Challenger (1990) (TV)

User Rating:

5.9/10   

Director:

Glenn Jordan

Writer (WGA):

George Englund (written by)

Release Date:

25 February 1990 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

based on the true story of the tragic space shuttle disaster

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 | NASA | Disaster | Based On True Story

Awards:

Won Primetime Emmy. Another 1 nomination

Cast

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

Runtime:

160 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Company:

George Englund Productions

Better than billed

Just a note to say that I happened on Challenger, the TV movie from c. 1990 tonight on cable and came here to IMDB to see what I could find - because I thought it was kind of interesting. Found I was even more interested in the few comments I found here (no reviews).

It was also interesting to me that the "rating" votes from those 60 something people who made a choice were all over the map, but the two (statistically significant?), most often chosen numbers, were 6 and 7. That's about right. (I'm giving it a six.)

But, to get to the main point <s>, all but one of the comments written in for the movie were trashing and what I would call trashy: all of them seemed to be hugely swayed by the subject of the show. Too "meaningful", too "important for our nation"??? The fact, I'm pretty sure, is that Challenger is a somewhat better than average docudrama. And Karen Allen is a distinguished actor. And almost all of the rest of the cast were at least OK. I thought the tone set was quite good, trying pretty successfully for "this is the way it was". No melodrama, no Hollywood "effects", just straight ahead "documentary" acting and other movie skills. Not overwritten.

It's hard for me to figure where the low average of the comments came from. Something I guess about the subject being too Big and Serious (in the pseudo sense, non gravitas) for anyone, particularly the automatically suspect TV movie crowd, to make a respectable film about. I guess. ??? Interesting.