Magnificent Desolation: Walking on the Moon (2005)

If you love the space program, you will appreciate this paean to its past accomplishments and future potential. Boil down Tom Hanks' astoundingly excellent and inspiring five-DVD production From the Earth to the Moon into one 40-minute 3D IMAX documentary and you have Magnificent Desolation, a fitting touchstone to the lunar exploration program that justifiably and honorably commemorates what only twelve men (plus all those supporting these astronauts) have done and what humanity should inevitably do again: return to the moon, perhaps even with the present generation. (I won't give away the film's ending, which thrilled me from head to toe, but remember the name of of the young girl Victoria Lugo in the children's questions segment.) That said, I have to address the criticisms of those who bash this film out of shortsightedness and lack of imagination. The description clearly promises an "IMAX film" (universally seen by schoolchildren and families in science museums) with new "photographs, CGI renditions, and NASA footage." (I should add the IMAX edition would have been phenomenal in 3D; though the library edition I viewed to save a rental slot was not 3D, I plan to rent what this service pictures as a 3D edition and view it with 3D glasses.) Yet here is how many criticized this movie: "I expected mostly historical film footage yet got mostly 'fake' CGI footage. Geared to kids. Fluffy. Pro-NASA. Disappointing." Excuse me? There is plenty of archival footage but it doesn't predominate because this is not an archival disc. The CGI is completely top-notch and authentic (thanks to Lucasfilm) but most importantly, its large format and high resolution make the lunar missions come alive. (After all, you can barely discern Neil Armstrong's ghostly first step on the moon in the live and archival footage.) I also loved the humor Tom Hanks inserted into the rapid-fire moon vignettes (you have to be quick to catch all the historical and cultural references) and the childrens' quiz (reinforcing the point that our kids are not being taught about this greatest of humanity's technological achievements). Finally, no, they didn't pull together every astronaut to read his own quotes; actors (John Corbett, Matt Damon, Morgan Freeman, Tom Hanks, Colin Hanks, Matthew McConaughey, Paul Newman, Bill Paxton, Kevin Pollak, Gary Sinise, John Travolta, and others) did just fine. This documentary makes you feel as if you are on the moon! For similar offerings, click my avatar and see my 3D, IMAX, astronauts, and Planet Earth lists. 5 stars.