Edge of Your Seat Excitement for Armchair Astronauts

Rating: 7/10 (23 October 2016)

The premise of the film is a simple one. Two astronauts must fight for their survival after a disaster occurs during a space shuttle mission.
The film does an excellent job of depicting the look and feel of human spaceflight. Space is a beautiful as well as hostile environment for human beings. Although space travel seems relatively routine, it is easy to forget how dangerous it actually is. Outside of Earth's protective atmosphere, the continued existence of human life is completely dependent on life support systems. When things go wrong, they can go wrong rather quickly.
This film does take a degree of artistic license in its depiction of spaceflight. For example, it is difficult to imagine that a pair of tethered astronauts could carry enough maneuvering fuel and oxygen to travel from the Hubble Space Telescope to the International Space Station. There is a reason why space shuttle and Soyuz missions to the ISS require launch windows. Although both types of spacecraft have the capability of adjusting their orbits to perform rendezvous maneuvers, the spacecraft carry only finite amounts of maneuvering fuel and must be launched into orbits that are similar to that of their rendezvous target. If a large orbital adjustment is difficult for a space shuttle or a Soyuz, it is probably virtually impossible for a pair of spacewalking astronauts. However, the film can be forgiven for bending the science; since, the story would be rather boring if both of the main characters died during the first half hour of the film.
The film does have other shortcomings. Some of the events in the film seem improbable. Considering how nervous and inexperienced Dr. Ryan Stone is in this film, it seems unlikely that she would have been chosen to serve as an astronaut. Matt Kowalski's heroism seems like a bit of a cliché. Finally, a number of improbable coincidences are depicted in the film; and, these do stretch the film's credibility a bit. Astronauts on a real space mission probably would not have survived the events depicted in this movie.
Overall, the film is exciting and riveting. The two main characters are engaging; and, it is easy for the viewer to feel empathy for both of them. Both characters are always at the mercy of technology in the unforgiving space environment. Space buffs will also enjoy identifying the various types of manned spacecraft which are depicted in the movie. It is refreshing to see a film which attempts to depict real spaceflight during a time when so many of the modern space films fall into the science-fantasy genre. Although this film doesn't get everything right, it is recommended.