Synopsis
SpaceCamp is a family sci-fi adventure about a diverse group of teenagers and their instructor, Andie, who are accidentally launched into orbit aboard the Space Shuttle Atlantis after a sentient NASA robot takes one of the campers’ wishes literally. Once in space, the untrained crew faces immediate peril, including a critical lack of oxygen and an emergency that leaves their instructor incapacitated. To survive and return home, the teenagers must overcome their personal differences, rely on their specialized camp training, and work together to manually pilot the shuttle back to Earth for a safe landing.
Actors & Crew
- Kate Capshaw plays Andie. Born Kathleen Sue Nail on November 3, 1953, in Fort Worth, Texas, she landed her first role on the soap opera The Edge of Night before transitioning to film. She starred in Dreamscape (1984) and that same year won the role of Willie Scott in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, directed by Steven Spielberg, whom she later married in 1991. Her subsequent film work included Power (1986), Black Rain (1989), Love Affair (1994), and Just Cause (1995).
- Kelly Preston plays Tish. Born Kelly Kamalelehua Smith on October 13, 1962, in Honolulu, Hawaii, she began her career as a model at 16 before transitioning to acting, with early film roles in Mischief and SpaceCamp in 1985 and 1986. She gained wider recognition with Twins (1988) alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito, and later appeared in Jerry Maguire (1996) and For Love of the Game (1999). She met John Travolta on the set of The Experts in 1989 and married him in 1991. She passed away on July 12, 2020, at age 57, following a two-year battle with breast cancer.
- Joaquin Phoenix (credited as Leaf Phoenix) plays Max. Born Joaquín Rafael Bottom on October 28, 1974, in San Juan, Puerto Rico, he began acting as a child alongside his brother River. He has since appeared in films including Napoleon (2023) and Beau Is Afraid (2023).
- Tate Donovan plays Kevin. Born September 25, 1963, in Tenafly, New Jersey, his early film roles included this week’s movie and Memphis Belle (1990). He voiced the title character in Disney’s Hercules (1997) and appeared as Rachel Green’s love interest in season four of Friends. Later film work included Good Night, and Good Luck (2005) and the Oscar-winning Argo (2012); on television he played Jimmy Cooper in The O.C. and later moved into directing episodic television, winning a Primetime Emmy as a producer on ESPN’s 30 for 30 Shorts.
- Tom Skerritt plays Zach. Born August 25, 1933, in Detroit, Michigan, he served four years in the U.S. Air Force before studying at Wayne State University and UCLA. He made his film debut in War Hunt (1962) and broke through with Robert Altman’s MAS*H (1970), later appearing in Alien (1979), Top Gun (1986), and A River Runs Through It (1992). He won a Primetime Emmy for his lead role as Sheriff Jimmy Brock in Picket Fences (1992–1996).
- Larry B. Scott, best known for playing Lamar Latrelle in the Revenge of the Nerds series, rounds out the young cast.
- The musical score was composed by acclaimed film composer John Williams, whose iconic work includes Star Wars, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, and Indiana Jones.
Budget & Shooting Locations
- Released: June 6, 1986
- Budget: $18–$25 million (much of it went toward a full-scale replica of the space shuttle)
- Box Office: $9.7 million
- Filmed in the summer of 1985 — the last film made by ABC Motion Pictures, which closed down that October — primarily at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama; the Kennedy Space Center in Titusville, Florida; and Laird International Studios (now Culver Studios) in Culver City, California.
- The film was completed before the January 28, 1986 explosion of the Space Shuttle Challenger, which killed all seven crew members and shocked the nation. When the movie opened on June 6, 1986 — less than five months after the disaster — many felt the subject matter was too sensitive and way too soon.
Rewatch verdict and Cringe Meter
Metascore: 40 (“Mixed or Average,” based on 9 critic reviews). User Score: 6.5 (“Generally Favorable,” based on 6 user ratings).
Roger Ebert gave it 1.5/4, writing: “The great looming presence all through this movie is the memory of the Challenger destroying itself in a clear, blue sky. Our thoughts about the space shuttle will never be the same again, and our memories are so painful that ‘SpaceCamp’ is doomed even before it begins.” The Miami Herald called it “perfectly harmless and perfectly dull,” while The New York Times was kinder: “The outcome is pretty predictable, but it’s done well, and the actors do a good job of transforming general types into individuals whom we grow to like. It is also hard to resist Jinx, the funny little computer responsible for all the trouble.”
