The ’80s Sci-Fi Space Adventure That Inspired A Generation Is Completely Forgotten
SpaceCamp is an underrated 80’s sci-fi that had extremely unfortunate timing when it was released. While Disney announced a remake of the film back in 2020, there haven’t been many updates on that front. What makes it even worse is the fact that the movie isn’t available on any streaming platforms or video-on-demand services
SpaceCamp And Astronaut Dreams
SpaceCamp is a sci-fi adventure inspired by the US Space Camp in Huntsville, Alabama. It follows a group of kids and teens who dream of being astronauts.
They attend Space Camp and even get the chance to step onto the space shuttle Atlantis during an engine test.
However, a catastrophic engine malfunction causes the shuttle to launch with the kids onboard, and only a rookie astronaut is there to help.
Worst Possible Timing
SpaceCamp had the worst possible timing, as there was absolutely no good way to market the film. The movie was released just five months after the tragic Space Shuttle Challenger accident in 1986.
Of course, the movie was filmed before the disaster happened, but the parallels between the movie’s premise being based on an accidental launch were hard to avoid.
This led to SpaceCamp getting destroyed by reviewers, with many people accusing the film of trying to capitalize on the Challenger accident. The film also bombed at the box office, making less than $10 million in the US. Despite this, the film is a solid and fun sci-fi that was unfortunately tied with a tragic event.
Great SpaceCamp Cast
SpaceCamp was the directorial debut of Harry Winer with a screenplay co-written by Clifford Green and Casey T. Mitchell from a story by Patrick Bailey and Larry B Williams.
The film featured a great cast of talent too, with Kate Capshaw starring as the rookie astronaut Andie Bergstrom, Tom Skerritt as the camp director and Andie’s husband, and Frank Welker as the voice of a sentient robot.
The cast of teens and kids included Kelly Preston, Larry B Scott, Lea Thompson, Tate Donovan, Lea Thompson, and Leaf Phoenix, aka Joaquin Phoenix, in his first Hollywood film role.
No Way To Stream SpaceCamp
Although there’s not a great way to find and watch SpaceCamp these days, Disney did announce that a remake was in the works for Disney+. The remake has Mikey Day and Streeter Seidell attached to write the script and it’s set to be produced by Walt Disney Pictures. But that announcement was made back in 2020, and there hasn’t been much new news about it lately.
Deserves A Remake
SpaceCamp definitely deserves a second chance in the form of a remake. It’s not hard to imagine a modern sci-fi film with kids and a rookie astronaut trying to get back to Earth being a success. The original film was a lot of fun, and the remake could definitely get a new audience interested in the original.
Original SpaceCamp Needs To Be Seen
Of course, it would definitely be nice to see the original hit streaming services or video-on-demand while we wait for the remake. Since Disney is doing the remake, it would make sense if it would put the film on Disney+. At the very least, it would be nice to see the film get a 4K UHD re-release.
