Magnifique désolation: marchons sur la lune

Today I took my 3rd graders on a field trip to see this film. We were mesmerized! I know that the kids were mostly blown away by the great 3D effects, but that's OK. Hopefully they absorbed a little bit of the science that was discussed.

It is fantastic. People of all ages will enjoy it. I highly recommend it if you can find this film in your area.

Two things I liked: the way To Hanks included the "first quotes" of other moon walkers (since the only one we ever hear about is Neil Armstrong's.) I also liked the scenario of what "could have happened" if there was a glitch with the moon rover during the moon landings.

See it--you'll love it.

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

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!

This movie is a pretty decent IMAX flick. Tom Hanks makes for a great narrator. The content was very interesting and often quite funny. The music is on-par with major Hollywood films (although it got a little sappy at the end, but that's IMAX for you). It did a good job of discussing all the Apollo missions, and not just 11.

I only found out afterwards how many famous voices were involved. I recognized Morgan Freeman, but that was it. This is a Good Thing. The film did not let the "talent" get in the way of the story. In other words, the star of the show was the history and information, and not the voice work.

This movie did NOT need to be in 3D. More than half of it was archive footage, which obviously was not shot with a 3D camera. Often the footage was shrunk down to appear 3D against a generic background. The recreated lunar landing was the only part that took real advantage of the 3D cameras, but it was in no way necessary to be shot in 3D.

That being said, it was a pleasant way to spend an hour. Make sure to sit in a red seat if you see it in the Lockheed-Martin theatre at the Air and Space Museum for optimum 3D viewing.

Outstanding! What a great tribute to the Apollo space program. A great use of 3D technology. I loved all of the star voices sitting in for the Apollo astronuats. I recognized some of them, not all of them. This movie - only about 45 minutes long - shows us past footage and new footage of what it was like to fly an Apollo mission to the moon. Including hypothetical worst case scenarios and what moon travel might be like in the future. For those who remember the Apollo missions, this will be a great reminder and tribute to those days of the late 60's & 70's. And for those who have no frame of reference, what a great way to learn about what it was like. The 3D effects are outstanding, not gimmicky. Please go see this movie and take your kids. I remember very little of the Apollo missions when they occurred, but this movie actually had me choked up at the end. I only wish it was longer...