Review of October Sky (1999) by Ariel M — 28 Nov 2008

If you feel stuck, doomed to go underground to mine coal when your ambition is to launch rockets and be in the sky, who should you listen to? And then comes the struggle between making ends meet in the family and continuing on the path to one's dream, what should you choose? And on top of all this, a loving father who faces the dilemma of wiping away "false hope" and regretting letting his kids follows their heart.

I think it is all very cliche. But somehow this rocket flied. The sputnik flied across one night sky in October, a rocket lauch pad was built. The life-line of the family, even the community, collapsed, the observation cottage was burned to the ground. Then the fire fueld by the desire to build a better rocket reignited. The science fair, the encouraging mentor, the eventual success on the backdrop of the falls of everything around it (the town was sold, and the science teacher and the father passes away). It's a happy ending. (?!).

October sky tells of a melancholy story. It is hard to judge the way the story is told. But above all, a teenage boy followed his dream and fulfilled his dream, stepping on the shoulders of giant. To him, I say: "Well done!" Whether I feel motivated and encouraged by him is a whole different story.