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Return to Space

Play trailer 2:07 Poster for Return to Space TV-MA 2022 2h 8m Documentary Play Trailer Watchlist
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79% Tomatometer 19 Reviews 83% Popcornmeter 50+ Ratings
For the first time, Oscar-winning directors Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin (Free Solo, The Rescue) point their lenses to the sky, covering the inspirational rise of SpaceX and Elon Musk's two-decade effort to resurrect America's space travel ambitions. Offering rare access inside the first crewed mission launched from U.S. soil since the retirement of the Space Shuttle in 2011, this is an intimate portrait of the engineers and astronauts chosen for the historic moment. Following NASA veterans Bob Behnken, Doug Hurley, and their families in the leadup to launch, RETURN TO SPACE brings viewers along for their thrilling ride to the International Space Station, and into mission control with Musk and the SpaceX team as they bring them back to Earth for a dramatic splashdown return.

Critics Reviews

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Christy Lemire FilmWeek (LAist) 04/19/2022
Disappointing... Ultimately feels like an infomercial for Elon Musk. Go to Full Review Nick Schager The Daily Beast 04/11/2022
Return to Space is less about the particular value of setting up shop on Mars than it is about mankind’s need to keep moving forward. It’s a heartening and hopeful film about inventors and dreamers. Go to Full Review Paul Byrnes Sydney Morning Herald 04/07/2022
4/5
It’s fabulously watchable, even at 128 minutes, because we learn more about these humans than about their machines. Returning to space is about the dream of a better humanity, not just money. On that level it is good to invest a little hope. Go to Full Review Rahul Desai News9 Live (India) 07/20/2022
That I had to constantly remind myself that Return to Space is real life — and not a big-budget spectacle — is as much an ode to new-age film-making as it is a lament on the luckiness of new-age viewing. Go to Full Review Christian Gallichio The Playlist 05/13/2022
C+
After two films that weren’t afraid to embrace subjectivity and point-of-view to create suspense—i.e. the entire last third of “Free Solo”—“Return to Space” is a bit too neatly packaged and overly idealistic about what SpaceX might mean for space travel. Go to Full Review Jana Monji Age of the Geek 04/21/2022
2/5
How much you enjoy this Netflix dog may depend upon how much you enjoy watching Elon Musk. This is less a documentary and more a Musk commercial. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Patrick F 05/13/2024 I didn't know much about SpaceX prior to seeing this film. It was really inspiring to see such a talented group of scientists and engineers get the USA back in the space game so to speak. Such a monumental task called for technological breakthroughs that were not inevitable. Very well done and informative film. See more Spencer P @s_plewe 07/06/2023 A space program catch-up documentary that covers all the bases, including where humans fall short, and still provides some sense of excitement for what's to come. See more patrick f 02/03/2023 I didn't know much about SpaceX prior to seeing this film. It was really inspiring to see such a talented group of scientists and engineers get the USA back in the space game so to speak. Such a monumental task called for technological breakthroughs that were not inevitable. Very well done and informative film. See more 09/04/2022 Sience Fiction coming to life. See more 05/26/2022 I didn't know much about SpaceX prior to seeing this film. It was really inspiring to see such a talented group of scientists and engineers get the USA back in the space game so to speak. Such a monumental task called for technological breakthroughs that were not inevitable. Very well done and informative film. See more 05/02/2022 Documentaries aren't really my thing, but I still ended up enjoying this one. "Return to Space" does suffer from the poor acting that documentary films usually bare, however, it does also give a pretty good insight on the life of Elon Musk and what can be expected in years to come. Overall, I liked it: wasn't great, but wasn't awful either. See more Read all reviews
Return to Space

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Cast & Crew

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Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi

Director

Jimmy Chin

Director

Bob Behnken

Self

Doug Hurley

Self

Hans Koenigsmann

Self

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Return to Space

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Movie Info

Synopsis For the first time, Oscar-winning directors Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin (Free Solo, The Rescue) point their lenses to the sky, covering the inspirational rise of SpaceX and Elon Musk's two-decade effort to resurrect America's space travel ambitions. Offering rare access inside the first crewed mission launched from U.S. soil since the retirement of the Space Shuttle in 2011, this is an intimate portrait of the engineers and astronauts chosen for the historic moment. Following NASA veterans Bob Behnken, Doug Hurley, and their families in the leadup to launch, RETURN TO SPACE brings viewers along for their thrilling ride to the International Space Station, and into mission control with Musk and the SpaceX team as they bring them back to Earth for a dramatic splashdown return.
Director
Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, Jimmy Chin
Rating
TV-MA
Genre
Documentary
Original Language
English
Release Date (Streaming)
Apr 7, 2022
Runtime
2h 8m