HBO Max’s ‘Moonshot’ Is So, So Bad—but Lana Condor Is Amazing in It
In the growing list of moon-related releases 2022 has to offer (Moonfall, Moon Knight, etc.), HBO Max has released the worst of the bunch. It is Moonshot, a dreary rom-com that goes heavy on the tropes and light on the chemistry, blending sci-fi with romance as two starstruck youngsters fall in love on the way to Mars. Moonshot is so, so bad, but it excels in just one aspect: Lana Condor is cast as the female lead.
The premise for Moonshot is promising. Two lovebirds follow their hearts all the way to Mars, where their significant others currently reside. When Sophie (Condor) purchases a million-dollar ticket to Mars, Walt (Cole Sprouse) acts as a stowaway, pretending to be her boyfriend as they fly across the universe. What is more unbelievable than this twentysomething purchasing a million-dollar Mars ticket is the chemistry we are meant to believe Walt and Sophie share. They have none.
Still, the film is worth watching for Condor alone. Four years ago, the actress starred in the smash hit To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before on Netflix. Condor’s Lara-Jean Covey was a revelation: She decorated all of her notebooks with Curlz font penmanship, prepared cookies as if she were a contestant on The Great British Baking Show, and yearned for scrappy high school boys like a Jane Austen character. For high school girls, she was relatable, but for the rest of the world, she was sweet and admirable.