A group of elite scientists are working on a top secret rocket project. Much of their lives are spent in an enclosed, heavily guarded compound. It takes both strong nerves and a solid devotion to the cause to withstand the quasi-monastic discipline of such an existence. The disgruntled wife of one of the scientists makes it pretty clear that she had been hoping for something bigger and better. Then one day she disappears...
"Spaceways" can probably best be described as a mix of romance, mystery thriller and spy story. In spite of its intriguing, nay fascinating setting it feels pretty average. The characters are shallow and two-dimensional and the central love story (man betrayed by hard-faced witch finds solace in the arms of the decent girl who has worshipped him for ages) is tritely clichéd. If the title credits are to be believed, the movie is based on a radio play, which would explain a lot. Tantalizing to think what a director such as a Hitchcock could have done with the idea of an isolated community where doubt, suspicion and paranoia grow up to sunflower heights...
Moreover, the movie shies away from all the hard questions, such as those related to the use of animals for experimentation. Rocket scientists take mice, cats or monkeys and shoot them into the air, because this is how rocket science works - period. The viewers are not supposed to overthink matters such as these, lest they wake up screaming at three o'clock in the morning.
Still, there are far worse movies out there. A rating of about five stars seems adequate...
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