I expected a lot from this film; a good ensemble cast (albeit with no major stars) telling the story of the early space race, an area of history in which I've always been interested. Perhaps this was my downfall: I know enough about this time to remove any suspense from the plot, while not having been alive at the time, I fail to appreciate the emotional aspect the film tries to tap into.
Taking this into account, however, this film still fails to deliver on every level. It falls into the difficult position of trying to compromise between telling the factual story and creating a good narrative. To this end they sacrifice historical accuracy and any sort of emotional depth; meaning they fail on both counts.
The true failing of this film is that they're telling the wrong story. The real heroes aren't the astronauts, they were just incredibly brave men doing a job a monkey could do. In fact, did do. The real heroes are the men who created the technology and built the machines that got them up there, which was a truly magnificent feat, cruelly forgotten in this telling.
Of course, I have nothing against an unashamed hero film, but only for the sake of pure entertainment. I n this case we don't even get to figure out who the real hero is, all seven of the Mercury astronauts, as well as Chuck Yeagger, are pushed forward, yet three of them have barely a line of dialogue, and their particular achievements are overlooked. The characters just aren't defined clearly enough and they lack depth or emotional resonance.
If you want to see how this film would have been better made, watch Apollo 13.
Taking this into account, however, this film still fails to deliver on every level. It falls into the difficult position of trying to compromise between telling the factual story and creating a good narrative. To this end they sacrifice historical accuracy and any sort of emotional depth; meaning they fail on both counts.
The true failing of this film is that they're telling the wrong story. The real heroes aren't the astronauts, they were just incredibly brave men doing a job a monkey could do. In fact, did do. The real heroes are the men who created the technology and built the machines that got them up there, which was a truly magnificent feat, cruelly forgotten in this telling.
Of course, I have nothing against an unashamed hero film, but only for the sake of pure entertainment. I n this case we don't even get to figure out who the real hero is, all seven of the Mercury astronauts, as well as Chuck Yeagger, are pushed forward, yet three of them have barely a line of dialogue, and their particular achievements are overlooked. The characters just aren't defined clearly enough and they lack depth or emotional resonance.
If you want to see how this film would have been better made, watch Apollo 13.