source: Race to Space

Umm it was pretty good. I like the bond between the monkey and the kid. I go to the school that the film was shot at. Cocoa Beach Jr/Sr High and i think that they could of done better with like the lunch scene. Totally different and i understand that its supposed to be from the 70s but still they could of used the real café. It looks good but i think that they could have done better. They played the school to be lame and plane but its really not. They did a good job in they gym. You can see that cocoa beach is the minutemen and that its cocoa beach. The hall way that he sits in while he is crying is exactly what it looks like. I have always thought that cocoa beach was a small town and it was lame excluding the fact that there is a RON JONS. (the biggest and the first) but i think that it was cool to have a movie done at our school and even more cool to have Barry Corbin in our town. I am a big fan expesally because he is in one tree hill. Hes great and very loving to the teens (James Lafferty and Chad Michael Murray, the opposite half brothers that don't get along) and cares about them and there family. His acksent is great. Congratulations Barry for doing so many movies. (104) and so many shows, as guests and stars. (32)!!!

I have just seen Race To Space and was so pleased to see a movie that can be enjoyed by the whole family.The cast was great especially William Atherton who is great at playing characters you love to hate. The story moves quickly and has plenty of humor and suspense and is also a great history lesson. I highly recommend this movie for anyone 8 or over

I had the unique pleasure to recently view Race to Space at the 2001 Marco Island Film Festival. I mention this because this is an excellent movie that somehow has escape getting picked up for distribution. Race to Space is loosely set against the early 60s NASA space effort as led by Wernher Von Braun who has been fictionalized in the movie as Von Hueber and played very well by James Woods. Von Hueber has a 9 year old son, Billy who is the main character and who is excellently played by Alex D. Linz. Billy deals with several themes which are successfully interwoven. 1) Discrimination due to Billy being the son of a well known former German Nazi rocket scientist, 2) Billy's relationship with his father, the no nonsense rocket scientist, as it evolves following the death of his mother 3) Billy's maturation and relationships as he becomes involved with the training of the chimpanzees for the space program. My only negative comment is that I found the seemingly mandatory Disneyesque villain theme somewhat hokey and predictable. This doesn't seem consistent with the high quality of the other well integrated parts of the film. Perhaps this was inserted to make the movie more kid friendly. I also have some concern that people will think this film is historically accurate when if fact it is a fictionalized depiction set against actual historical background. Despite the fact that the movie tends to seamlessly phase in and out of historical authenticity, the themes are so well done, it may be difficult for some to distinguish fact from fiction. Overall, this is one of the best films you will ever find that is entertaining and enlightening for the whole family. I strongly recommend that you make the effort to do whatever it takes to see this movie and to demand to have this film widely distributed. I saw this movie with my wife and 9 year old son. We all agreed that this was an excellent movie, with my son using superlatives "totally awesome" and "excellent". Find this movie and see it!!! I give it 8.5/10

In this fictional version of the story of the first chimp sent into space, Billy is the new kid at school, the son of one of the scientists in charge of making sure we can join the Russians in the space race. Some of the kids are mean to Billy, calling him a Nazi, among other things. Billy's father starts bringing him to work to help him adjust to his new situation, and it is there that he discovers the chimp project. Billy's teacher wants him to do a paper on space flight, and he chooses the chimps as a topic, and he later gets to do important work in the program. Dr. McGuinness has an additional challenge to face, besides getting the chimps ready for the potentially dangerous flight. She's a woman, and female scientists are not being accepted by men the way they are today. Meanwhile, Roger Thornhill wants his company to build the rockets, and he doesn't appreciate the fact that Germans are the ones putting Americans in space. James Woods is very convincing but often stereotypical as a by-the-book German scientist. Later on he shows a warm side, which was hinted at when Billy first got in trouble at school. In fact, he seems every bit as American as the other characters at times, except for that accent. The other German characters, unfortunately, seem like they belong in "Hogan's Heroes" and don't exactly inspire confidence. Alex D. Linz does just fine as Billy, who more than once gets the opportunity to save the day, which is fine for the kids watching the movie but not particularly realistic. And the chimp who gets to go into space does quite a capable job (I won't say which one it is). Mark Moses does a fine job as Alan Shepard, who in real life ends up as the first American in space. And Annabeth Gish is likable as the scientist in charge of the chimps. William Devane is sometimes deliciously evil, and at other times just plain evil, as the executive who has devious plans for the space program. William Atherton is more stereotypical as the 'inside man' who helps Devane's character. What a appears to be a documentary on the space race starts the film, and similar footage is shown at other times. This is interesting. Kennedy became president during the events of this film. This is okay even though the actual flight of the first chimp took place too soon for Kennedy to have been in office as long as he appeared to be here. People liked Kennedy and his comments in the inaugural speech add to the film. Another minor flaw: 1962 Chevrolets were not introduced until much later in 1961. This movie isn't really a comedy, but it is funny at times. There may have been some editing, but overall, it seemed clean enough for most kids to watch. There are some frightening scenes involving the training and the actual flight, but this is to be expected with something as new as space travel was. This was pretty good.

I only have to say good worlds about this movie. i think it really portrays the way that some people rally acted back then when the space race had just begun. It was a start for people to hate each other and for americans to think that they are the ultimate nation. I rally think Hollywood is payed by the US government to portray in their movies the gratness of America and how America is the best country in the whole world. This movie wanted to show another aspect of it, but way at a smaller scale, putting it in a comedy with a monkey and a boy. I really must advise you to watch this movie, because it sends a message that few movies still send. My raiting for it (9/10).

I stumbled upon this movie while doing my daily flip through the channels. While I at first wasn't too awed by an Alex D. Linz/chimp interaction movie, after watching only about 2 minutes of on-screen interaction between Linz and the main chimp, Mac, I was hooked. I think this movie does a wonderful job creating a relationship between Mac and Billy, and adds to the story on a whole. While the plot may not be strong, it draws you in, and keeps your attention. Not only is this a story about the race to space, but it's also about a boy's journey into manhood and a family's struggle to overcome something they never could. 10/10.

Granted, it's sentimental, and obviously made for TV, but I thoroughly enjoyed this film, which I can't say of some much higher-rated films here. The acting was fine really, tho indeed funny to hear James Woods talk semi-German. I think everybody in the cast did a fine job however. The story was told well, and interesting enough to follow. It was also visually well executed. All in all an inspirational film for kids and adults because the message is that everyone can make a difference, make friends and make dreams come true. I find it sad that movies like this get dismissed as sentimental garbage. I prefer it much over negative and pretentious pieces. I would rate this 7/10, but kids will give it 9/10!

First and most importantly, this movie glamorizes the unethical use of animals in human experimentation. Also, from a scientific point of view, every bit of this movie is completely incorrect and unbelievable. It's a series of trite and cliched melodramatic moments with no driving motivation.

I happened to catch this movie recently on satellite TV here in the U.k quite by accident,and after watching had to order the DVD as an R1 import,(it's not on release here) after initial thoughts of "oh no not another sentimental Kid bonds with animal & mix in a bit of history" the kind of thing that's usually relegated to Saturday morning kid's TV, I found this to be a throughly enjoyable viewing experience, OK the story is a bit thin at times and there are the usual well used character types and plots but it is well acted. Alex D Linz gave his character Billy a good blend of compassion and emotion with what was obviously a genuine bonding with the chimp. This movies doesn't have quite the same quality edge as The Dish which has entered the list as one of my all time favorite movies (I'm not sad really!!) but Race to Space is easy viewing, sit back, enjoy and escape from the horrors of real life for a couple of hours, give it a look there are far worse movies than this out there.