Spaceship Earth

Released May 8, 2020

1 hr. 54 min.

Documentary

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List

88%

112 Reviews

Tomatometer

60%

50+ Ratings

Audience Score

In 1991 eight visionaries embark on a two-year experiment to quarantine themselves inside Biosphere 2 -- a self-engineered replica of Earth's ecosystem.

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Critics Consensus

Spaceship Earth achieves liftoff as an engaging behind-the-scenes record of an audacious experiment -- and settles into orbit as poignant proof of the power of a shared dream.

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Edward D

This show is more about a cult and a psycopathix cult leader than about any biosphere...

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

04/02/23

Full Review

Audience Member

The sustainable possibility is an educationally compelling factor that makes this documentary intriguing, and how it reflects back on the subject surrounding the ambitious but flawed experimental project turned out thorough and reasonable from creative buildup in a resume form, with strayed interest, to the overall outlook leading into the diminishing. This documentary exposes the downfalls in an unbalanced focus over the true positives aside from skilled passionate contributive roles than displaying results for justifiable credibility, hence the reasonable portion conclusively explained, but the reflective insights and existing archival footage helped justified the reminiscing exposure in a timely matter, which therefore emphasizes how worthwhile this is in both ways with appreciation. (B)

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/17/23

Full Review

Audience Member

This is a fairly amazing documentary all told. It does drag at times. There's the tendency to feel like these are people who are working on something just for themselves and 'their kind', then again, I get that. There's always gonna be tribal factions who are looking out for themselves. At least their efforts with Biosphere 2 were not based on ignorance, paranoia, and class insecurities, or some global conspiracy idiocy. The film clips from their time in building up to and including Biosphere 2 are generally fascinating. I'm not surprised at all, though, with the John Allen issues and the project not being continued as such. 3.4 stars

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/20/23

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spencer p

A film that tells the story of a most ambitious experiment that aimed to move mankind forward but was torn apart by mankind's folly, illuminating the limits of science-inspired will-power, trust and teamwork.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

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Audience Member

Uma história empolgante sobre um coletivo de hippies que decide criar uma simulação do planeta terra dentro de um deserto.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

01/15/23

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Audience Member

Having visited Biosphere 2, and read several books about the project, I found this film something of a retrospective. I remember the media excitement of at the start of the project, and the later media criticism (typical of the shit attacks, conspiracy theories, and misinformation you find on social media these days). It was an amazing thing, an incredible accomplishment, marvelous construction and engineering, and didn't deserve the kicking it got. The movie was frankly a bit boring. I did other work while the thing played in the background. I didn't watch the ending, since I already knew how it came out.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/10/23

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Matt Wolf

Director

John Allen

Self

Larry Winokur

Self

Tony Burgess

Self

Mark Nelson

Self

Linda Leigh

Self

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Spaceship Earth: Trailer 1

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Tara Brady

Irish Times

The excitement around anything that pertained to space travel in 1991 is genuinely moving. But one is left with dark, messy hints rather than a satisfactory third act.

Rated: 3/5

Aug 14, 2020

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Danny Leigh

Financial Times

Wolf isn't the most elegant storyteller, but his material is so fascinating, you forgive the sprawl...

Rated: 4/5

Jul 15, 2020

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Peter Bradshaw

Guardian

My ignorance was so complete, in fact, that for the first few minutes of this film I kept suspecting some kind of docu-spoof. But it's all real...

Rated: 4/5

Jul 8, 2020

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Cole Smithey

ColeSmithey.com

If there is any scandal to report, it comes from none other than Mr. April Fool himself, Steve Bannon.

Rated: A

Feb 11, 2022

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Milana Vujkov

Lola On Film

Equally amusingly eco-trendy and genuinely gob-smacking saga about the ingenious two-year experiment.

Rated: 4/5

Jul 31, 2021

Full Review

Jake Cunningham

NME (New Musical Express)

Spaceship Earth achieves the goal of the Synergists - to highlight the friction between finance and innovation, corporation and environmental exploitation, and our own non-cyclical relationship with our planet

Rated: 4/5

Jun 18, 2021

Full Review

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Synopsis

In 1991 eight visionaries embark on a two-year experiment to quarantine themselves inside Biosphere 2 -- a self-engineered replica of Earth's ecosystem.

Director: Matt Wolf
Executive Producer: Leslie Berriman, Stanley F. Buchthal, Dan Cogan, Steve Cohen
Distributor: Neon
Production Co: Impact Partners, Stacey Reiss Productions, Radical Media
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): May 8, 2020, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): May 8, 2020

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