Available at Amazon.com
IMAX and HBO Video present Magnificent Desolation: Walking On The Moon. Written by Tom Hanks, Mark Cowen and Christopher Cowen. 40 minutes. Rated PG. Originally released in 2005.
Directed By:
Mark Cowen
Cast:
Tom Hanks……….Narrator (voice)
John Corbett……….Jack Schmitt (voice)
Bryan Cranston……….Buzz Aldrin (voice)
Matt Damon……….Al Shepard (voice)
Morgan Freeman……….Neil Armstrong (voice)
Scott Glenn……….Charles Duke (voice)
The Film:
IMAX on DVD is an interesting transition. The whole idea behind an IMAX movie that it is shown on a super giant screen to make the images larger than life to impress the viewers. So when you take this mammoth image and squeeze it onto a tiny TV screen much of the majesty is lost.
This idea behind Magnificent Desolation is to take its viewers on a trip to the moon and leave them feeling that they’ve been there. Perhaps this idea worked on the IMAX screen, but watching this at home seriously leaves something to be desired. Tom Hanks co-produces, co-writes and narrates this documentary and uses his Hollywood connections to pull other celebrities to provide voices, none of which are instantly recognizable nor does their presence really add anything.
The production of this film is pretty sub par. It is mostly mediocre computer animation with some vintage footage and photographs. And the vintage footage, which is the most interesting stuff, is few and far between. There are also interviews with some kids about what they know about space. This portion is just too cute. Please try to note the sarcasm in the last sentence.
This film does have some interesting things to say, but it doesn’t say it in an interesting way. About the only time I could see watching this is in a history or astronomy class, even then though, there has got to be better ways than this to pass along the information. If you’re a fan of the moon landings then odds are you already know everything presented here and if you don’t care about the subject then you’re not going to both with this DVD anyway. About the best thing that could be said for this film is that it’s only 40 minutes long so if you do decide to watch it’s not going to waste too much of your time.
The DVD:
This film is presented in 1.44:1 widescreen. Sound is in 5.1 Surround. Also can be watched in French and Spanish. Provides English, French and Spanish subtitles.
Extras:
Lunar Exploitation Command Center: This collection of bonus features is presented as map of where each of the Apollo mission landed on the moon. Each landing sight provides a different feature. This most interesting is Apollo 11: Video Diary, which is a 4 minute montage of the footage from that first historical landing. Apollo 12 is a Photo Gallery. Apollo 14 is a Trivia Game. When you answer all the question right you get to watch a video of a John Kennedy speech about space exploration. Apollo 15 is a detailed layout of the Lunar Roving Vehicle. Apollo 16 is layout of the Saturn V Rocket that is used to propel the Space Shuttle into space. And lastly, Apollo 17 is series of photo collages that show a 360 degrees panoramic view of the moon with recorded conversations from this moon landing. All these features are more interesting and more informative that the film itself.
Magnificant Desolation: Walking On The Moon |
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The Inside Pulse
I guess you’ve really got to like the Apollo missions and listening to Tom Hanks talk to enjoy this film. The special features are more interesting than the movie so I’d think long and hard before taking the time to rent this DVD. And at a cost of 20 buck for a 40 minutes film I don’t see why anyone would buy it.
