Cosmos: Odissea nello spazio

Being a long time lurker, I decided to register with the site in order to review Cosmos: A SpaceTime Odyssey. As a man with an insatiable appetite for all things science (especially astronomy and anthropology), I can't begin to describe what a delight this program is. My jaw hit the floor when I realized that this is a FOX production, as balanced educational programming is not exactly the company's strong suit. Neil pulls off an eloquent narration of the astrophysical origins of our universe, the development of life as we know it and the countless leaps in science achieved by it's often overlooked contributors (especially the disenfranchised but tenacious females that refused to fold under patriarchal power schemes). The production value is through the roof and enlivens the imagination of viewers young and old alike. I wish that I was exposed to this program as a child in school. I may have paid more attention and become a little more intellectually curious. I agree with the other posters who noted that ALL human beings should give this a watch. There is very little bias towards any speculative theory and a rich appreciation of the historicity of scientific thought. The search for meaning through empirical analysis and the hypothetico-deductive method was contributed to by so many civilizations over a vast period of time. This is the story of humanity. Beautiful, reckless, inquisitive and triumphant. I do also like how typical creationist arguments (some of them straw men perhaps) are dispatched with so quickly, and hope that some of those who rely strictly on ancient textual interpretations of the world open their minds to the truly awesome nature of reality that leaves us with questions instead of answers. The questions are for the brave.

i have been watching and loving films and TV shows for years now, and loving the study of the universe for even longer than that.

that being said, this is the first time i have ever felt the need to create an account on IMDb solely to rate something a "10"

this has an absolutely stunning, heartfelt, emotional introduction, and i only anticipate it getting better from here.

i will probably update this review as the series goes on, or i may just review episodes individually. but either way, i firmly suggest that every human being on earth watch this show.

have a good life everyone.

Disclaimer: This review is based exclusively on the first episode.

First things first. Audience of the original by Carl Sagan may be disappointed by this remake. It's almost exactly the same as the original, word by word. But with cheaper production methods, brighter colors and crisper sound. Most importantly, it's without Carl Sagan and Vangelis' excellent music. Also, the stuff covered is not as amusing to the grown up audience who had the pleasure of enjoying the original. You already know this stuff.

However, the qualities Cosmos presented to us in 1980, are still the same. It's a very inspiring series well suited to kickstart a young mind into independent critical thinking, curiosity and appreciation of science. The pace and presentation have been changed to better suit todays young, and older audience may not appreciate this. The pace is however still comfortably relaxed compared to other TV material aimed towards the same audience, making me think they will have a very similar experience to the own we had all those years ago. But this series is for the young, and I'm sure it has all the qualities the original had needed when it comes to trigger their curiosity, fascination and generally change the way they see themselves and the world they live in. Personally I think Tyson does a great job walking in Sagans footsteps.

Adults with much knowledge about our world criticizing the series for being shallow and bring few new details to the original don't impress me at all. They have misunderstood the whole point of this series, which is all about creating enthusiasm for science among the younger. Not updating adult geeks on the very latest on string theory.

Adults may not learn a lot, but you will be entertained. For the younger, this has the potential to be the same amazing ride as it was for us 35 years ago.

Thank You Seth MacFarlane for having the foresight for bringing this back with your own money. Carl Sagan when I was growing up influenced me with the original Cosmos series to go into science and also gave me the love of science fiction.

Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson is brilliant in continuing in Mr Sagan's footsteps. The the score written by Alan Silvestri also fantastic. I will be introducing this to my young family as the love of Cosmos should be for all generations.

There is updated animation no doubt influenced by Seth's Family Guy roots but this should hold the attention of the kids as the this combined with the special effects should keep them engrossed and learn at the same time.

Look forward to more episodes and questions from kids !

Neil deGrasse Tyson is a marvelous astrophysicist who really loves his field and you can see this in the way he narrates the series. Cosmos is not only a journey, it also shows how much science has improved since the original series, all the new evidence, technology, and ideas, they encourage the next generation to pursue knowledge and discover something amazing. The visuals are stunning, the animation is unique, and most importantly it is very informative. The way Neil describes the universe is very coherent and easy for everyone to understand. This is an excellent series that shows science isn't just flat rigorous work, it is about discovery, asking questions, wonder, achievement.