A Year in Space (2016)

“I’ve been doing risky things since I was a little kid. I think it’s part of my genetics. Yeah, I’m kinda surprised that I made it this far actually. [chuckles] – Mark Kelly

Number of Times Seen – 1 (14 Mar 2019)

Brief Synopsis – Documentary about the journey of astronaut Mark Kelly who broke a record by spending a full year in space.

My Take on it – As a fan of the space missions of astronauts over the years, I’ve been very interested in seeing this film in order to find out how such a mission could be used for use in the future of space travel as we get to see the effects that being in space for prolonged periods of time could have on humans.

This is a film that has a very fascinating and interesting premise yet it feels as if they squandered the opportunity to make this an even more impactful film than they manage to give us.

The story takes huge jumps over the course of the year and it seems as if certain aspects of the story seem missing or alternatively, the experience must have been so bland and boring that they had nothing else to tell us along the way.

At the beginning of the film, Kelly alludes to the fact that his mission will give them the opportunity to study the effects of space on someone from a physiological perspective since he has a twin brother who stayed on Earth yet they forget to go back to that point which would make things so much more interesting.

The film is much too short at less than 60 minutes and fails to give us more information and footage that would help us savor and enjoy this experience so much more which is quite unfortunate.

Bottom Line – Fascinating premise that feels as if so much more is missing from the story. Kelly alludes to physical experiments and the fact that he and his twin brother are both astronauts, yet we never get to see the results of such tests which would show how prolonged time in space could affect someone from a physiological perspective. The film is too short and seems to jump too much over the course of the designated time and doesn’t allow us to truly savor the experience and record for what it’s worth.

MovieRob’s Favorite Trivia – Won an Emmy for Outstanding Science and Technology Documentary (From IMDB)

Rating – BAFTA Worthy (6/10)