Horst in Translation ([email protected]) "Cosmic Voyage" is an American documentary film from 20 years ago that was written and directed by Bayley Silleck and also brought him his first and (so far) only Oscar nomination. It is basically about the perspective between Earth and space and all we have accomplished in terms of astronomy in the last centuries. Yes, even 20 years ago, actor Morgan Freeman was already telling space-related stuff to audiences all over the planet, who were listening closely. The strength if this short documentary here is probably that it is informative without ever becoming too specific or difficult. I enjoyed the watch, especially in the first half. All in all, I am okay with this one getting an Oscar nomination, even if I must say that it was not really good enough for the win and I cannot say it stands out truly compared to other documentaries about the subject. Then again, most of these that I have seen were made considerably later than 1996, so it's all good I guess. A pretty decent watch and I recommend it.

worleythom Cosmic Voyage (IMAX), 1996.The movie was inspired by Kees Boeke's lovely 1957 book, Cosmic View: The Universe in 40 Jumps. The book shows the scale of everything, from the large scale of the universe, down to atomic nuclei, in 40 pictures, each a factor of 10 scale difference from the last. The movie does the same thing, showing galaxies colliding. In 1996 it took unique supercomputing to render the computer graphic images and videos as they might actually look and happen. Of course, an IMAX movie loses a lot of its impact on a small screen. Definitely look at the book too, it's online. vendian.org/mncharity/cosmicview/

gizmomogwai This IMAX documentary is sort of a brief introduction to the history of the universe, starting with the Big Bang and covering the rise of life on Earth. In addition, it shows us the extent of the universe as well as the microscopic world on Earth. It's an enormous scope, but this movie doesn't get overwhelmed by too much subject matter. It starts out by asking what is truly large and small, and a view of a human in a canyon is already an awe-inspiring image of how large the world is. This is nothing compared to the universe- it's astounding when the narrator, Morgan Freeman, tells us the lights we see aren't just stars but whole galaxies. It's incredible that we can see so far into space. The movie also briefly ponders whether there could be life on other planets. We see water in an alien world and a glimpse of life, which is intriguing.Morgan Freeman is a suitable narrator with an authoritative voice. Cosmic Voyage also has great visuals that were probably more impressive on the IMAX screen (I only have the DVD). Nominated for an Oscar for best documentary short.

TxMike 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.