From Beach Cocktails to Cosmic Dreams: A Review of “Space Cadet”
Tiffany “Rex” Simpson (Emma Roberts), a Florida party girl, has always dreamed of going to space. But instead of orbiting Earth, she’s stuck serving cocktails on the beach. After a high school reunion, this wild bartender decides to pursue her childhood dream and applies to NASA’s astronaut training program. Despite lacking the necessary background and facing a strict list of requirements, the audacious blonde unexpectedly gets accepted.
At the space center, she discovers she’s in the program thanks to her best friend Nadine (Poppy Liu), who embellished her resume. Project supervisors Pam (Gabrielle Union) and Logan (Tom Hopper) believe they have a certified scientist and Nobel Prize winner, not a bartender with a high school education. Rex decides to turn the situation to her advantage, actively creating the image of someone she’s not.
Emma Roberts as Rex Simpson in “Space Cadet”
A Clichéd Plot with Missed Opportunities
The film relies on a familiar trope: the seemingly ditzy blonde is smarter than she appears. In high school, Rex was a top student and received a scholarship to a tech college, but family circumstances forced her to drop out. As an adult, she’s constantly inventing things and can solve problems that stump even the brightest minds.
Despite her intelligence, Rex often acts foolishly. She arrives at NASA in short denim shorts and a revealing top, hugs the training program director, and laughs at professional terminology, constantly making a fool of herself. The space center is equally absurd, with no one properly checking the candidates’ credentials, allowing Rex’s charade to continue until the final stage of training.
The film is supposed to be funny, but the humor is almost non-existent, a fatal flaw for a comedy.
Emma Roberts as Rex Simpson in “Space Cadet”
Emma Roberts’ Unfortunate Streak Continues
“Space Cadet” adds to Emma Roberts’ string of recent failures, including the disastrous blockbuster “Madame Web.” The actress hasn’t had much luck with projects lately, with rom-coms like “Maybe I Do” and “About Fate” failing to boost her career, and the horror film “Abandoned” damaging her reputation as a “scream queen.”
Emma Roberts on the set of “Space Cadet”
Returning to familiar territory doesn’t work either. Roberts plays another sassy character, but at thirty, it feels forced and less convincing than in her twenties. However, it’s not fair to blame the lead actress entirely. “Space Cadet” is dull streaming content that fails to entertain due to a weak script.
A Dated and Unsatisfying Comedy
The film, recently released on Amazon Prime Video, feels like it was made twenty years ago for the Disney Channel. It’s outdated, naive, and childish, with thirty-year-old characters acting like they’re in a teen sitcom like “Hannah Montana.” This isn’t nostalgic; it’s awkward.
Listing the flaws of “Space Cadet” is as tedious as watching it. A ridiculous script, cardboard characters, unfunny jokes, cheap graphics, awkward dialogue, and a clumsy romance – there’s nothing to save this forgettable comedy from failure. While it’s naive to expect a streaming hit, there are better options for a one-time watch.