Netflix New Documentary Movie Return To Space Review

Movie Review 

The landing of a man on the moon in 1969 remains one of the greatest events in human history. It is at the heart of humanity's continued desire to travel to the stars and beyond. Whether we like it or not, as a species our time on this planet is limited. If not before, the sun will eventually explode (don't worry, it's still five billion years away) and with it all life on Earth. So, of course, the next frontier in humanity's future lies in interplanetary exploration and travel beyond the Milky Way galaxy.

NASA

Anyone who has followed space news and NASA in the past will be well aware of its struggles. those in the field to provide funding and continue the space program. Unfortunately, this led to the emergence of companies like SpaceX in 2002, with Elon Musk in the driver's seat trying to advance humanity with the help of the private sector, spending billions of dollars on this project to get people to Mars and beyond.

Informative Lesson 

  This 2-hour documentary serves as both a documentary and an informative history lesson, diving into SpaceX's journey to 2021, including all the rocket launches and agonizing failures along the way. There are also excerpts from the archives, including a particularly infamous tearful interview with Elon Musk after Armstrong and other astronauts criticized the decision to commercialize space travel.

  From Oscar-winning directors Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin ("Free Solo," "The Rescue"), this documentary doesn't just focus on Musk. Sure, he's a big part of SpaceX's vision coming to fruition, but this movie goes deeper than that.

  Understanding this raw, human element that is so important for such a documentary, Return to Space paints an intimate portrait of the SpaceX mission through the eyes of NASA astronaut veterans Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley. Not only do we get to know these two astronauts, we follow them on the ISS and back down to Earth, seeing everything from spacewalks and delayed launches to their emotional goodbyes with their families before they leave Earth.

Elon Musk

  Interestingly, we also see what happens in mission control, showing all the nervous, nail-biting moments as Elon Musk and the SpaceX team try to send humans back into space. Considering it's the first attempt from US soil since 2011, there's a lot on the horizon for his next mission, and you can really feel the tension during these segments.

  Anyone interested in space travel or exploration should 100% check this documentary out. Given the awesomeness and weirdness of man, it certainly won't win any Elon Musk skepticism, but it's a very good movie that shows how difficult and risky it is to send a rocket into space.

Failure

  Failure is part of everyday life, but it's what we do with failures that makes the difference between winners and losers. That's actually the message SpaceX is sending here with a pretty brutal montage of multiple rockets exploding in quick succession. However, the team emphasizes that with each explosion and failed launch, they understand more about what went wrong and get closer to the desired success.

  Back in Space is a pretty inspiring movie, although at over 2 hours long, it's quite an effort to get started (no pun intended) if you're going to sit down and watch this.

  There are some pretty intense moments along the way, and the odd musical score is a big part of that. The interviews conducted help to add an extra level of understanding and are supported by some simple but effective animations to show the various parts of the initiation process and the mission that follows.

  If you have even the slightest curiosity about space, exploration, or where the future of our species ends up with space travel, Back to Space is a great documentary and well worth a watch.