With the massive success of recent efforts, including Million Dollar Baby and Letters from Iwo Jima, it’s easy to forget slightly earlier Clint Eastwood-directed films like Space Cowboys. This is a fun, rousing little comedy/drama that capitalizes on its potential in the first half. The second half doesn’t hold together as well, but this is still a worthy piece from Eastwood that deserves more recognition.
Pulling together a superb cast consisting of Tommy Lee Jones, Donald Sutherland, James Garner, and Eastwood himself, Space Cowboys is a tale of men past their prime, looking to take on an experience they missed out on decades ago. Space is their goal, and with one final shot thanks to a failing satellite, NASA agrees to let them fly up and repair it.
The film does a wonderful job mixing humor (needed with an obviously ridiculous premise) and some solid story twists. The team's training is incredibly fun to watch, and their chemistry on screen is flawless. The strong scripting and dialogue is enough to suspend disbelief and begin pulling for this over-aged crew to succeed.
Space Cowboys also manages to surprise the viewer, even when you know they will ultimately reach their goal. Conflict arises between the crew, both personally and with NASA’s staff. This keeps a wise sense of tension between the lighter moments, a smart preparation for the coming mission.
It’s a shame then once the special effects take over and space has been entered that things quickly fall apart. All of that back and forth banter is lost in what feels like a forced plot twist to create action. The pacing slows and film creeps over the two hour mark. A rather ridiculous ending involving one of the key characters is likewise unsuccessful, and destroys any shred of credibility.
This is still a worthwhile effort, and you’ll already have your share of entertainment needed by the time things begin crumbling. At the very least, those final sequences filled with incredible special effects are fun to watch even when in conflict with the opening hour or so of the movie. Space Cowboys remains an ignored gem. 
The film comes to HD DVD beautifully. This is a sharp transfer, with only a very fine grain interfering with the presentation. It is free of any noticeable compression. Detail and color remain perfect throughout.
It’s hardly surprising to learn the film was nominated for its audio work. This is a blistering presentation, filled with extensive surround work, room-shaking bass, and attention to detail. Multiple rocket ship take-offs are demo worthy. Even in non-space related scenes, movement is captured in all channels. 
Bonus features are limited sadly, starting with Back at the Ranch. This is a decent 30-minute making of, discussing personal experiences from the set. A featurette on the special effects runs for seven minutes, and is narrated by visual effects supervisor Michael Owens.
.jpg?t=20120527181101)
Article comments