October Sky

“All men dream, but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds, wake in the day to found that it was vanity: but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act on their dreams with open eyes and make them possible.” I remembered these words from T.E. Lawrence after watching the film. It deeply emphasizes how Homer Hickam, the hero of “October Sky”, chose to take the path he wanted and how taking risks would lead you to fulfill your dreams.

“October Sky” tells the story of four boys who were so fascinated about the first rocket launch and determined to build one of their own. Homer, the leader, initiated and motivated his friends to make rockets. Despite him being a miner’s son and his father wanting him to continue mining, it didn’t become a hindrance.

What really struck me is the point why people think that miner’s sons belong down in the mines and not in the sky where they truly belong. I idolize the protagonist in the film for he worked really hard to achieve his dreams with the help of four other boys in their town in spite of his father’s different dream for him.

There comes a point in the film where they were jailed because of the forest fire that was blamed to them. With a few calculations, they discovered that it is impossible that their rocket would’ve caused the fire because they figured out that it won’t reach that far. It showed their expertise in the field which I found very interesting.

The film is a drama based on a true story that centers on a very difficult, tense father-son relationship because of their different dreams and wants but ultimately, it’s about following our dreams, no matter how unachievable they might feel.

I’ve watched a lot of movies with teenagers and stories that revolve around sex and popularity. What make the kids in "October Sky'' different is that I was reminded how rarely high school movies have anything to do with school and with how education is the ticket to freedom.

The father, in spite his dreams for his son, doesn’t turn into a bad guy or a tyrant. He understandably wants his son to follow in his footsteps and his son, Henry, respects his father despite their differences and continues to follow and achieve his dreams with the help of his friends. “October Sky” or “Rocket Boys” has really deep values.