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On the Threshold of Space is only a middling movie, but those who have a keen interest in the development of the U.S. space program should go out of their way to catch it whenever it is shown. Space is fiction, but it does do a very good job of showing what the men "behind the scenes" had to do to make the space program become more than just a wild dream. And the on-location filming at 2 bases gives the film at least a semi-documentary air about it, with some of the shots of the tests packing a real thrill for space historians. Unfortunately, the dramatic side of Space leaves a bit to be desired, being basically one cliché scene after another, often with dialogue that is either stilted or corny. The scenes still work, mind you, but one watches them wishing that a defter hand had been involved in the writing or that the director had been swept up by the thrill of the real life elements and thus inspired to more imaginative work. The cast is good, if not outstanding. Space is so intent on its mission to promote the idea of a space program that one is surprised to discover that it actually was released a year before Sputnik came along and pushed the idea of U.S. space supremacy to the top of the country's list.