Magnificent Desolation: Walking on the Moon

Can't wait for this to be released -- the latest 3D Space IMAX movie. We heard a sneak preview at the National Space Society conference in Washington DC, and it was awesome. Film is produced by Tom Hanks, and helmed by Mark Cowen. The idea is simple: recreate the authentic experience of the Apollo moon astronauts using the 3D IMAX format. They are pulling out all the stops to give the actual sensation of what the Apollo astronauts saw, heard and felt in their voyage to and on the Moon. Authentic imagery, digitally manipulated for the high res Imax experience. Plus sets which recreate the lunar environment down to the little boulders in the pictures. They've got lots of astronaut participation, which is promising. This is really where IMAX is unrivaled -- transporting audiences to an inaccessible place. Highly appropriate for it to come out now, when NASA is planning to start its new Moon program. Until lunar tourism is a reality, this sounds like our best bet. You are go for liftoff!

I went to see DESOLATION this afternoon with the hope of it delivering on the hype: namely, a virtual walk on the moon.

Well...it does deliver that...but in frustrating snippets.

After all, with only 40 min of film time (for $10.50), I was really hoping for an immersion experience, start to finish. Instead...the actual scenes devoted to 3-D moonscape are rarely longer than 10 seconds each, interspersed with 10 MINUTES of inane filler material...like cute school kids trying to remember the names of the Apollo astronauts. Sheesh...very much 'spell breaking'.

So...you do come away with a few shots to remember. But a virtual 'experience' of being on the surface of the moon?? Not really. More like an MTV experience of being on the moon, for the attention span challenged.

Josh

I saw this movie at our local IMAX theater at the Pink Palace Museum, Memphis, which has a screen that is about 30 feet high. The scenes of the Moon were so detailed that it was a sensory overload for me. So, I had to restrict my vision (and attention) to just a small section of the screen to avoid dizziness and vertigo. It must take a strong constitution to be an astronaut, due to an inevitable sensory overload. I get dizzy just climbing up a ladder. I know I would get a severe case of vertigo if I actually witnessed the Earth rising above the wasteland of the Moon. But, this film is excellent for young adventurers, who aspire to travel to the Moon. I am sure that vacations to the Moon will be as numerous in coming centuries as cruises to the Caribbean are today. The numerous scientific skills associated with space travel are endlessly fascinating to developing young minds. Tom Hanks, however, does a good job of warning us of the dangers of space flight and the heroism of American astronauts, who, quite literally, gave their lives to the pursuit of the dangerous vocation of space travel and exploration.

This movie is shockingly short. Granted I did not check the run time before purchasing a ticket, but I expected the movie to be longer.

Also, despite excellent effects, amazing pictures (especially when viewed in a IMAX 3D), and excellent narration; the movie did not contain much information. The movie gives more of the feelings behind a journey to the moon, pointing out how something might have gone wrong, that it's a long journey, the people to take the journey were heroes, etc... No actual useful information. This disappointed me as I was expecting something educational.

One thing I the movie did provide was less popular comments from less known astronauts from the other Apollo missions.

Other than the short length and the lack of educational comment, it was enjoyable to watch. The visual effects are surprising and realistic (at times, because of the 3d effects you feel the sudden urge to dodge something or get out of the way of something coming at you)

This documentary film tells the details of the Apollo space missions, and what it was like for the twelve highly privileged astronauts to walk on the moon.

"Magnificent Desolation" gives us details of what it is like to walk on the moon. It is a behind the scenes documentary, and we get to see footage we would otherwise not see, such as astronauts tripping over on the moon. We are told that every minute of the moon walk is planned, and there is no time to waste. And an astronaut left his family photo on the moon for future generations to discover. It is filled with little facts that you otherwise would not see elsewhere. The real surprise was the narration. I didn't realise they were all celebrity voices and not astronaut voices, so when the credits rolled, I was shocked to see so many big names.

As a documentary, "Magnificent Desolation" is not particularly entertaining or educational. I did not leave the film thinking I have learned more. It contained fun facts to know nonetheless.