Hidden Figures
Movie, 2016, The Space Race, Set in 1961
Hidden Figures is #15 of 18 in release order and #1 of 18 in chronological order in the Space Movies.
The story
The untold story of Katherine G. Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson – brilliant African-American women working at NASA and serving as the brains behind one of the greatest operations in history – the launch of astronaut John Glenn into orbit. The visionary trio crossed all gender and race lines to inspire generations to dream big.
Hidden Figures recap
In 1961, at NASA's Langley Research Center in segregated Virginia, three Black women work as human computers. Katherine Goble is assigned to the Space Task Group under Al Harrison, where she must run half a mile to the only coloured bathroom and engineer Paul Stafford keeps her name off reports. Dorothy Vaughan does a supervisor's job without the title and teaches herself and her team to program the new IBM computer. Mary Jackson needs classes at a whites-only high school to become an engineer and wins a court order to attend. When Katherine explains why she keeps disappearing, Harrison knocks down the coloured bathroom sign. The Soviet Union puts a man in orbit, and the pressure on John Glenn's flight grows.
Hidden Figures ending explained
Before launch, the IBM's numbers for Glenn's landing do not match, and Glenn asks for "the girl" to check them. Katherine confirms the figures and is allowed into mission control. Friendship 7 survives a heat shield scare and lands safely. Dorothy becomes a supervisor, Mary becomes NASA's first Black female engineer, and Katherine later works on Apollo.
Post-credits scenes
The end credits show photos of the real Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson. There is no post-credits scene.
Where to watch Hidden Figures
Hidden Figures is streaming on HBO Max in the US. You can rent or buy it on Amazon, Apple TV, and Google Play.
Ratings
IMDb 7.8/10, Rotten Tomatoes 93%
Where it fits
- Release order: after Passengers, before First Man.
- Chronological order: first, before First Man.
Cast
- Taraji P. Henson as Katherine G. Johnson
- Octavia Spencer as Dorothy Vaughan
- Janelle Monáe as Mary Jackson
- Kevin Costner as Al Harrison
- Kirsten Dunst as Vivian Mitchell
- Jim Parsons as Paul Stafford
- Mahershala Ali as Jim Johnson
- Glen Powell as John Glenn
- Ariana Neal as Joylette Johnson
- Saniyya Sidney as Constance Johnson
- Zani Jones Mbayise as Kathy Johnson
- Donna Biscoe as Joylette Coleman
Directed by Theodore Melfi.