HBO MAX REVIEW: 'Moonshot' (2022, Christopher Winterbauer)

It’s the year 2049 and space travel to Mars has become possible, thanks to Kovi Enterprises, owned by an Elon Musk-like character named Leon Kovi— Leon, Elon, get it?— played by Zack Braff (Scrubs).

There are two ways to get to the terraformed Red Planet: you can either buy a ticket worth a million bucks, or you can apply for a free residence on Mars — which comes with very strict requirements.

Walt (Cole Sprouse of Five Feet Apart, Riverdale), an assistant barista, has always dreamed of flying to Mars. Unfortunately, he’s neither rich enough to afford a ticket nor he’s smart enough to earn a free trip. Everybody says he’s “too average,” not extraordinary enough for a residence on Mars. In fact, he has applied 37 times already, and still, he hasn’t “checked all the boxes” to qualify him for a prestigious spot.

When Walt falls in love with Mars-bound Ginny (Emily Rudd) at a party, he becomes all the more convinced that he deserves to be on the next Kovi rocketship to Mars. Desperate, he stows away on the scheduled flight with the help of his new frenemy, Sophie (Lana Condor, To All the Boys trilogy), a haughty perfectionist whose long-distance (and emotionally distant) boyfriend, Calvin (Mason Gooding), doesn’t seem to be in a hurry to visit her on Earth.

 
Walt’s illegal ride to Mars is a moonshot (i.e., a long shot), but his optimism and determination are amusing at best— not thrilling or suspenseful. Besides, it is unclear why he’s so hot for the Red Planet (the Ginny thing is obviously just icing on the cake), so it’s hard to share his excitement. The movie also portrays Mars as a place for nerds, bereft of thrilling sci-fi details to tickle our fantasy.

But Moonshot, HBO Max’s newest original film, is a rom-com after all. Its chief objective is for you to fall in love with Walt and Sophie’s blossoming love story on board a cramped ship on a journey to the final frontier. 

Too bad— they don’t have chemistry. And while Candor lends Sophie the perfect balance of snobbishness and textbook-smartness, her character has no charm. There are also no indications of strong feelings for Walt, who feels like a parasite to her.

The running joke that Walt is “too average” and “too dumb” becomes tired humor, especially since it is spelled out to us. And the intelligent-looking Sprouse looks anything but stupid. Also, if he’s such an idiot like everybody says in the movie, why does he pine for Mars? You can’t long for something that you cannot intellectually grasp.

The movie drops Hallmark-card-like inspirational quotes, and tired wisdom, like “no matter how far you run, you cannot escape yourself." While movie cliches can be rewarding sometimes, it's sadly not the case with Moonshot.

Directed by Christopher Winterbauer and screenplay by Max Taxe, Moonshot, awash in hues of pinks and tangerine, is a time-killer at best. The buoyant performances, relaxing visuals, and fast pacing may keep you tethered. But overall, it’s a lackluster tale and a moonshot at a satisfying romantic-comedy.


2.5/5 stars