The Space Between Us

An impressively original drama, The Space Between Us follows Asa Butterfield’s Gardner Elliot, born and raised on Mars, as he makes his way to Earth and embarks on a road trip to find his father alongside a plucky teen named Tulsa (Britt Robertson). Filmmaker Peter Chelsom, working from a script by Allan Loeb, does an effective job of immediately drawing the viewer into the proceedings, as The Space Between Us features a compelling opening half hour detailing a pivotal journey to Mars and the subsequent (and unexpected) birth of Butterfield’s character – with the strength of this stretch compensating for the somewhat lackluster nature of what immediately follows (ie prior to Gardner and Tulsa’s in-person meeting, the movie essentially plays like a typical teen drama revolving around moody adolescents). It’s clear, then, that the film becomes more and more engrossing once Gardner arrives on Earth and begins his quest, with the growing emphasis on unexpectedly captivating elements paving the way for a midsection that’s far more engaging than one might’ve anticipated – with, especially, Gardner’s fish-out-of-water exploits and the stars’ agreeable chemistry together going a long way towards perpetuating the compelling vibe. And while there’s no discounting the above-average periphery performances (Gary Oldman, cast as a weary scientist, is especially good here), The Space Between Us does, in the end, benefit substantially from the compelling romance that inevitably forms between Gardner and Tulsa – which ultimately ensures that the movie ends on an exceedingly positive note and cements its place as a rather delightful throwback to similarly-themed 1980s fare.

***1/2 out of ****