Race to Space
Y
March 18, 2002
This review was written for the theatrical release of "Race to Space."
Serving as a worthy addition to the space movie program, "Race to Space," a liberally fictionalized but largely engaging account of America's successful launch of the first chimp in space, packs a fair amount of crowd-rousing potential.
Neatly blending the heroism of an "Apollo 13" and the gently nostalgic sweep of an "October Sky" with an added "Spy Kids" adventure-fantasy element designed to appeal to budding astroboys and girls, this solidly acted and packaged independent production certainly has the right stuff.
Whether or not it flies will depend on distributor Lions Gate's ability to build word-of-mouth in a platform release (the picture bows today in Dallas and Phoenix) which initially has it going head-to-head with Fox's "Ice Age."
With the right kind of nurturing, "Race to Space" could go the distance.
The year is 1960, and, to date, the U.S. has been falling behind in its race with Russia to send a man into outer space. Determined to win the race is German-born NASA scientist Wilhelm Von Huber (can anyone say Werner Von Braun?), who's played by James Woods with a high degree of Teutonic precision save for a wobbly accent he seems to have borrowed from a dinner theater production of "Cabaret."
Recruited by NASA, the widowed Von Huber has just relocated to Cape Canaveral with his 11-year-old son Billy (impressively played by Alex D. Linz). Already lonely, Billy's having a tough time adjusting to his less-than-welcoming new school, so his stern dad has him come to his place of work every day after school to avoid getting into further trouble.
But NASA isn't exactly just another day at the office, and in short order Billy strikes up a friendship with top gun Alan Shepard (Mark Moses), as well as a subsequent one with Mac, one of dozens of chimpanzees who are being trained for an upcoming Mercury mission.
Seeing that the hard-to-handle chimp has developed a tender bond with the boy, Dr. Donni McGuinness (Annabeth Gish), gives him an after-school job, much to the displeasure of his well-meaning but controlling father.
Meanwhile, dad has more pressing matters to deal with and they're being aggravated by the constant intrusions of smarmy Ralph Stanton (William Atherton), a congressional liaison who questions Von Huber's true loyalties but is secretly in the pocket of engineer Roger Thornhill (William Devane) who's angling for the government's rocketry research account.
With young Linz admirably leading the way, the committed performances are on the money.
Although the scripting, credited to Steven Wilson and Eric Gardner, hits a couple of clunky patches during the initial set-up, once the adventure kicks in, viewer involvement remains at full throttle.
Credit director and family entertainment veteran Sean Patrick McNamara ("The Secret World of Alex Mack," "Even Stevens") for keeping the storytelling trajectory involvingly on course. Working in tandem with frequent collaborators, director of photography Christian Sebaldt and visual effects supervisor Ramond McIntyre Jr., as well as with editor Greg Hobson, McNamara does an effective job incorporating the archival material into the fresh footage, which was filmed both at Cape Canaveral and Edwards Air Force Base with the full cooperation of the federal space agency.
RACE TO SPACE
Lions Gate Entertainment
A Brookwell-McNamara production from Lions Gate Entertainment
in association with Gr8 Entertainment and Century Entertainment
Director-producer: Sean Patrick McNamara
Producer: David Brookwell
Screenwriters: Eric Gardner, Steve Wilson
Director of photography: Christian Sebaldt
Production designer: Dawn Ferry
Visual effects supervisor: Ramond McIntyre Jr.
Editor: Greg Hobson
Costume designer: Kristin Burke
Music: John Coda
Casting: Joey Paul Jensen
Color/stereo
Cast:
Wilhelm Von Huber: James Woods
Dr. Donni McGuinness: Annabeth Gish
Billy Von Huber: Alex D. Linz
Roger Thornhill: William Devane
Ralph Stanton: William Atherton
Rudolph: Wesley Mann
Dieter: Patrick Richwood
Alan Shepard: Mark Moses
Running time -- 104 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG
Serving as a worthy addition to the space movie program, "Race to Space," a liberally fictionalized but largely engaging account of America's successful launch of the first chimp in space, packs a fair amount of crowd-rousing potential.
Neatly blending the heroism of an "Apollo 13" and the gently nostalgic sweep of an "October Sky" with an added "Spy Kids" adventure-fantasy element designed to appeal to budding astroboys and girls, this solidly acted and packaged independent production certainly has the right stuff.
Whether or not it flies will depend on distributor Lions Gate's ability to build word-of-mouth in a platform release (the picture bows today in Dallas and Phoenix) which initially has it going head-to-head with Fox's "Ice Age."
With the right kind of nurturing, "Race to Space" could go the distance.
The year is 1960, and, to date, the U.S. has been falling behind in its race with Russia to send a man into outer space. Determined to win the race is German-born NASA scientist Wilhelm Von Huber (can anyone say Werner Von Braun?), who's played by James Woods with a high degree of Teutonic precision save for a wobbly accent he seems to have borrowed from a dinner theater production of "Cabaret."
Recruited by NASA, the widowed Von Huber has just relocated to Cape Canaveral with his 11-year-old son Billy (impressively played by Alex D. Linz). Already lonely, Billy's having a tough time adjusting to his less-than-welcoming new school, so his stern dad has him come to his place of work every day after school to avoid getting into further trouble.
But NASA isn't exactly just another day at the office, and in short order Billy strikes up a friendship with top gun Alan Shepard (Mark Moses), as well as a subsequent one with Mac, one of dozens of chimpanzees who are being trained for an upcoming Mercury mission.
Seeing that the hard-to-handle chimp has developed a tender bond with the boy, Dr. Donni McGuinness (Annabeth Gish), gives him an after-school job, much to the displeasure of his well-meaning but controlling father.
Meanwhile, dad has more pressing matters to deal with and they're being aggravated by the constant intrusions of smarmy Ralph Stanton (William Atherton), a congressional liaison who questions Von Huber's true loyalties but is secretly in the pocket of engineer Roger Thornhill (William Devane) who's angling for the government's rocketry research account.
With young Linz admirably leading the way, the committed performances are on the money.
Although the scripting, credited to Steven Wilson and Eric Gardner, hits a couple of clunky patches during the initial set-up, once the adventure kicks in, viewer involvement remains at full throttle.
Credit director and family entertainment veteran Sean Patrick McNamara ("The Secret World of Alex Mack," "Even Stevens") for keeping the storytelling trajectory involvingly on course. Working in tandem with frequent collaborators, director of photography Christian Sebaldt and visual effects supervisor Ramond McIntyre Jr., as well as with editor Greg Hobson, McNamara does an effective job incorporating the archival material into the fresh footage, which was filmed both at Cape Canaveral and Edwards Air Force Base with the full cooperation of the federal space agency.
RACE TO SPACE
Lions Gate Entertainment
A Brookwell-McNamara production from Lions Gate Entertainment
in association with Gr8 Entertainment and Century Entertainment
Director-producer: Sean Patrick McNamara
Producer: David Brookwell
Screenwriters: Eric Gardner, Steve Wilson
Director of photography: Christian Sebaldt
Production designer: Dawn Ferry
Visual effects supervisor: Ramond McIntyre Jr.
Editor: Greg Hobson
Costume designer: Kristin Burke
Music: John Coda
Casting: Joey Paul Jensen
Color/stereo
Cast:
Wilhelm Von Huber: James Woods
Dr. Donni McGuinness: Annabeth Gish
Billy Von Huber: Alex D. Linz
Roger Thornhill: William Devane
Ralph Stanton: William Atherton
Rudolph: Wesley Mann
Dieter: Patrick Richwood
Alan Shepard: Mark Moses
Running time -- 104 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG
