In the not-too-distant future, the spaceship Svea XVI traverses across the galaxy with just two passengers: 12-year-old Gladys (Ella Rae Rapaport) and her little brother Keaton (Dante Fleischanderl). The siblings have fled a dying Earth and are heading for the planet Vial in what seems an endless journey, but their isolated, lonely days in space are interrupted when something strange crashes into the Svea XVI.
Alone in Space is an adaptation of Henrik Stahl's play from debut writer-director Ted Kjellson, and it's a pretty good start from him. It's certainly nothing groundbreaking (at least regarding science fiction) but it never needed to be, and not just because it's a family science fiction movie. I don't think you can, or should, expect a first-time director to create the cinematic equivalent of Mount Rushmore. Anyway, I found this Swedish outer space ride to be adequately imaginative, energetic and harmless, with a restrained handling of its themes and two juvenile protagonists who are never annoying or excessively cute. It has aesthetic touches rather reminiscent of Spy Kids, Doctor Who and Galaxy Quest among other texts, but Kjellson doesn't fall back on those nods too much to the point where the film lacks its own flavour. He also coaxed engaging performances from both his young leads and gives them equal screen time and realistic dialogue for their characters' ages and personalities. The production and costume design is also rich and vibrant and the score and editing also go a long way in maintaining the film's pacing and energy.
Alone in Space isn't a masterpiece, but while it may seem on paper like some throwaway piece of innocent science fiction for children, it's actually deceptively not that simple. It's really quite a confident, rollicking and smart interstellar ride.
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