SpaceCamp (1986)

Directed by

Harry Winer

Genre

adventure film, science fiction film, coming-of-age film

Country

United States

Runtime

1h 47m

Rated

PG

Rating

5.9 of 10 from 207 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

A group of teenagers at a space camp accidentally get launched into orbit on a space shuttle. They must work together and use their training to find a way back to Earth safely.

hopefuladventurouslightheartednostalgicearnestfamily-friendlyexciting

What happens

SpaceCamp is a 1986 American science fiction adventure film inspired by the U.S. Space Camp in Huntsville, Alabama. Directed by Harry Winer, story by Patrick Bailey and Larry B. Williams, screenplay by Clifford Green (as W. W. Wicket) and Casey T. Mitchell, the film stars Kate Capshaw, Kelly Preston, Larry B. Scott, Lea Thompson, Tate Donovan, and Joaquin Phoenix (credited as "Leaf Phoenix") in his feature film debut. SpaceCamp received mixed reviews and is famous for being a "marketing nightmare," as it was released less than five months after the Space Shuttle Challenger accident of January 28, 1986 (although filming was completed before the disaster occurred). At the time of release, some thought the movie was trying to capitalize on the shuttle tragedy and should never have been released. However, those associated with SpaceCamp disagreed and added they had taken extra care to avoid any appearance of exploiting a national tragedy. The film performed poorly at the box office, grossing less than $10 million in the US. The script was later adapted into a novel, which included references to the Challenger disaster and some of the kids' decisions to attend Space Camp in the wake of said tragedy. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

Trailer

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