Cosmic Voyage

I rated this movie a 10! I watched it in the IMAX format at The Reuben H Fleet Space Museum in San Diego, CA. I saw it the first time and had to go back twice more to see it again that same evening! The special effects are awsome! Morgan Freeman's narration was right in tune with what was on the screen. I am so excited it will be available on DVD in early May 2002. This film rightly puts you in awe of God's Cosmic Creation -- the Microscopic AND the Macroscopic!!!

An interesting and highly-visual edumentary, useful for introducing students to the scale of the universe and the Big Bang theory.

However, it is now over 20 years old. Having said that, it's so basic that it probably hasn't dated other than the omission of the Large Hadron Collider and perhaps alternatives to the Big Bang theory, and there's not much about quarks and really small stuff which is understandable.

If you don't grasp the principle of exponential expansion you may struggle with the scale but you will get the idea that it's Very BIG.

Nicely narrated by Morgan Freeman to a very Star Trekian score by the excellent David Michael Frank.

So, a shortish basic primer, but if you've dabbled with 'space' there'll be nothing new for you here.

From an adult's viewpoint - I found this "arm-chair" cosmic voyage documentary (from 1996) to be only marginally educational when looking at it from a strictly scientific perspective.

I repeatedly found that a fair amount of the information being recited here by its bored-sounding narrator was, basically, just recycled data and second-hand knowledge which, of course, was made to appear significantly more interesting by an onslaught of dazzling CG imagery.

And, speaking bluntly about some of this science-documentary's computer graphics - I certainly wasn't all that impressed a lot of the time. I mean - If you ask me - There were certainly times when some of these glittering images actually looked downright hokey and, yes, almost laughable to this viewer.

Anyway - I'd say that the only thing that saved this IMAX "Cosmic Voyage" presentation from eventually deteriorating into a literal snore-fest was its short running-time of only 35 minutes.

This is one of the best IMAX films. It is truly a Cosmic Voyage, it gives an idea about the truth size of our macro and micro universe.

It manages to maintain the interest by avoiding any difficult data, the ones told are clear and suitable even for younger audience. And I believe it contains information even for the educated people.

It is needless to talk about the visuals. The IMAX films always had great footage and effects, this is true also for this one. But unlike to some IMAX films where only the visuals stand out, here the narration and contents are also very good. Morgan Freeman's calm narrative voice makes you to really wonder about the contents.

The IMAX "Cosmic Voyage" film was made as a public service with sponsorship by the Smithsonian Air and Space museum. On DVD, borrowed from my local public library, it plays at just over 30 minutes with Morgan Freeman supplying a pleasing narrative. As one would expect from an IMAX film, the image quality is superb and the Dolby 5.1 sound track is very well done. Simulated cosmic explosions shake your walls! That is, if you have a good powered subwoofer in your system.

The film takes a very useful approach to examining the size of the universe, from tiny sub-atomic particles to the vastness of the whole universe. (Fortunately, when God created the Universe he had dispatched a few angels with video cameras at different vantage points so we get to see actual footage from several billion years ago.) The film starts in Venice, where the discovery of the telescope originated, and uses a one-meter hoop as a reference point, then gradually goes larger by powers of 10, e.g. 10 meters, 100, 1000, etc until we can see the whole universe. Then it takes the opposite journey, going smaller by powers of 10 until be see inside sub-atomic particles.

The story is well-woven with beautiful effects created especially for this film. It is entertaining and educational at the same time. All of "oldsters" can enjoy it for the scientific history we are already familiar with, and all the "youngsters" can enjoy it for the educational supplement it provides. Overall a masterful film.

Any numerical "rating" of "Cosmic Voyage" is meaningless. If one is looking for a superb film about our universe and modern theories of its formation, this one is hard to beat. Kudos to IMAX and to the Air and Space Museum.