| Director: | Jimmy Chin Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi |
| Producer: |
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| Studio: | Little Monster Films |
| Distributor: | Netflix |
| Runtime: | 128 minutes |
| Country: | United States |
| Language: | English |
Return to Space is an American documentary film made for Netflix and directed by Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi.[1] [2] Its story follows Elon Musk's and SpaceX employees' two-decade mission to send NASA astronauts back to the International Space Station and revolutionize space travel.[3] The film was released on April 7, 2022.[4]
The film tells a story of SpaceX from their Falcon 1 and re-usable Falcon 9 to the Crew Dragon Demo-2, launched on 30 May 2020 with Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken aboard.
The film received mixed reviews. IndieWire called it an "Exasperating 2-Hour Commercial for Elon Musk";[5] a Wired review, meanwhile, points that the film "chronicles the company’s unlikely rise, but it avoids talking about its shortcomings".[6] The review by Decider was more favourable, saying: "While a large part of Return to Space plays like a SpaceX promotional video, the meaningful way the film tells the story of a group of hopeful dreamers makes it more than worth your while."[7] The review by Joe Morgenstern on the Wall Street Journal was also favourable while noting the promotional tone, writing: "In fact, it promotes the company quite effectively, and why not? Elon Musk’s aerospace venture has achieved remarkable things since it was founded two decades ago. The film is more than that, though. It’s a return to dramatic accounts of blastoffs, followed by soul-filling footage from beyond our sheltering atmosphere and implacable gravity; a portrait, by reflected light from fiery boosters, of one of Earth’s most curious (in every respect) overachievers; and a testament to failing upward—far, far upward."[8]