Eric is the teenage son of a computer scientist who worked for the Apollo program, which sent the first humans to the Moon. Eric, determined to become an astronaut himself one day, befriends Paul Andrews, the thirteenth man on the Moon. Paul is avoided by other astronauts nowadays because he was very rude and distant when he returned from space. Eric slowly learns that during his excursion on the Moon Paul discovered something that he keeps as a secret.
Beyond the Stars was noted for its ”interesting cast’.[9][10][11] It was presented as a "fair sci-fi effort, with good performances" by all members of the cast but with a "poor script".[12] The Canadian website Film Media was very critical of the film, stating: 'Verbose and sclerotic plot. Ungainly direction. Dull acting."[13]
Leonard Maltin described it as an "excruciatingly slow story of former astronaut".[14] According to Film Dienst, "The story of a friendship, told with partly successful observations, quite naively highlights the contradiction between idealistic discovery and the appropriation of technology by the military, but remains superficial in its humanitarian and ecological appeals."[15] The film received an extremely positive assessment in the French Nouveau Guide des Films, in which it was called "a top achievement of pantheist lyricism" and Stone's performance, highly praised.[16]
In his book Generation Multiplex: The Image of Youth in Contemporary American Cinema, Timothy Shary states that the lack of success of the film typically reflects the little interest of audiences of the time for youth using rational scientific principles.[17]
