The main appeal for this film was to see launch footage and moon landing on the big Imax screen. Credit should be given to the film "For All Mankind", which also brought genuine NASA footage to the big screen. "For All Mankind" encapsulated the Apollo programs, so the producers had a larger collection of film to draw from. What is new with this film is the very narrow scope, just the actual Apollo 11 mission, with no real setup or interviews.
Thank God, because the story has been told a zillion times, and we just had "First Man" step us through the setup. The producers wanted to go for the big screen experience. Problem was, all that video footage from the moon that showed a lot of the action was unusable. The film that was shot during the mission I believe was 8mm, something that doesn't easily blow up well to the big screen. One saving grace were the still photos shot on the moon.
Unfortunately, not much time is spent on the lunar surface. In other documentaries, other media collected during subsequent missions gave a wider expanse of moon exploration. Here, roughly one day was spent on the surface. It is still an exhilarating experience, realising what we pulled off in 1969 was a dangerous stunt that had something like a 1 in 3 chance of success.
The film begins with the buildup to the launch. Appropriately, the editing consists mostly of wide shots. The clarity of the footage, enhanced for Imax, allows for scrutiny of smaller details. Tracking shots from helicopters are allowed to linger, giving the audience a chance to get a glimpse of fashion and the fascination of the tens of thousands of spectators surrounding the launch area.
You get a great appreciation of the size of the spacecraft and the complexity of the operation. The camera also lingers on the consoles at launch control. It seems almost science fiction how there were rows and rows of consoles, all filled with computer screens and a large array of buttons. The soundtrack consists almost entirely of communications made via radio headsets, with news reports providing some of the exposition.
Part of what makes a historical documentary come to life these days is the extra sound production. More time and care is given to flesh out the sounds, with digital fortitude. This also makes for an adrenaline pumping sequence with the long buildup to the launch. With the clear image and modern soundtrack, it is a thrilling experience to see on the big screen.
I enjoyed the throwback computer graphics, which deliberately was styled after the 1980s arcade game "Asteroids".
A good portion of the film finds a solution to the low quality film and video by going split screen, also a throwback style of editing that works here. The actual descent and launch from the moon is seen entirely through film footage shot from one angle out the window of the lunar module. Again, this is limited in scope, with very little to actually see, but the chatter that fills the soundtrack helps make up for it. Important milestones are chronicled, with the audience able to sense the need for everything to go perfect, and how something like one single firing sequence could go wrong and mean certain death.
Unlike "First Man", there are a couple moments that seem to catch Armstrong showing some emotion. One was during a video interview while the command module was returning to Earth, there was some pure appreciation of what had occurred, and how dangerous it was to pull it off. The other moment comes early in the film while we see the astronauts getting suited up. A montage of photos and films give a quick review of the three astronauts. One photo is of Armstrong looking at his son. The film cuts back to Armstrong getting suited up, looking away with the same expression on his face. This is a moment caught amongst all the official footage that reveals that Armstrong was probably thinking about his son at that moment.
I felt a special connection during the landing part of the mission. The U.S.S. Hornet was an aircraft carrier that was tasked to retrieve the astronauts and the spacecraft. It is now a museum in Oakland California. It was a thrill to see all the historic events that occurred on that ship that can be seen with your own eyes.
This documentary runs a brisk 93 minutes. It belongs in the same category as "They Shall Not Grow Old" in bringing enhanced historic footage to the big screen to create a "You are there" experience. You can definitely get a message from this movie, which is that you can achieve large goals with insurmountable odds. Something this country really hasn't done to this degree ever since.
Fans of this film should check out "For All Mankind" for more awesome lunar footage.
Thank God, because the story has been told a zillion times, and we just had "First Man" step us through the setup. The producers wanted to go for the big screen experience. Problem was, all that video footage from the moon that showed a lot of the action was unusable. The film that was shot during the mission I believe was 8mm, something that doesn't easily blow up well to the big screen. One saving grace were the still photos shot on the moon.
Unfortunately, not much time is spent on the lunar surface. In other documentaries, other media collected during subsequent missions gave a wider expanse of moon exploration. Here, roughly one day was spent on the surface. It is still an exhilarating experience, realising what we pulled off in 1969 was a dangerous stunt that had something like a 1 in 3 chance of success.
The film begins with the buildup to the launch. Appropriately, the editing consists mostly of wide shots. The clarity of the footage, enhanced for Imax, allows for scrutiny of smaller details. Tracking shots from helicopters are allowed to linger, giving the audience a chance to get a glimpse of fashion and the fascination of the tens of thousands of spectators surrounding the launch area.
You get a great appreciation of the size of the spacecraft and the complexity of the operation. The camera also lingers on the consoles at launch control. It seems almost science fiction how there were rows and rows of consoles, all filled with computer screens and a large array of buttons. The soundtrack consists almost entirely of communications made via radio headsets, with news reports providing some of the exposition.
Part of what makes a historical documentary come to life these days is the extra sound production. More time and care is given to flesh out the sounds, with digital fortitude. This also makes for an adrenaline pumping sequence with the long buildup to the launch. With the clear image and modern soundtrack, it is a thrilling experience to see on the big screen.
I enjoyed the throwback computer graphics, which deliberately was styled after the 1980s arcade game "Asteroids".
A good portion of the film finds a solution to the low quality film and video by going split screen, also a throwback style of editing that works here. The actual descent and launch from the moon is seen entirely through film footage shot from one angle out the window of the lunar module. Again, this is limited in scope, with very little to actually see, but the chatter that fills the soundtrack helps make up for it. Important milestones are chronicled, with the audience able to sense the need for everything to go perfect, and how something like one single firing sequence could go wrong and mean certain death.
Unlike "First Man", there are a couple moments that seem to catch Armstrong showing some emotion. One was during a video interview while the command module was returning to Earth, there was some pure appreciation of what had occurred, and how dangerous it was to pull it off. The other moment comes early in the film while we see the astronauts getting suited up. A montage of photos and films give a quick review of the three astronauts. One photo is of Armstrong looking at his son. The film cuts back to Armstrong getting suited up, looking away with the same expression on his face. This is a moment caught amongst all the official footage that reveals that Armstrong was probably thinking about his son at that moment.
I felt a special connection during the landing part of the mission. The U.S.S. Hornet was an aircraft carrier that was tasked to retrieve the astronauts and the spacecraft. It is now a museum in Oakland California. It was a thrill to see all the historic events that occurred on that ship that can be seen with your own eyes.
This documentary runs a brisk 93 minutes. It belongs in the same category as "They Shall Not Grow Old" in bringing enhanced historic footage to the big screen to create a "You are there" experience. You can definitely get a message from this movie, which is that you can achieve large goals with insurmountable odds. Something this country really hasn't done to this degree ever since.
Fans of this film should check out "For All Mankind" for more awesome lunar footage.