contains a remarkable variety of settings as Gardner and Tulsa travel the U.S., traversing gorgeous rural landscapes, luxurious beaches and making stops at locations as varied as Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon.

The fact that two teenagers manage to evade NASA and visit what seems like every conceivable landmark in the U.S., traveling great distances in an impossible amount of time with little money, is just one of many ways that the film trades logic and realism for dramatic convenience.

The first half of this film when Gardner is confided to Mars feels like a cool, well done science fiction movie innocently targeting a young adult audience. By the second half when Gardner arrives on Earth, the movie begins to devolve into emotionally manipulative pandering so transparent that it becomes a laughable parody of itself, becoming progressively sappier at a steady pace that quickly turns into a steep decline.

The funniest/most cringe-worthy parts of the movie are its absurd attempts to depict high school. Tulsa, alone in a classroom, notices a piano, plays a few notes and then sits down to start playing a song. Suddenly a group of boys outside the window start laughing at her antagonistically. So she gets up and runs out the door, gets on her motorcycle and rides off while the boys chase after her laughing. I don’t think I need to convince anyone that this is not the way adolescent boys treat pretty girls in high school.

The cast of The Space Between Us is great, though severely limited by corny, unbelievable dialogue. Asa Butterfield is perfect for his role, nailing the balance between relatable, awkward quirkiness and boyish charm.

Tulsa, played by Britt Robertson, is younger than 18, but she looks like she is in her 30s. You adjust pretty quickly though, and it is forgivable because she is convincing as a smart, troubled, cynical teenage girl.

Gary Oldman delivers an impeccable performance as Nathanial Shepherd, bringing plenty of depth to his character. He has a remarkable way of communicating volumes beyond his (unfortunately cheesy) dialogue.

While some actors (like Janet Montgomery as Sarah Elliot) have great technique yet still somehow deliver a flat performance, Oldman has clearly mastered both acting technique and character development and is a pleasure to watch.

The soundtrack of The Space Between Us facilitates a reflective mood and ties the film together aesthetically. The score, made up of calming string compositions with underlying ambient synths that compliment them in a way that lends to the modern, sci-fi aesthetic, comes off as original and intentional. During emotionally charged sequences, there are pop songs that feel thoughtfully selected as they are not overly recognizable and play an integral role in producing the sappy emotions that the film forces on you.