Underplayed Gems

SpaceCamp (1986)

SpaceCamp poster
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
The 3D catalogue: film cases on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalogue in 3D

The film shelves have a room of their own that you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real films from the same catalogue when you tell them what you feel like watching. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this film is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

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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.

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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)

More like this

This page is from Underplayed Gems. Not quite it? You can browse by genre, country and year, or take this one into the 3D catalogue and ask the Catbot for something closer.