SpaceCamp

Directed by Harry Winer, SpaceCamp follows a group of aspiring astronauts, including Lea Thompson’s Kathryn, Tate Donovan’s Kevin, and Leaf Phoenix’s Max, as they and their instructor (Kate Capshaw’s Andie) are accidentally shot into space. Filmmaker Winer, armed with Clifford Green and Casey T. Mitchell’s screenplay, delivers an affable yet perpetually erratic endeavor that benefits from its palpable earnestness and raft of charming performances, as the movie, in terms of the latter, boasts personable work from its various stars that goes a long way towards smoothing over the picture’s bumps and lulls – with the watchable vibe heightened by a larger-than-life narrative rife with appealing elements (eg the silly but ingratiating recurring appearances of a sentient robot named Jinx). And although the 107 minute running time results in several padded-out, wheel-spinning stretches, SpaceCamp, which is, especially in the buildup to the aforementioned launch, surprisingly tense in parts, predominantly a fun family-friendly endeavor that’s very much a product of its time (ie the creaky special effects haven’t exactly aged well, ultimately).

*** out of ****