From the Earth to the Moon

Rating:
Summary: Thanks Hanks!
Review: Este es el mejor material que se haya hecho sobre la carrera espacial de USA

Rating:
Summary: Out of this world!
Review: Excellent series. As soon as I finished watching it, I watched it again. My favorite parts were "Spider" (the LM and Apollo 9), "Is that all there is?" (Apollo 12), and the geology episode (Apollo 15). My favorite scene was when Dave Scott was trying to convince Deke Slayton to cut back on abort propellant so that he could take a special rake for soil sampling. Each part had a distinct approach to telling the story, but they all fit together very nicely.

Rating:
Summary: Hard to overstate the quality of this production
Review: Extremely well done and with very good job balancing the dramatic and technical aspects. Everything about this production is first rate. I've watched it several times and some segments a half a dozen or more. Suitable for audiences interested in either the technical or non-technical aspects of the space race.

It was so well done that even its deficiencies can't reduce its overall impact: 1) the Apollo 13 segment was much less about that mission rather than the media circus around it (hint: watch the movie "Apollo 13" instead). 2) Von Braun's contributions only get passing mention; I would have liked to see more about the development of the Saturn Rockets.

Rating:
Summary: Astounding!
Review: First off, I'd have to say that this series is probably the best thing I have ever seen on TV and by far the greatest thing HBO has ever produced. Being in a technical field myself, the thing I really liked about this series was the human face it put on many of the engineers, scientists, and technicians behind the scenes. Of course the series as a whole has a tremendous emotional impact that gives me goosebumps even on repeated viewings. My only complaints with the DVD box set are 1) there are occasional audio sync problems (episode 4 for instance) and 2) the box set itself is pretty flimsy (mine fell apart after only a few weeks). A little glue will fix the problem, but it is still slightly annoying.

Rating:
Summary: A Voyage Most of us Only Dream of...
Review: First off, if I could give this miniseries 10, 20, a zillion stars, I would. Amazon just didn't let me count high enough.

So let me get ahold of myself long enough to tell you to run, run, run and get this DVD set now, if you haven't already. "From the Earth to the Moon" is one of the most unique and engrossing (as well as gorgeously produced) miniseries I've ever seen -- 12 hours of moving, dramatic, gripping, frightening, and ultimately completely inspiring entertainment. As a kid born in the late sixties, I missed the moon race (and I'm still ticked about it). But this literally perfect 12-episode miniseries makes me feel as if I've been there too -- from the tragedy of Apollo 1 to the triumphs and near-misses of the ensuing missions, to the vastly underappreciated final Apollo 16 and 17 missions. (As one character in the film laments, "We stopped going up just when we were getting really good at it.")

Those of you who might have avoided this because it's "history" -- let me reassure you right now that it's as gripping as any drama you'll see in or out of a theatre. This isn't just history painstakingly created by some of those who were there -- it's also just plain incredible, suspenseful, joyful entertainment.

And for those of you who saw it on HBO, the DVD set is well worth the price, even if you'd already taped it. The DVD set offers not only crystal-clear viewing you'd expect (and the special effects hold up admirably under the discerning eye offered through DVD), but also special features including an enjoyable making-of featurette (emphasizing Tom Hanks' huge role in bringing the project to the screen), plus behind-the-scenes studies of special effects, 3D ship models (which can be rotated or even viewed in wireframe), a transcript of Kennedy's "We Choose to go to the Moon" speech, a follow-up quiz, and a virtual tour of the solar system. And that's just for starters.

The writing, acting, music, direction and more are all simply superb -- each hour out of the twelve having its own particular look and feel, while nevertheless meshing perfectly with the others. The introductions to each chapter in Apollo history are delivered quietly, but with eloquence and power, by the project's producer, co-writer, actor (and driving force) Tom Hanks.

One of my favorite aspects of the project was the way it brought in so many actors who are often underused (or at least under-appreciated) in TV and film today -- many of whom are cast against type to show what they can really do. Stephen Root, a guy I'd loved as Jimmy James on NewsRadio for years, does a terrific job in a serious role as Mission Control's Chris Kraft, as does Nick Searcy in a quiet and often sensitive turn as the program's father figure Deke Slayton. Meanwhile, Stephen Root's former NewsRadio news director Dave Foley also gets in on the action, and gets to shed his "Kids in the Hall" cynicism with a surprisingly sweet and innocent portrayal of Al Bean.

Other favorites out of the dozens of amazing actors include Ted Levine's wistful, complex (not to mention curmudgeonly) Alan Shepard, the criminally underused Jo Anderson's sensitive and moving Pat White (wife of Gemini and Apollo I astronaut Ed White), and memorable appearances large and small by such gifted folks as Kevin Pollak, Elizabeth Perkins, Matt Craven, Tim Daly, Mark Harmon (returning for a few moments to his lighter roots), Paul McCrane, David Clennon, James Rebhorn, Mark Rolston, Jay Mohr, George Newbern, Brett Cullen and Steve Zahn.

The surprises are the best part. Before viewing this, I would never have guessed that the Apollo 13 ("We interrupt this Program") segment, while unique and powerful, would be my least favorite of the group, while "Spider," a look at the development of a *machine*, for goodness' sake, would move me to tears. Other standouts (keeping in mind that they're all terrific) include a quietly powerful look at Apollo I, the trials and surprising fates of the astronauts' wives in an episode directed by Sally Field, and the bittersweet old-man-as-underdog battle of Alan Shepard to make it "up there" one last time -- and for more than 15 minutes.

OK, I'll shut up. But if you ever have a day when you've encountered a really stupid driver, or been detained in ridiculous meetings with half-brained bozos, or wondered if human beings aren't actually DE-volving -- then this miniseries is just the kind of thing to remind you of what human beings can be at their very best. And what wonders they are capable of.

And I can't believe I missed it all. We just better go back. Darn it.

NOTE: For those of you inspired by the miniseries, I strongly urge you to go pick up Andrew Chaikin's wonderful "A Man on the Moon," the history of Apollo that provided much of the backbone for the miniseries. And for an even closer look at the moon, don't miss "Full Moon" (Michael Light and Andrew Chaikin) -- a truly stunning, beautiful, even eerie compilation of lunar photographs, many of which had never before been seen.

Rating:
Summary: AWESOME!!!
Review: For anyone who wasn't there ( born yet and old enough to remember) to witness this momentous event like I was (I was 18 at the time),
this series brings back those days when I was so "into" the American space program like Mr Hanks himself was.
I also had an inside track to the space program, as my Uncle built an offshore racing boat for Gus Grissom and Gordon Cooper, as boat racing was a pasttime they shared.

My cousin still has a largre blown up picture of Gus and Gordo standing in the cockpit of of "Miss Firebird" as the boat was known.
A couple of my other cousins still have the small plastic key chain "Mercury Capsules" that Gus Grissom gave them when he visited here to look over he and Gordo's boat while under construction.

But I will have to say this fine piece of work Tom Hanks produced is nothing less than AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rating:
Summary: "..THE EAGLE HAS LANDED."
Review: For centuries, man had dreamed of going to the moon. It was only through the stories of Jules Verne and George Melie's "A Trip to the Moon" that we were able to venture to that celestial body that is the Moon. But between 1968 and 1972, nine missions from NASA's Apollo Space Program traveled the 200,000+ mile distance to the moon, bringing alive the dreams of Verne, Melie, Robert Goddard, and many others.
Tom Hanks' "From the Earth to the Moon" is a riveting and exceptional miniseries that covers, for the most part, the missions that took us on that thrilling adventure to another celestial body. The program takes you back to that time when mankind's dream became a reality. It features superb performances (too many great actors to name) and excellent production values in all areas involved.
While the whole miniseries is a classic, the standout episode is '1968,' which deals with Apollo 8. After eleven months of hell (The Tet Offensive in Vietnam, the Riot at the Democratic National Convention, the assassinatons of Martin Luther King and Bobby Kennedy, and so much more), the world stopped to watch the first three men make the historic first orbits of the moon. This episode makes it clear: Apollo 8 saved 1968 from being a terrible year overall.
"From the Earth to the Moon" is an exceptional miniseries. Those who view it will not be disappointed. It truly was "the most hazardous, dangerous, and greatest adventure on which man has ever embarked." Grade: A+

Rating:
Summary: An inspiration to us all.
Review: From the Earth to the Moon constituted the most gripping television I've ever seen. It was excellent in hitting the high points of the Apollo program and it was wonderful to see the rare movie in which Hollywood gets NASA right (Apollo 13 was close, but contained many factual errors. Armageddon wasn't even in the ballpark.). This series is an inspiration to those who yearn to rise above the noise of everyday life and observe how far our species can really go.

Rating:
Summary: A Must See!
Review: From the Earth to The Moon is -- just like most of Tom Hanks's productions -- top-notch! Anyone who is even remotely interested in space should see this. A great depiction of the Mercury thru Apollo programs. There are 12 1-hour episodes. These episodes include Apollo 13 (of course) & what I found even more compelling, things that you would never even think about. A real behind-the-scenes look. Each episode is extremely interesting and gave me new insight on just what it took & what an amazing adventure it was for us "to go From the earth to the Moon".

Rating:
Summary: An outstanding mini series on the moon landings
Review: From The Earth To The Moon is an outstanding mini-series on the moon landings and tells a thorough and entertaining story.
To answer the incorrect criticisms of "a viewer from Canada" further down the reviews,the Soviets also took risks in their spaceflights.
The Soviets crammed three men into a two man capsule purely to claim the first three man flight and they also put an unqualified woman in a capsule to claim the first female cosmonaut. This was done for propaganda purpose whereas the American flights all had research reasons behind them. Our "viewer from Canada" also conviently forgets the hundreds of employees in the USSR killed when their untested Soviet moon rocket exploded. This was covered up for many years.
The first photos of the earthrise taken from the moon were taken by an American unmanned orbiter and not the Soviet Zond spacecraft as "viewer from Canada" claimed.
Whatever his gripes,this great documentary series is a lot more accurate than him.