samarthpai This film thrilled and moved me like nothing before it. If I had to choose between owning this film and owning every other movie in the world, I'd choose this film.Every movie or TV show about space claims to convey "the wonder of space." But this film manages to actually DO that.Spectacular shots! "The best views a rocketman has ever seen."The film is immensely entertaining, down to the tense moments before the moon landing, which had its own real-life version of the bomb-on-a- timer device used in lesser movies.I wish I were alive in the 60s, so that I could have seen all this as it happened.

yujin-ito I'm not seeing any reviews blasting this film for conveniently forgetting the Apollo 13 mishap. I was watching the film and I had to rewind because I thought I blacked out and missed it. Nope, they just chose to not even mention it. They left out one of the biggest events in the exploration of space. I'm still trying to understand why any editor would think that the Apollo 13 mission would be something deserving of the cutting room floor. The only thing I can think is that the geniuses at the BBC think that Apollo 13 was some sort of embarrassment. I watched the first 2 parts of this film but then turned it off when I realized the filmmakers weren't too concerned with telling an accurate story.

jlmooman3 Very seldom do I want to buy and own a movie.This is one of them. My girlfriend and I stumbled upon this film when my internet (and thereby Netflix) went down last night. KCET just so happened to be airing this "documentary" about the first 50 years of American manned spaceflight. And I hesitate to call it a documentary because it's not what you'd consider a traditional one. There was no agenda, no call to action, no extended interviews.It was a "film" in the grandest sense, as art. The combination of the cinematography, much of it from NASA's own cameras, some of it previously unseen, the music with original scores made just for this film, and the pacing of these snapshots in time - all culminated in a surreal experience. I literally sat at the edge of my seat, holding my breath. I have never been so enthralled.The only real negative about the film is the distribution. I couldn't find it easily. I had to go all the way to Amazon.de (Germany) to find it and get it shipped internationally. But that's not necessarily a fault of the film, just its limited distribution.This is not the film to learn about the American space program. There are plenty of documentaries and books that cover the details. This is a film to experience with your total attention. Turn down the lights, turn up the sound - because you're in for a ride.

NavyOrion A slight but nicely done overview of the U.S. space program, from its earliest days prior to the Mercury flights, through Gemini and Apollo, to the shuttle program.I stumbled onto this documentary when it aired on public television recently. Billed (at least on Direct TV) as "Apollo astronauts discuss the fear and exhilaration of going into space," it turned out instead to cover a lot more ground, albeit rather lightly.Written and produced by Richard Dale, and narrated throughout by actor Michael J. Reynolds, this is less an extensive history than a dramatic overview, more poetry than nuts-and-bolts. A gorgeous original score by Richard Blair-Oliphant accompanies some of the best NASA film and video from over 40 years of space exploration, both the familiar shots as well as some never before seen outside of raw mission footage.No one will accuse this film of getting into too much detail. Only the highlights of the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo programs are covered, and Apollo-Soyuz and the Skylab missions are never even mentioned. The Soviet space program, which in the early days mirrored (and in some cases exceeded) the achievements of the American program, is also ignored.While thin on facts, the writing is generally good, though the script has a tendency toward the melodramatic. For example, Gus Grissom is repeatedly said to have "cheated death," for contrast with the inevitable pathos of the Apollo 1 fire. Similarly, the selection of subjects dwells a bit too much on the Challenger and Columbia disasters for my taste; Apollo 13, on the other hand, is never mentioned at all. But ultimately, the tone is one of pride and inspiration, emphasizing the courage of the "rocket men" who risk their lives in the exploration of space.While hardly a source of new information, those already familiar with the history of NASA may enjoy "Rocketmen." It's a difficult film to find, but well worth the 90 minutes.