by Jeffery Rahming, Contributing Writer
HBO Max has a lot of catching up to do. Though often touted as one of the best streaming services, its late arrival compared to its competitors means it lacks the extensive library of original movies the other major services have. For comparison, there are 350-plus original Netflix movies, while HBOMax has fewer than 50. Moonshot is Max’s first attempt to appeal to the young adult crowd that Netflix has cultivated through smash hits like To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before and The Kissing Booth. But despite a somewhat unique premise, Moonshot doesn’t do enough to stand out from your typical teenage rom-com.
In Moonshot, we follow Walt (Cole Sprouse), a college student who fantasizes about leaving his life on earth to travel to the human colony on Mars. He wants this not only because of his drive for adventure, but also so he can reconnect with his new girlfriend, who left for Mars a day after they met. Since he isn’t a scientist or an engineer, his multiple applications for joining the colony are rejected. To his luck, he runs into Sophie (Lana Condor), a no-nonsense student whose boyfriend works on Mars. Walt convinces her to buy a ticket to reconnect with her boyfriend and uses her access to stow away on a transport ship. Afraid that they’ll both get in trouble for sneaking him onto the ship, Walt and Sophie have to pretend to be a couple for the duration of the trip to the planet.
The two leads’ performances do a lot to help carry this movie. Having never watched the cultural black hole that is Riverdale, I haven’t seen Sprouse in anything since his Disney Channel days, and surprisingly, he was excellent. He makes for a charismatic leading man, and Walt’s gung-ho energy makes him a compelling character to follow throughout the movie. Condor’s neurotic performance of Sophie makes for a pretty good foil for his off-the-wall energy. But unfortunately, her character isn’t quite as developed as his, which leaves what is meant to be a two-lead film a bit unbalanced. Walt’s obsessive desire to get to Mars and his overall passion for exploration make him a far more interesting character compared to Sophie, whose only real motivation is to reunite with her boyfriend.
There’s nothing absolutely terrible about Moonshot, but there are many little things about it that don’t quite work. Its romantic plot follows a formula that we’ve seen a million times before. Its many attempts at comedy rarely manage to be funny. Its oversaturated color grading makes the whole movie look like an Instagram filter. Its clunky title has nothing to do with the movie (they’re going to Mars, not the moon. I don’t think the moon is even mentioned in this movie). None of these are completely ruinous, but all together, they make for a very middle-of-the-road experience.
The love story falls completely flat. It isn’t poorly written per se, and the actors are both giving their all with the performances, but the chemistry is just not there, romantically at least. It plays more like a friendship until the near the end of the movie, and by then, it feels like the romance comes out of nowhere. In fact, the entire third act felt rushed. The really interesting points of dramatic tension don’t happen until the last 15 minutes, and the film doesn’t have the time to explore any of it by the time it gets there.
The setting does slightly set the movie apart from your average rom-com. The futuristic world of 2049 allows for fun elements like Walt’s sassy A.I. boss, a spacewalk scene, and some interesting ideas about how interplanetary space travel will affect human relationships. But in the end, there’s nothing especially impressive about the way it’s developed, and the film fails to use its sci-fi setting to its fullest potential.
Moonshot just didn’t have what it needed to take its premise to the next level. While there was nothing offensively bad, it suffered from a weak script and a lack of real romantic tension between its leads. It’s a perfectly fine watch for a lazy Sunday afternoon if you just want to put something on, but don’t count on remembering anything about it the next day.
Score: 5/10
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