SPACECAMP: Huntsville, We Have A Problem

RETRO REVIEW

In the news recently, NASA has announced that they are reopening positions for astronauts. There had been some discussion as to whether or not manned space missions were economically feasible. It seemed that unmanned missions would be safer and more cost effective. But by removing humans from the equation, the space program seemed like a thing of the past until earlier last week. Children today need to grow up believing that they too can be astronauts. Who cares if they don't get to be? It won't hurt them to dream. Movies like Star Wars and Star Trek inspire young ones to want to go out and explores those galaxies far, far away and the final frontiers. All it takes are dreams. This is the message of SpaceCamp.



SpaceCamp stars Kate Capshaw (Willie Scott from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and Steven Spielberg’s wife) as a wannabe astronaut who gets stuck training teenagers at the famous Huntsville, Alabama facility. Among them is the arrogant yet somewhat likable jerk Kevin Donaldson (Tate Donovan of “Glee”, “Gossip Girl”, Nancy Drew and The Pacifier; most famous as the voice of Disney’s Hercules), the ambitious Kathryn Fairly (Lea Thompson, hot off the hit Back to the Future and soon to be “not hit” Howard the Duck), the geeky Rudy Tyler (Larry Scott of Revenge of the Nerds), the vapid Tish Ambrosé (Kelly Preston of The Last Song, Old Dogs, Sky High, Dr. Seuss' The Cat in the Hat and John Travolta’s wife) and of course, the Star Wars-loving kid who just can’t relate (I know the feeling) Max Graham (Leaf Phoenix, who later grew up to become Oscar-nominated prankster of the world Joaquin Phoenix).

So that we know the players, we can go on with the story. All the teenagers cannot work together as a team and quickly become the laughingstock of SpaceCamp. Max ends up meeting a sentient robot named JINX (voiced by master voice artist Frank Welker). JINX is NASA’s “$27 million handyman” but has the unusual problem of taking humans’ orders too literally. JINX overhears a tearful Max desperately wishing he was in space after an argument with Kevin ends up shattering everything he loves about Star Wars. While the group is exploring a not-flight-ready Space Shuttle just before an engine test, JINX hijacks a computer and causes an engine malfunction that forces Launch Control to ignite the rocket boosters in order to avoid a crash – sending the trainees into space. Now out of orbit and options, they must work together to get back home.

While most people would think a movie called SpaceCamp would be an extended commercial for the actual SpaceCamp, it really isn't. Yes, there are training montages going around the facility and its uses. But at the actual SpaceCamp itself (where I have been many times), there is no mention of the film whatsoever. Strange, right? Well, the biggest bruise that SpaceCamp ever got was 1986 - the same year that the real-life Challenger tragedy occurred. Americans simply did not want to watch a film about a Shuttle mission gone haywire. SpaceCamp had suffered a case of "Too Soon?". However, another film released the same year, Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (which ironically, had a similar premise of "The adventure of their lives will be getting back home") paid tribute to the fallen astronaut heroes by beginning their film with this message:

SpaceCamp is for the kids that couldn't go to SpaceCamp. It fell out of popularity, mostly because it also has fallen out of availability. This is why I think it ought to be re-released on DVD/Blu-Ray on this occasion of astronauts returning to space so that kids of all ages can once again reach for the stars.