Ever wonder what happens when you mix a high-stakes NASA mission with the awkward, heart-wrenching reality of teenage hormones? Honestly, that’s the core of The Space Between Us. It’s a 2017 flick that tried to be a lot of things at once—a sweeping sci-fi epic, a road trip movie, and a "star-crossed" lovers’ tale. It stars Asa Butterfield as Gardner Elliot, the first human born on Mars, and Britt Robertson as Tulsa, the street-smart Earth girl he meets via a planetary chatroom.
The premise is actually pretty wild. During a mission to colonize the Red Planet, the lead astronaut discovers she’s pregnant. She dies during childbirth (talk about a dark start), and the kid, Gardner, is raised in secret by scientists on Mars. He grows up with a genius-level IQ but zero social skills and a heart that literally can’t handle Earth’s gravity.
It’s a cool idea. Sci-fi fans usually dig the "fish out of water" trope, and seeing a kid try to navigate Earth for the first time is genuinely charming. But the movie struggled. Critics weren't kind, and the box office was, well, a bit of a crater. Yet, years later, it still pops up on streaming services and gains new fans who love the earnest, cheesy vibe. Why does it stick around? Let's get into the weeds of what worked, what felt like a scientific hallucination, and why it remains a curious footnote in modern sci-fi.
The Science of The Space Between Us is... Creative
If you’re a NASA engineer, you might want to look away. The Space Between Us takes some massive liberties with physics and biology. The big plot point is that Gardner’s heart is enlarged because it developed in Mars' low gravity (which is about 38% of Earth's). This is actually based on real concerns. Space travel does weird things to the human body. NASA’s "Twins Study" with Scott and Mark Kelly showed that long-term spaceflight affects everything from gene expression to arterial stiffness.
However, the movie pivots into melodrama pretty fast. The idea that he’d just collapse almost immediately upon reaching Earth is a bit of a stretch for the sake of the plot. Then there's the "quantum communication." Gardner and Tulsa chat in real-time. In reality, even at the speed of light, a message from Mars to Earth takes between 3 and 22 minutes depending on where the planets are in their orbits.
Waiting twenty minutes for a "u up?" text doesn't make for a great rom-com pace, so director Peter Chelsom just ignored it. You can't really blame him, though. Watching a kid stare at a loading bar for half the movie would be a snooze fest.
Reality Check: Martian Biology
- Gravity: Earth’s gravity is 2.6 times stronger than Mars’. Gardner would feel incredibly heavy, like he was wearing a lead suit.
- Bone Density: Real astronauts lose about 1% to 2% of their bone mineral density every month in space. Gardner would likely have incredibly brittle bones.
- Atmosphere: The movie nails the "dusty red" aesthetic, but the transition to Earth's bright blues and greens is where the cinematography really shines.
Why the Critics Weren't Feeling the Love
When The Space Between Us hit theaters, the reviews were fairly brutal. It holds a pretty low score on Rotten Tomatoes—somewhere in the 14% to 15% range. Ouch.
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Critics mostly complained about the tonal whiplash. One minute it's a serious look at the ethics of raising a child in total isolation on a military-funded Mars base, and the next, Gardner is escaping a high-security hospital by just... walking out the door. It feels like a YA novel adaptation even though it’s an original screenplay by Allan Loeb.
The dialogue can be a bit much. Gardner constantly asks people, "What’s your favorite thing about Earth?" It’s sweet the first time. By the fifth time, you're kind of over it. But honestly? Asa Butterfield sells it. He has this wide-eyed, jerky way of walking that makes you believe he’s never felt 1G of pressure before.
Gary Oldman is also in this. He plays Nathaniel Shepherd, the visionary behind the Mars mission. Oldman is basically doing a "What if Elon Musk was played by a Shakespearean actor?" routine. He’s intense, he’s shouting, and he’s clearly having a different time than everyone else on set. It’s glorious and weird at the same time.
A Road Trip Across America (and the Solar System)
Once Gardner hits Earth, the movie turns into a classic road movie. He finds Tulsa in Colorado, and they steal a vintage plane (as you do) to find Gardner’s father.
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This middle act is actually the strongest part of the film. You get these gorgeous shots of the American Southwest. The contrast between the sterile, white-and-orange corridors of the Mars colony and the lush, messy reality of Earth is striking. It’s about the sensory overload of being alive. Gardner experiences rain for the first time. He eats a burger. He sees a dog. These small moments are where The Space Between Us actually finds its heart.
Tulsa is the perfect foil for him. She’s a foster kid who’s been hardened by the system, while he’s a literal alien who thinks everyone is wonderful. Their chemistry is what carries the movie through some of its more "eye-roll" worthy plot holes. You want them to succeed even though you know he’s basically dying from the atmosphere.
The Problem With the Ending
Without spoiling too much for the three people who haven't seen it, the ending takes a hard turn into "secret parent" territory. It’s a trope that feels a bit dated. Some viewers felt the resolution was a bit of a cop-out, especially considering the life-or-death stakes established earlier. It trades a complex ending for a sentimental one.
The Lasting Appeal of "Mid-Tier" Sci-Fi
There's a specific kind of comfort in movies like The Space Between Us. It isn't trying to be Interstellar or 2001: A Space Odyssey. It’s a movie for a rainy Sunday afternoon.
We don't get many original mid-budget sci-fi movies anymore. Everything is either a $200 million franchise tentpole or a tiny indie film. This sat right in the middle. It had decent CGI, a solid cast, and a big, mushy heart. In a world of cynical, dark sci-fi where the robots always kill everyone, there’s something nice about a movie that just wants to talk about how cool it is to see the ocean.
People keep discovering it on Netflix or Amazon Prime because it hits those emotional beats. It’s about loneliness. Anyone who has ever felt like an outsider can relate to a guy who feels like he’s from another planet—even if, in his case, it's literal.
Takeaways for the Casual Viewer
If you’re planning on sitting down with this one tonight, keep a few things in mind. First, turn off the "logic" part of your brain regarding the science. It’s a fantasy movie masquerading as sci-fi. Second, appreciate the cinematography; the transition from the red hues of Mars to the saturated blues of Earth is genuinely well-handled.
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Actionable Insights for Movie Night:
- Watch it for the performances: Butterfield and Robertson have better chemistry than the script deserves.
- Skip the "How-To": Don't try to use the movie as a guide for how Mars colonization will actually work. Stick to Andy Weir’s The Martian for that.
- The Soundtrack: Pay attention to the music. It features a lot of upbeat, indie-pop vibes that perfectly match the "road trip" feel of the second act.
- Double Feature Idea: Pair it with Everything, Everything or The Fault in Our Stars if you want a "sick teen romance" marathon, or Gattaca if you want to see a much more serious take on genetic limitations in space.
Basically, The Space Between Us is a flawed but sweet experiment. It’s a movie that asks what we’d give up to feel a sense of belonging. Even if the physics are wonky and the plot is predictable, the core message—that Earth is actually a pretty spectacular place if you look at it through the right eyes—is hard to argue with.
For those looking for a deep dive into the actual feasibility of Martian births, checking out the latest white papers from the Mars Society or recent SpaceX mission profiles is a great next step. But for a two-hour escape into a world where love travels faster than the speed of light, this film does the job just fine.
Next time you see a clear night sky, you might find yourself thinking about Gardner Elliot. Or at least, you'll be glad you don't have to worry about your heart exploding just because you went for a walk in the park.
Check the local streaming listings to see where it’s currently playing; it’s usually available on most major VOD platforms for a couple of bucks. It’s a low-risk investment for a high-concept romance that, despite its flaws, remains one of the more unique entries in the genre from the last decade. Look for the small details in the background of the Mars base—the production design team actually put a lot of work into making the "East Texas" colony look lived-in and functional, which adds a layer of realism to an otherwise fantastical story.