Fight For Space (2016)

“When did we last leave low Earth orbit? – to go somewhere interesting with humans? when did we last do it? 1972. Apollo 17. It’s been more than 4 decades.” – Niel deGrasse Tyson

Number of Times Seen – 1 (20 Jun 2019)

Brief Synopsis – Documentary that tries to explain why we began to explore space and more importantly, why things have slowed down so much over the years to a point where there is little progress in the further exploration of space.

My Take on it – This is a film that I had never heard about until my friend Jane from 500 Days of Film mentioned it in an article about the best documentaries about space.

As a fan of the space program, I was quite intrigued to see what this film would have to say about things.

This was such a fascinating film which is able to stay gripping and informative as it deals with some really important issues.

They are able to look at the situation presented here from various angles which give an even broader perspective on why the space program has been stalled over recent years.

The film is filled with some great interviews that range from astronauts to scientists to reporters to policy makers to, (most importantly) the man on the street as we slowly begin to understand why the space program has become less and less of a priority from a political standpoint.

This movie is able to give us vast information about the space program on a whole and stays interesting throughout.

The added bonus of so much archival footage about the program gleaned from news reports and policy making reports over the years is so eye opening to things.

The fact that they are able to look at the issue that has spanned more than 50 years and keep the story focused helps give us so much insight and poignancy into this issue and was truly amazing to watch.

Bottom Line – Excellent documentary that is quite gripping because it deals with such an important issue and manages to find a way to look at the situation from numerous angles and give us reasons as to why things are the way they are. The interviews are great and quite diverse because we get to see the opinions of astronauts, scientists, reporters, policy makers and most importantly, the man on the street. This film is also able to give us so much information about the history of the space program and is filled with great archival material from news reports and policy planners over the past 5 decades which adds so much insight and poignancy to the issues presented. Highly Recommended!

MovieRob’s Favorite Trivia – Space history is a key part in our story. In 1961 President John F. Kennedy pointed the nation towards the Moon, and in 1969 Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed on the surface of another world. In 1972, Apollo 17 lifted off from the Moon and returned to earth. December of 1972 was the last time any human has been beyond low earth orbit. Our film looks at the intricate details of what lead to the premature cancellation of Apollo, and the defunding of NASA during the 1970s. (From Fight For Space)

Rating – Oscar Worthy (9/10)