Beyond the Stars (1989)
Beyond the Stars (1989), directed by David Saperstein, starring Martin Sheen and Christian Slater.
score
Synopsis
Teenager Eric, the son of a computer scientist who worked for the Apollo mission which sent the first human to the moon, is determined to become an astronaut himself one day, and befriends Paul Andrews, the first man on the moon. Paul is avoided by other astronauts nowadays, because he was very rude and rebuffing when he returned from space. Only slowly Eric learns, that he discovered something during his excursion on the moon, that he keeps as a secret.
- John S. BartleyCinematography
- David SapersteinDirector, Writer
- Frank IrvineEditing
- Judith BlumeEditing
About the film
Beyond the Stars is a 1989 American science-fiction drama film written and directed by David Saperstein and starred Martin Sheen, Christian Slater, Sharon Stone, Olivia d'Abo, and F. Murray Abraham. The film was originally titled Personal Choice.
Read the full article (2k characters)
Beyond the Stars is a 1989 American science-fiction drama film written and directed by David Saperstein and starred Martin Sheen, Christian Slater, Sharon Stone, Olivia d'Abo, and F. Murray Abraham. The film was originally titled Personal Choice.
Plot
Eric is the teenage son of a computer scientist who worked for the Apollo program, which sent the first humans to the Moon. Eric, determined to become an astronaut himself one day, befriends Paul Andrews, the thirteenth man on the Moon. Paul is avoided by other astronauts nowadays because he was very rude and distant when he returned from space. Eric slowly learns that during his excursion on the Moon Paul discovered something that he keeps as a secret.
Cast
Production
The movie was filmed in and around Huntsville, Alabama and the U.S. Space & Rocket Center, and outside of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, during fall 1988 and under the title Personal Choice.
The story was inspired by the life of Buzz Aldrin.
The film was renamed Beyond the Stars, but was never released in American theaters. Later it was shown on cable television and released on laser disk.
Reception
Beyond the Stars was noted for its ”interesting cast’. It was presented as a "fair sci-fi effort, with good performances" by all members of the cast but with a "poor script". The Canadian website Film Media was very critical of the film, stating: 'Verbose and sclerotic plot. Ungainly direction. Dull acting."
Leonard Maltin described it as an "excruciatingly slow story of former astronaut". According to Film Dienst, "The story of a friendship, told with partly successful observations, quite naively highlights the contradiction between idealistic discovery and the appropriation of technology by the military, but remains superficial in its humanitarian and ecological appeals." The film received an extremely positive assessment in the French Nouveau Guide des Films, in which it was called "a top achievement of pantheist lyricism" and Stone's performance, highly praised.
In his book Generation Multiplex: The Image of Youth in Contemporary American Cinema, Timothy Shary states that the lack of success of the film typically reflects the little interest of audiences of the time for youth using rational scientific principles.
References
External links
Beyond the Stars at IMDb
Beyond the Stars at Rotten Tomatoes
Text from Beyond the Stars on Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beyond_the_Stars
Trivia
- It premiered on March 31, 1989, a Friday.
- It runs 1h28 — a typical feature length.
- This film's quiz has 11 questions — enough to play more than once without repeats.
Production
- StudiosFive Star Entertainment, Moviestore Entertainment
- CountriesUnited States
- LanguagesGerman, English
- StatusReleased
More about this film
Filming locations
- Vancouver
Cast
-
Martin Sheen
Paul Andrews -
Christian Slater
Eric Michaels -
Sharon Stone
Laurie McCall -
Robert Foxworth
Richard Michaels -
Olivia D'Abo
Mara Simons -
F. Murray Abraham
Dr. Harry Bertram - the Whale Man -
Campbell Lane
Alex Stamas -
Don S. Davis
Phil Clawson -
William S. Taylor
Dr. Willis -
Babs Chula
Anne Michaels -
Terence Kelly
Al Fletcher -
Freda Perry
Cynthia Rogers -
William Davis
Hal Simon - Ilena Cary Ellie Keller
- Christine Anton Mrs. Keller
- Samantha Halander Ellie's Sister
- Bob Bendetti Voice of NASA
- Ghislaine Crawford Kim
- Michael Naxos Mr. Rosetti
Quiz about this movie
Questions from the whole catalogue.
Play nowIf you liked this one
-
Jonathan
5.9
-
2073
6.7
-
Lunar
7.6
-
Passageiro Acidental
6.0
-
Cosmos
5.9
-
Auditor de Sonhos
6.7
-
O Sonho da Liberdade
6.8
-
A Luz no Fim do Mundo
6.5
-
Ad Astra - Rumo às Estrelas
6.1
-
O Doador de Memórias
6.6
-
Eu Sou o Número Quatro
6.2
-
Projeto Gemini
6.3
Crew
- John S. Bartley Cinematography
- David Saperstein Director
- Frank Irvine Editing
- Judith Blume Editing
- Stanley Warnow Editing
- Joseph Perez Producer
- David Saperstein Writer
Questions about this film
What is Beyond the Stars about?
Beyond the Stars: Teenager Eric, the son of a computer scientist who worked for the Apollo mission which sent the first human to the moon, is determined to become an astronaut himself one day, and befriends Paul Andrews, the first man on the moon. Paul is avoided by other astronauts nowadays, because he was very rude and rebuffing when…
Who directed Beyond the Stars?
Beyond the Stars was directed by David Saperstein in 1989.
Who stars in Beyond the Stars?
The cast of Beyond the Stars includes Martin Sheen, Christian Slater, Sharon Stone, Robert Foxworth and Olivia D'Abo.
How long is Beyond the Stars?
Beyond the Stars runs for 88 minutes, or 1h28.
Similar films
8.5
7.7
7.8
7.6
8.2
7.6
7.9
7.2
7.4
8.1
7.8
7.2
Page updated on 09/10/2026.
Back to the catalogue
