October Sky: an analysis

October Sky: an analysis

Synopsis
The October sky is based on the true story of Homer Hickam Jr., a NASA scientist. The
movie was adopted from his autobiography by the name of Rocket Boys, the title of this movie
October Sky itself in an anagram to rocket boys (Movies: Rocket Boys). The movie showcases
life of a young adult Homer Hickam who is a high school student in Coalwood, West Virginia.
The townspeople predominantly work in the coal mining fields where Homers father is a
supervisor and is a respected man. The townspeople witness Russian man made satellite Sputnik
1 in orbit around earth one night.
Homer after seeing the satellite gains interest in the know-how of building rockets and
wants to enter the science fair. Initially he faces opposition from his family and friends but
determined to learn about rocketry Homer teams up with the schools math nerd Quentin Wilson
and then they are joined by other two friends Roy Lee Cooke and Sherman ODell. Homers
endeavors are thoroughly supported by the boys science teacher Miss Riley.
Initially they start testing with crude designs but then start experimenting with better
designs and fuels; soon a local newspaper runs their story. The very next day, they are arrested on
accounts of starting a forest fire and then Homers father clears his point of view that Homer
should abandon such efforts and focus on coal mining. After the arrests and his fathers lack of
support Homer and his friends abandon the idea altogether. Homer drops out from high school to

October Sky: an analysis

work in the coal mine as his father gets injured while rescuing workers from a mishap in the
mine.
After some time of working in the coal mine, Homer looks into a book of rocket science
provided to him by Miss Riley and calculates the path of rocket that they fired and discovers that
the fire that they were blamed for couldnt have been possibly started by them. Mr. Turner, their
principal initially mocks the boys but later finds out that the thing that started the fire was indeed
not a rocket but a solar flare. After this incident the boys take part in the school science fair and
win the competition. The school then decides to send one of them forward to the national science
fair.
At the science fair an important part of Homers display is stolen and he calls home. To
this his mother reacts and forcer Homers fathers hand to break the workers strike so that the
workshop could be used to remake the stolen part. Homer eventually wins the science fair and
then comes back, the boys then launch a final rocket for Miss Riley who is dying of Hodgkins
disease and Homer lets his father John launch the rocket by giving him the launch control
(Synopsis of Rocket Boys, Imdb).
Critical Reviews
Many critics lean to acclaim the movie for its values, family, and inspiring aspects. A lot
of reviews spotlight on the main character's relationship with his father and on the actors'
performances. The film received significant acclaim from film critics. Review aggregator Rotten
Tomatoes reports that 90% out of 72 critics gave the film a positive review, with a rating average

October Sky: an analysis

of 7.6/10 and labeled the movie as Rich in sweet sincerity, intelligence, and good old-fashioned
inspirational drama, October Sky is a coming-of-age story with a heart to match its Hollywood
craftsmanship (October Sky 1999, Rottentomatoes). MetaCritic gave the film a 71 rating with
these being dubbed "Generally Favorable Reviews" based on 23 professional critic reviews of
the movie (Critic Reviews of October Sky, Metacritic).
Formal Elements
The predominant setting utilized in the movie is that of a shanty mining town where the
townspeople predominantly engage themselves in the mining of coal. Overall feel of the movie
has been aesthetic by means of using properly designed sets and lighting to highlight the fact that
the movie is set in a coal mining backdrop. The weather appears dark; the people dont think big
and employ themselves into mining, including the father of male protagonist, Homer Hickam Jr.,
the only way out seems to be a sports scholarship offered at the nearby public high school. Even
the students at the high school are encouraged to go for the scholarship or except their fate as
future coal miners.
The cinematographic techniques place an emphasis on darker elements of the movie like
when the rocket project in Hickam homes basement is trashed it rains. When the boys are freed
from jail there is sunshine. Costumes are properly made to make it look like the setting is in
proper equilibrium with 1960s decade United States of America. The story is based in the state of
Virginia and so the characters also have a discernible southern accent.

October Sky: an analysis

Overall the movie has properly utilized the formal elements that make it a technically
sound production. Also, the movie plot has been adapted in such a way from the original book
that all the primary characters are properly developed with a good background provided for their
current behavior.
Production Issues
Filming for October Sky began on February 23, 1998, approximately a year before the
movie's public release. While the films events happen in West Virginia, Tennessee was chosen as
the ultimate location for filming partially because of the weather conditions and area topography.
Crew people restructured the sites to look like the quintessential 1957 mining settlement visuals
that the movie demanded.
The weather conditions of east Tennessee gave the filmmakers a hard time and
consequently delayed production. Cast and Crew recalled the major weather shifts and tornadoes
in the area during the filming months but eventually, the movie came out nicely and gave the
film a much more appealing and varied look. The crews also recreated a colliery for the
underground shots.
Director Joe Johnston articulated that he felt that the looks of the mine in the film gave it
a wicked appeal and felt it sardonic because that is what gave the town its sustenance. A small
switching came handy to film the panorama with the rocket boys on the rail road and gave them
autonomy to do as they liked, filming completed on April 30, 1998 (About the filming,
coalwoodwestvirgina).

October Sky: an analysis

Themes
The movie revolves around the theme of as to how a boy from a non-descript town
achieves his dreams with sheer grit and passion. He faces many challenges in the way but finally
overcomes each one of them and proves that in real life people can achieve all they want to if
they are ready to fight for it. Another of the main themes or messages in October Sky is the idea
that opening can come knocking, but with it comes two regions; the potential it brings into our
lives and also the things it can get in the way of.
No pathway in life that leads to something satisfying is ever effortlessly traveled, and
Homer learns this. While Homers goal of building rockets presents a possibility for him to go to
college, it also hinders his bond with his father. John Hickam often feels the need to prove his
worthiness to his family. We can see this by his heroic actions on the job in the coal mines.
His huge responsibility there often leads him to respond to his family in the same way he
would a worker. John would rather have Homer take a job in the coal mines instead of taking a
risk by chasing his dreams of building rockets. He does this because he loves Homer and does
not want him to feel the hardships of failure, and this is where opportunity begins to create a rift
in their relationship.
However due to persistence of Homers mother John does turn around to finally support
Homer. Homer after coming back from the science fair before the launch of their final rocket in
the movie which is dedicated to Miss Riley talks to John and states that his idol is John himself,
this makes John go see the rocket launch at which he is handed the launch control by Homer.

October Sky: an analysis

Meaning
The movie explores the element of hope against all odds and how determination can be
used to achieve something that seems impossible. Culturally the town is shown to have a
southern inclination. The movie is set in Virginia and the people have a southern accent. The
people are shown to be hard working and engage themselves in simple activities with no
discernible influence of the outside world.
The historic setting of the movie makes it impact on the viewers mind much deeper than
a movie of such precedent that would be made in todays times. The movie is set in the times
when space exploration had just started with the launch of first man made satellite by Russia;
Sputnik I. America is shown to be far behind in space exploration through the elements of
cinematic invisibility. It was the start of the space race and the main protagonist works on a
dream that is very bold keeping in tune with the conditions available in the 1950s-60s eras.
Culturally the people are shown to be rigid and straight in their thinking. They have a
singular mindset. The young people also have only two options, either qualify for the Football
scholarship to go to college or else submit to the profession of coal mining. The people all over
the town face a lot of difficulties, the young dont have many dreams to follow and have a
morbid thought process which is forced upon them due to the towns prevailing conditions.

October Sky: an analysis

Summary
The movie is about beating all odds to achieve ones dreams. The movie was rated as PG
for use of profanity and alcohol and was filmed on location at Oliver Springs and Petros in
Tennessee. The genre of film was drama and it was directed by Joe Johnson. The movie opened
to universal critical appraises and currently has a rating of 90% fresh at rotten tomatoes. The
movie is a clear account of how sheer grit and determination can help people overcome even the
heaviest and the meanest of odds to succeed in the pursuit of their dreams.

October Sky: an analysis

Annotations:
1. Movies - Rocket Boys. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.homerhickam.com/movies/
This is the official website of Homer Hickams literary works and motion picture works.
The site has a page dedicated to October Sky which was made from Hickams
autobiographical work Rocket Boys. The website is administrated by Homer Hickam
himself and is a reliable source to everything about him.
2. Synopsis for October Sky. (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0132477/synopsis?ref_=ttpl_pl_syn
This is a page dedicated to the movie October Sky. The Internet Movie Database
(shortened IMDb) is an online database of information associated to films, television
programs, and video games, including cast, production crew, fictional characters,
biographies, plot summaries, trivia and reviews. Actors and team can post their own
curriculum vitae and upload photographs for an annual fee. This page on October Sky
gives a clear and concise synopsis of the whole movie with proper distinction between
the characters.
3. October Sky 1999. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/october_sky
Rotten Tomatoes is a website launched in 1998 and committed to film assessment and
reports; it is extensively known as a film analysis aggregator. Reporting includes TV
content as well. The name is derived from the practice of spectators throwing rotten
tomatoes when being critical of a poor stage performance. "Top Critics", such as Roger
Ebert, Desson Thomson, Stephen Hunter, Owen Gleiberman, Lisa Schwarzbaum, Peter
Travers, and Michael Phillips are recognized in a sub-listing that calculates their
evaluation independently. Their judgment is also included in the general rating.

October Sky: an analysis

4. "Critic Reviews for October Sky." MetaCritic. Web. 15 Feb. 2015.

<http://www.metacritic.com/movie/october-sky/critic-reviews>.
Metacritic is a website that reviews music albums, games, movies, TV shows, DVDs, and
formerly, books in aggregation. For each creation, a mathematical score from each review
is obtained and the total is averaged. It was created and founded by Jason Dietz, Marc
Doyle, and Julie Doyle Roberts. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a
hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green, Yellow and Red summarize the
critic's recommendation, giving an idea of the general appeal of the product among
reviewers and, to a lesser extent, the public.
5. About the Filming. (n.d.). Retrieved February 15, 2015, from
http://coalwoodwestvirginia.com/about_the_filming.htm
This is a website dedicated to the town depicted in the movie, Coalwoood in West
Virginia. The website encloses reliable information about the original book written by
town compatriot Homer Hickam Jr. i.e. The Rocket Boys, the movie October Sky and
other details about the town. The website also lists information about a festival, a
namesake of the movie title October Sky Festival that commemorates the character
depicted in the book and the events that transpired in the town. The website also entails
information regarding the filming locations, nearby places of interest and visiting
instructions.