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Spaceship Earth

Play trailer 2:12 Poster for Spaceship Earth Released May 8, 2020 1h 54m Documentary Play Trailer Watchlist
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88% Tomatometer 112 Reviews 60% Popcornmeter 50+ Ratings
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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Spaceship Earth

Spaceship Earth

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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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Critics Reviews

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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 Full Review 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 Full Review 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 Full Review 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 Full Review 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 Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Noneya B Interesting insight into the "experiment", though it glosses over much of the failings with merely a short mention. I'd be interested in the same documentary done from a more critical perspective. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 06/18/24 Full Review 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 Full Review 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 Full Review 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 Full Review Read all reviews
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Movie Info

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
Producer
Matt Wolf, Stacey Reiss
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
Runtime
1h 54m
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