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 • USA • 1986 • 107m •   • Directed by: Harry Winer. • Starring: Kate Capshaw, Lea Thompson, Kelly Preston, Larry B. Scott, Joaquin Phoenix, Tate Donovan, Tom Skerritt, Barry Primus, Terry O'Quinn, Mitchell Anderson, Scott Coffey, Daryl Keith Roach, Peter Scranton. • Music by: John Williams.      American kids go to Space Camp during the summer holidays where they learn about the universe and how to operate the Space Shuttle. A team consisting of a guy who just entered to meet girls, a wanna be astronaut and an instructor who wanted to go on a mission instead of teaching can sit in the Shuttle while testing the engines. Then they're launched by mistake....
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This is very much a film of two halves. The first half is the usual teenage issue stuff mixed with some fantasy. The characters fight, moan, make out, hate authority etc. This is all quite dull but it livens up in the second half. When they get launched into space we actually get some real dram �¿ï¿½¿ï¿½¿ï¿½¿ï¿½¿ï¿½¿ï¿½¿ï¿½¿ï¿½¿ï¿½¿ï¿½¿ï¿½¿ï¿½¿ï¿½¿ï¿½¿ï¿½ even if it is a bit silly and very unrealistic. The story is OK and has some nice lines �¿ï¿½¿ï¿½¿ï¿½¿ï¿½¿ï¿½¿ï¿½¿ï¿½¿ï¿½¿ï¿½¿ï¿½¿ï¿½¿ï¿½¿ï¿½¿ï¿½¿ï¿½ `I'm waiting for ET's �¿ï¿½¿ï¿½¿ï¿½¿ï¿½¿ï¿½¿ï¿½¿ï¿½¿ï¿½¿ï¿½¿ï¿½¿ï¿½¿ï¿½¿ï¿½¿ï¿½¿ï¿½ can you imagine waiting for signs of intelligence?' one teen says `I know the feeling' comes the reply! However the worst bits revolve about robot Jinx �¿ï¿½¿ï¿½¿ï¿½¿ï¿½¿ï¿½¿ï¿½¿ï¿½¿ï¿½¿ï¿½¿ï¿½¿ï¿½¿ï¿½¿ï¿½¿ï¿½¿ï¿½ the jar-jar Binks of his time (he even sounds a bit like him!). Jinx is just for the kids and his scenes with Max are horribly cute and sugary.
The rest of the cast are so-so. Skerrit and Chapsaw are good as the adults and they don't give the impression that this is below them. The teens however could easily have doen without names and just be called the stereotype they represent. A very young Joaquin Phoenix (then called Leaf) is the cute kid Max and made me want to slap him every time he came on screen. Thompson is the eager beaver who learns to relax. Tate Donovan is poor as the `too cool for school' rich kid in the group. Kelly Preston is actually good as the ditzy one who is really smart and Scott covers all bases by being `the black one' but he isn't given anything to do other than that.
Overall both halves of the film have good things and bad things �¿ï¿½¿ï¿½¿ï¿½¿ï¿½¿ï¿½¿ï¿½¿ï¿½¿ï¿½¿ï¿½¿ï¿½¿ï¿½¿ï¿½¿ï¿½¿ï¿½¿ï¿½ but overall it is quite enjoyable and kids will love it without noticing the poor back projection and the rubbish Jinx.
Review by bob the moo from the Internet Movie Database.
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