Challenger (1990) (TV)

Nutzer-Bewertung:

5.8/10   

Regisseur:

Glenn Jordan

Drehbuchautor (WGA):

George Englund (written by)

Premierendatum:

25. Februar 1990 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

This film profiles the astronauts, crew, and civilians who were involved in the January 28, 1986 flight of the spaceship...

Plot Keywords:

Space Shuttle | Disaster | NASA | Based On True Story

Auszeichnungen:

Won Primetime Emmy. Another 1 nomination

Nutzerkommentare:

Made Too Soon

Besetzung

Karen Allen	...	Christa McAuliffe
Barry Bostwick	...	Comm. Francis R. (Dick) Scobee
Julie Fulton	...	Dr. Judith A. Resnick
Richard Jenkins	...	Gregory B. Jarvis
Brian Kerwin	...	Capt. Michael J. Smith
Joe Morton	...	Doctor Ronald McNair
Keone Young	...	Lt. Col. Ellison Onizuka
Raye Birk	...	Joseph Kilminster
James Monroe Black	...	Robert Mayfield (as James Black)
Angela Bassett	...	Cheryl McNair
Elizabeth Kemp	...	Jane Smith
Jeanne Mori	...	Lorna Onizuka
Lane Smith	...	Larry Mulloy
Peter Boyle	...	Roger Boisjoly
Alan Ackles	...	Gene Thomas

Länge:

160 Min

Land:

USA

Sprache:

Englisch

Farbe:

Farbe

Seitenverhältnis:

1.33 : 1

Tonverfahren:

Mono

Firma:

George Englund Productions

Made Too Soon

I revisited this for the first time in 14 years after watching more recent docudramas of the space program like "Apollo 13" and "From The Earth To The Moon" to see how well it held up. I have no problem with the acting, or the manner in which the Challenger's crew is depicted. What I do think hurts this film though is the decision to not depict the explosion and the aftermath and just end it with the launch. I realize this was done because in 1990, the events were still too fresh in public memory to want to see the images of disaster again, but this decision ultimately hurts the film's ability to be a long-term definitive telling of the story. What was needed instead was a flashback framing device of the Rogers Commission investigation, with Roger Beaujolay and Lawrence Molloy being subjected to the painful admissions of what went wrong, and how they were impacted by the tragedy. And thumbs down for the cheesy ending of the Challenger astronauts reciting the poem one line at a time instead of providing something more moving like President Reagan's remarks to the nation that afternoon.

For all it's virtues, the story of the "Challenger" disaster ultimately deserves a better treatment than this version gave it because it was simply made too soon after the tragedy for there to be appropriate perspective.