The Real Right Stuff – A Decent Companion Documentary (Early Review)

For our review of the premiere of The Right Stuff, click here.

For those watching The Right Stuff and were interested in the story that inspired it, cue The Real Right Stuff. Maybe it’s a little overkill but this documentary treads some of that same ground covered in the miniseries, telling the story of the first group of American astronauts, the Mercury 7, and the rise of the American space program. That being said, there’s still many reasons to watch this film instead of as an excuse to not watch the aforementioned miniseries (whose finale premieres shares the same date as this film). Not quite on the level of 2019’s stellar Apollo 11, this documentary features a decent collection of archival footage that is sure to excite most space and/or NASA fans as well as some history fans though the film focuses more on the former. Suffice it to say that those without an interest in said subjects will surely be left bored here fairly early into its 90 minute running time.

Again, The Real Right Stuff tells the story of the Mercury 7, the first American astronauts thrust into duty in an attempt by the Americans to catch up with Russia in the space race of the late 1950s and 1960s. The end result would be the organization that eventually became NASA. As mentioned in the miniseries, that journey was certainly not an easy one for all those involved as the pressure they felt from the Russians was real, not wanting to get showed up on the world stage which would send the wrong message to the American people. For the most part, it was a gradual process. After finding the right candidates, NASA scientists had to learn to send them up and bring them back safely, going further and further every time. Ultimately, the documentary takes a more macro approach whereas the miniseries allowed for more character development (which wasn’t necessarily a good thing having watched the miniseries) but it did allow for some compelling intimate archive footage of the astronauts.

In the end, those looking for something to complement The Right Stuff and/or are looking for another space fix, The Real Right Stuff may very well hit the spot but just like the miniseries, its appeal will be limited.

*still courtesy of Disney

If you liked this, please read our other reviews here and don’t forget to follow us on Twitter or Instagram or like us on Facebook.

Keith Noakes

The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.