Roving Mars

I saw this at an Imax in LA last week - I'm still in awe. Maybe the previous commenter was a rocket scientist himself, but for me, the hurdles these people had to accomplish in the time they did, and the unbelievable success they had is something that made me proud to be an American when I left the theater. The visual aspects of the film left me holding my breath at times. And the story - it was the same story we've all seen 100 times - a small group of people working together to achieve the impossible. Only this time, the story is true, the people are real and the goal is the advancement of humanity. Something we can all be proud of in a time when there are not that many things that we should be proud of. Take everyone you can drag with you - there isn't anyone who won't be moved by the vistas of a distant planet sent here by a couple tiny robots built by a small group of men and women from the planet Earth who had a dream. Why a 9 instead of a 10? It ended too soon.

Short documentary, and just good enough to keep the attention of young viewers... great action sequences and as mentioned, the animation from live footage is nearly indistinguishable... the NASA experience shared here both in actual footage and staff interviews makes for great enjoyment for any space buff... well worth seeing as an IMAX candidate! I suppose the only drawback is no green men or any Hollywood fantasies here, you have to actually use your mind to imagine the possibilities of what's out there, given the tidbits of evidence about water and rock material collected from the mission... should be enough for any mortal man, but don't go in expecting to see Tom Cruise battle any aliens. :)

Through the eyes of two robots, the latest generation rovers, and with NASA scientists by your side, you'll see Mars, our neighbours, in a way no one has ever seen them before, directly from the surface of the incredible red planet. Two unmanned vehicles - Spirit and Opportunity, the Mars Rovers - transmit images from the planet Mars. Through the eyes of two state-of-the-art rovers, and with NASA scientists at your side, you'll see Mars in a way no one ever has before-direct from the surface of the amazing red planet.

How cute, they talk about the little robots, Rovers, as if they were children, preparing the little animals to face the world beyond the galaxy... That were "abandoned" to God-will give it on Mars, delicious soundtrack, beautiful images, full of information, great documentary...

I was fortunate enough to see the first public premier of this IMAX movie given to Lockheed-Martin Employees. The public reception was warm but not overwhelming. The images of Mars and the Rocket Launch were magnificent and the animated segments were indistinguishable from the filmed segments, very accurately using the photographs sent by the Rovers to create the landscapes. One note about a sequence that made many in the theater groan - THERE IS NO SOUND IN SPACE!!!!! Much of the movie consisted of often young enthusiastic engineers telling us how impossible the task was and (indirectly) how brilliant they must be. I do not belittle the accomplishment, it is awesome to be sure, but this standard Mantra we get with every film depicting a technological accomplishment is getting repetitious. On the other hand, I understand the wall NASA is up against every day to get and keep funding for these very important programs, so any salesmanship is forgiven. It is also, I suppose, important for the general layman to understand why these programs are so difficult to pull off so they can truly appreciate the success. I was impressed by the humor and humbleness that the engineers displayed in the face of test failures. This is an interesting, and at times, visually striking documentary, definitely worth seeing. Take the kids, they'll be wide eyed as the public gets its first truly satisfying look at the red planet.

this documentary about the mars Rovers mission to Mara is very interesting and well done.we learn just what it takes to build these machines and then how much is involved in making sure they are not going to malfunction while in space or once they are on the planet.the animation sequences are very well done.the only drawback for m,is that the film is too short,at just under 40 minutes.otherwise,this a really engaging documentary.one thing that struck me though was that the scientists all believe there will be manned mission to Mars in the foreseeable future.i think that is being overly optimistic.anyway,for me Roving mars is an 8/10