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Binding: DVD Format: NTSC Theatrical Release Date: September 23, 2005 Editorial Review: Amazon.com: Tom Hanks continues his love affair with space that began with Apollo 13 and his miniseries From Earth to the Moon with this compelling IMAX adventure, Magnificent Desolation. Fans of space fact and fantasy will not want to miss this engaging docudrama, which combines actual footage of lunar walks and interviews of the few men who've trod there with dramatizations of scenarios both exciting and terrifying. The true way to experience this film, of course, is in its IMAX splendor, but home-theater buffs won't be disappointed. The footage takes the "lunar visitor" along moon's craters and potholes, with nothing but the vastness of space all around. Unseen film shows close-ups of terrain as well as technical infrastructure that may well be models for future moon-living. One particularly scary scene thankfully has never happened on a moon mission, and involves the sudden loss of breathing apparatus. Scuba divers will recognize the "buddy system" of sharing a single air source--and viewers with any kind of claustrophobic issues may want to fast-forward. But overall, the thrills of space travel are made as real as possible for us mere mortals who will only experience it from our comfy chairs. Roger that.--A.T. Hurley Average Rating:
 Rating:  - Worst "Film" EverUsually, IMAX films are a disappointing (and expensive) 40 minutes of droning narration interspersed with a few spectacular wide-angle shots of stunning scenery and spacious vistas. This film is even WORSE than most because all of the wide-frame scenery is CGI. The few clips of actual moon footage are framed and superimposed on less than 1/4 of the full screen, and total less than 15% of the entire film. The production values and voice-over work are excellent, of course. But this ... Read More Rating:  - Cursory, IMAX-Formatted Look at the Apollo Lunar Missions Designed to Inspire the Next GenerationIf you saw the superb 2007 documentary, In the Shadow of the Moon, I am not certain what the point would be in viewing this forty-minute 2005 IMAX film - at least if you are old enough to remember the television coverage of the Apollo missions. The former film includes spectacular archival footage of those missions and insightful on-camera interviews with ten of the surviving astronauts. This one is aimed more directly as a motivational film for a youthful audience as it seeks to reignite the pioneering ... Read More Rating:  - The closest I have come to actually being on the Moon! I have dreamed about space travel and going to the Moon for much of my life. This film is quite imaginative and exhilirating. I took my kids to see the IMAX version- we all were stunned silent by the drama that unfolded. You can read about this story many times, but actually feeling it is different. -Tahir Rahman, author of We Came in Peace for all Mankind: the untold story of the Apollo 11 silicon disc Rating: - DisappointingI saw this at an IMAX theater. I was hoping for real film of real astronauts. But it is almost all computer graphics which are not even all that good in a rather contrived 'docudrama' format. In addition the science is 'gradeschool' level stuff. You would be better off spending your money on 'Full Moon'. Its a book but the images are the real deal. Rating: - Glad to see it available on DVDI went to see this movie at the pink palace IMAX in memphis and it was fantastic, I remember commenting after the show how it would be great on dvd and worthy of purchase. It was educational and had some great humor as well. |
