Hollywood's continued search for fresh ways to depict young love at the box office is apparent. While the goal remains consistent—tapping into the youth market with another teen romance—this one involves characters set among the stars. It’s understandable that movie theaters need to cater to younger audiences, but it’s questionable whether the Young Adult genre truly benefits from a flimsy science fiction romance aimed at teenagers. **The Space Between Us** exemplifies this, presenting a scattered and sentimental love story as emotionally stable as moon dust caught in a fan's breeze. Writer-director Peter Chelsom (“Funny Bones”, “Serendipity”) along with Allan Loeb and Tinker Lindsay have crafted a narrative that relies on tired tropes of star-crossed lovers, coated in overly sweet simplicity and wrapped around uninspired science fiction elements. The awkward combination of lightweight sci-fi drama, attempts to appeal to teenage girls still attached to stories like _Twilight_, and space-age concepts feels forced, resulting in a story with little impact—creating distance between the viewer and this cosmic mess. At least Chelsom avoided another werewolf or vampire storyline for his young protagonists, right? The characters in **The Space Between Us** are from different worlds, though that doesn’t stop them from forming a strong connection. Sixteen-year old Gardner Elliot (Asa Butterfield) enjoys communicating with the spirited Tulsa (Britt Robertson) online. While Gardner is intelligent and comes from an affluent background—his mother was a pioneering astronaut—Tulsa is a free spirit who has spent time in foster care. The key difference between this unlikely couple is that Gardner lives on Mars, while Tulsa resides in Colorado. It's quite the long-distance relationship, to say the least. Gardner has always wanted to visit Earth, the home of his deceased mother, who died during childbirth on a mission to colonize Mars. His desire intensifies when he develops feelings for Tulsa. Currently, Gardner’s social life is limited to his guardian, astronaut/scientist Kendra Wyndham (Carla Gugino), and a robot companion he built. The problem preventing him from visiting Earth has to do with the fact that his Martian physiology can't tolerate Earth's atmosphere. All Gardner wants is to connect with Earth, discover himself, and find happiness with Tulsa. The film eventually—in a convoluted way—manages to bring Gardner to Earth through the funding of billionaire Nathaniel Shepherd (Gary Oldman), who supports an experiment involving the Mars-raised teenager’s journey to his father's home planet and Tulsa. Soon, Gardner meets his crush, and they experience freedom together as authorities pursue them. It seems like a cheesy imitation of Romeo and Juliet, attempting to steal their familiar story. **The Space Between Us** is more saccharine than a Vermont forest. The fish-out-of-water scenario that Butterfield’s Gardner experiences on Earth feels mechanical and predictable. He tries his best to portray Gardner as an outsider, not just from another planet but also from within himself—a philosophically ambitious goal for a teen tearjerker with the depth of a sofa cushion. Robertson's Tulsa is a typical rebellious girl, but she and Butterfield’s Gardner become tiresome during manufactured chase scenes, displays of adolescent angst, and drawn-out space travel sequences that weigh down this simple science fiction story. The outcome of **The Space Between Us** is more alarming than charming; when Gardner and Tulsa find comfort in each other's company while floating in zero gravity, one can only hope an asteroid will appear to destroy this toothless sci-fi film aimed at a broad teen audience. **The Space Between Us (2017)** STX Entertainment 2 hrs. STARRING: Asa Butterfield, Britt Robertson, Gary Oldman, Carla Gugino, Janet Montgomery, Trey Tucker, Scott Takeda, Adande “Swoozie” Thorne, Sarah Minnich DIRECTED BY: Peter Chelsom WRITTEN BY: Peter Chelsom, Tinker Lindsay Allan Loeb MPAA Rating: PG-13 GENRE: Action & Adventure/Science Fiction/Fantasy & Romance Critic’s rating: ** stars (out of 4 stars) (c) Frank Ochieng 2017

Source on TMDB