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spaceship earth
​movie review
​by carson timar

Spaceship Earth (2020)

      In 1991, a group of 8 scientists were sealed into a large glass structure in the middle of the Arizona desert hoping to take part in a revolutionary experiment called Biosphere 2 trying to survive in a completely closed system for 2 years having to manage food production and air quality. The experiment drew national attention but as the world watched more and more started to go wrong turning Biosphere 2 into a joke to the general public. Spaceship Earth looks to tell the story behind Biosphere 2 focusing on the individuals that created the project and what actually happened over the two years of the initial experiment. Coming off of Neon's impressive documentary last year Apollo 11 which brought the events of the Apollo 11 mission to life in one of the most captivating cinematic experiences of last year, it was, of course, exciting seeing another documentary being distributed by the company but sadly Spaceship Earth comes nowhere close to Apollo 11 in nearly any way.
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The most questionable aspect of Spaceship Earth is its pacing and structure which decides to capture this story in an extremely basic and uncaptivating way. Despite the story having clear plot details that could be saved for dramatic reveals keeping audiences on the edge of their seat, the film decides to go in chronological order from the early life of the man who came up with the idea for Biosphere 2 named John Allen to the end of the first experiment which ended in a near war between higher-ups. The focus of the film clearly should be on the experiments and the drama within the Biosphere 2, but instead focuses on the people behind the experiment which is vastly less interesting. Spending the first near hour of the film before getting to the Biosphere 2 itself sucks the energy out of the film providing set up that ultimately feels meaningless. Once the film does focus on what happens within the Biosphere 2 it ends up feeling rushed and unsatisfying. It also is a shame to see the film totally ignore the later parts of the Biosphere 2 project such as the second attempt at the experiment making the film feel like only half the story. 

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It is a shame to feel this way regarding the film considering the bits in the Biosphere 2 are decently effective. When it is able to really focus and get into the mindsets of those involved with the experiment the film instantly picks up and sucks audiences in with its impressive collection of footage and audio from the experiment. Sadly this isn't the main focus of the film and is surrounded by a bloated and overall irrelevant focus. One could argue that the film did this in hopes of finding a deeper purpose and message of personal freedom and thinking outside the box which could, in theory, elevate the movie past just being a recount of history but it falls sadly short. Any deeper meaning and connection comes instead from the individuals during their time in the Biosphere 2 and the larger connections they gain to the world itself. If the film focused on this, it would have been a rewarding and even impactful experience.

Spaceship Earth seemingly had all the elements needed to be a worthwhile and intriguing film but ended up forgettable. It seems obvious to use a more motivated structure and have a clearer sense of focus on the elements of the film that stand out as intriguing but Spaceship Earth ignores this to give a competent yet unimportant film that is bound to be forgotten within a couple of months. For those who don't know much about Biosphere 2 and want to learn the basics, this is a perfectly suitable film but even then there are better ways to go about researching this subject. The footage is undoubtedly impressive but it also is not enough to hold the film up on its own as the film around it loses audiences' attention quicker than the Biosphere 2 lost air.

Overall Grade-C+

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