Rating: 
Summary: The Real Deal
Review: Science fiction movies and computer digital effects are great, but they don't compare to seeing actual footage shot in space, such as the case for this documentary. The scenes are spell-binding as ships manuever in the cold blackness of space, eventually landing on the surface of the Moon. The feature follows the sequence of an Apollo mission from the astronauts' dressing rooms, through the launch of the mighty Saturn V rocket and traveling through space, climaxing with views on the Moon's surface. Scenes are inter-mixed with footage from different Apollo missions, but it's not that displeasing and shows particular highlights such as Man's first step on the Moon, to later missions when astronauts had a lunar vehicle for traveling on the barren landscape. Brian Eno's music is perfect for this feature; if you could hear music out there - this would be it. Listening to the astronauts as they narrate this feature is nice and makes you feel even closer to them as you watch them progress through their missions. What's great is that it is all real footage, there are no actors and no FX, you get to see how it really happened.
Rating: 
Summary: A montage of disturbing incongruities
Review: I've never felt as ambiguous about a movie as I do with this one. It is a case of all the right ideas used in all the wrong ways. Exclusively using original NASA footage and audio makes perfect sense. Where Mr. Mattingly goes terribly wrong is taking footage from completely unrelated missions and creating his own Frankenstein's moon shot. I'm not picking nits here. The movie depicts a space walk during an Apollo moon mission, using Gemini footage. The astronaut identifications are sometimes wrong. The voice-overs don't match the images. And, by far, the most distrubing inconsistency is the depiction of the Apollo 13 disaster, followed by "everything is fine" dialog and a continuation to the moon! The only redeeming quality of this film is the footage itself. It is stunning, to stay the least. Especially beautiful is the footage on the moon and of the astronauts driving the rover. I shudder to think of anyone watching this film with the assumption that it represents historical fact. If you want pretty pictures, this film fits the bill. If you want history, go elsewhere.
Rating:
Summary: For the space enthusiast's heart--not the head!
Review: What makes this a unique addition to the collection of the "space junkie" is that it is a nostalgic look at the Apollo space program. If you are looking for a documentary full of facts, then buy Nova's "To the Moon" or the Discovery Channel's "Blast Off." Deke Slayton's "Moonshot" is also another good documentary on the early space program. What makes this unique is that it allows the knowledgable/obsessed Apollo fan the opportunity to look at these early images of Apollo (and Gemini) footage from the perspective of an artist. Though the film of Ed White's EVA has come under scrutiny due to the fact that it was before Apollo, yet the footage has been enhanced so that it looks sharper and clearer than the original. The footage that has been pieced together contains images that are obscure and commentary that is rare and personal, reflecting the personalities of the men who made these remarkable voyages. It is truly a delight to hear of Pete Conrad's explanation of why he made his "historic" first words when he became the third man on the moon, or to hear Charlie Duke sharing his dream that he had while on the lunar surface. Al Reinhardt is a dramatic director, not a documentary director and this is evident in this work. Apollo buffs are probably aware that he directed two episodes for the HBO miniseries, "From the Earth to the Moon," depicting the Apollo 8 and Apollo 11 missions. I believe that this is a must see series for the space enthusiast as well, for this miniseries depicts the Apollo program at its worst and best, the men and women who made it happen and does so in the best movie traditions. For All Mankind is a movie event that does what the astronauts had such a difficult time expressing: by watching these men in flight and on the moon, one can get a better experience of what it felt like to go to the moon. Unfortunately, these men were scientists, test pilots and engineers. They were not poets or dreamers, they were the doers of our world and these modern day "Renaissance Men" were not able to share the emotion that many of us would have experienced in their boots. I tip my helmet to Al Reinhardt for giving us a glimpse of what it felt like to go there.
Rating:
Summary: We choose to go to the moon
Review: "We choose to go to the moon, not because it is easy, but because it is hard." Kennedy's famous speech opens up this movie and sets the mood for what is to follow: wonder. As noted in other reviews, "For All Mankind" is not a detailed, factual account of the Apollo program. Rather, it is an impressionist painting captured on film. Brief glimpses of footage and voiceovers flow together to create an atmosphere of wonder and awe. The feeling that the astronauts had when they took their historic flight. This film gives a tourist's eye view of a trip to the moon. One astronaut comments that, when riding up the elevator to the launch pad, he realized just how complicated the ship was and how little he knew about what made it go up. These men were not scientists, they were adventurers. They had fun in space, and had a difficult time paying attention to their duties while in weightlessness. There was a connection made as you hear their jokes, and listen to their insights. It was really nice to see the humanity behind the names. Through their home movies, I feel like I went along. Additional note: The DVD itself is excellent, with relevant, interesting features. Hats off again to the Criterion Collection.
Rating:
Summary: The Debate Continues...
Review: 'For All Mankind' documents the Apollo space program and the attempt to land a person on the moon as a result of President Kennedy's historic commission. In some sense, this endeavor was initiated to show the capability of American technological prowess as a justification of our national way of life, but also as a kind of national symbol of scientific excellence for the first world. It is a sobering exercise to compare this film, which makes the positive case with the Philip Glass, Godfrey Reggio film 'Koyaanisqatsi', which makes the negative one. 'Koyaanisqatsi' uses a space launch/crash in it's opening/closing sequences as a symbol of the "madness" of a country basing it's moral and social growth on the way of technology. 'For All Mankind', for it's part, not only: A) Documents the special collaboration of the mission control crew. B) Shows a powerful and complex vehicle system making an impossible journey C) Features the profound meditations and humor of a variety of heroic astronauts ...but it also has a beautiful atmospheric score by the electronic musician Brian Eno and shows valuable film footage from taken from the rare perspective of outer space. Perhaps the jury might deliberate the film's fundamental premise, that technology as a way of life is of benefit to all mankind, for some time to come.
Rating:
Summary: A great film about the Apollo missions!
Review: This review is for the Criterion Collection DVD edition of the film. This film is a documentary and is well compiled. Consisting almost entirely of stock footage of the missions, it has audio interviews with the astronauts and mission control technicians. The film has a superb score by Brian Eno. One particular piece of music in the film, also heard on the main menu of the DVD has been resued for two other films: Traffic (2000) and 28 Days Later(2002). Much of the footage taken in space is high resolution and very well preserved as it was stored at the NASA film archives in liquid nitrogen. The special features on the DVD are audio commentary by the Director Al Reinart and Apollo 17 astronaut Gene Cernan. There is subtitle identification of the astronauts and NASA employees when they appear on screen. There are Audio and Video highlights from several NASA missions. My favorite is the soundbyte of the apollo 8 astronauts when they gave a radio address by reading parts of the Bible on Christmas day. There are also paintings by Apollo 12 astronaut Alan Bean and interviews with him describing some of his paintings. For anybody interested in the space program, this DVD is a musy buy!
Rating:
Summary: For the space enthusiast's heart--not the head!
Review: What makes this a unique addition to the collection of the "space junkie" is that it is a nostalgic look at the Apollo space program. If you are looking for a documentary full of facts, then buy Nova's "To the Moon" or the Discovery Channel's "Blast Off." Deke Slayton's "Moonshot" is also another good documentary on the early space program. What makes this unique is that it allows the knowledgable/obsessed Apollo fan the opportunity to look at these early images of Apollo (and Gemini) footage from the perspective of an artist. Though the film of Ed White's EVA has come under scrutiny due to the fact that it was before Apollo, yet the footage has been enhanced so that it looks sharper and clearer than the original. The footage that has been pieced together contains images that are obscure and commentary that is rare and personal, reflecting the personalities of the men who made these remarkable voyages. It is truly a delight to hear of Pete Conrad's explanation of why he made his "historic" first words when he became the third man on the moon, or to hear Charlie Duke sharing his dream that he had while on the lunar surface. Al Reinhardt is a dramatic director, not a documentary director and this is evident in this work. Apollo buffs are probably aware that he directed two episodes for the HBO miniseries, "From the Earth to the Moon," depicting the Apollo 8 and Apollo 11 missions. I believe that this is a must see series for the space enthusiast as well, for this miniseries depicts the Apollo program at its worst and best, the men and women who made it happen and does so in the best movie traditions. For All Mankind is a movie event that does what the astronauts had such a difficult time expressing: by watching these men in flight and on the moon, one can get a better experience of what it felt like to go to the moon. Unfortunately, these men were scientists, test pilots and engineers. They were not poets or dreamers, they were the doers of our world and these modern day "Renaissance Men" were not able to share the emotion that many of us would have experienced in their boots. I tip my helmet to Al Reinhardt for giving us a glimpse of what it felt like to go there.
Rating: 
Summary: Impressive DVD
Review: I have purchased every decent looking DVD about NASA and the space program that has come out. Hightlights: Apollo 13, From the Earth to the Moon. Lowpoints: Madacy 5 DVD Set. Anyway, this DVD gets 1 less than the maximum 5 stars only because Apollo 13 and From the Earth to the Moon (FtEttM) are some of the best DVDs out, and this one doesn't quite match those ones. The main feature IS good, but somehow seemed a little dry. What you get is actual NASA video footage with the Astronauts talking over the top. The talking sometimes matches what you are seeing and sometimes doesn't, so it is a little wierd. Also, it is not a great way of explaining what you are seeing in the video footage. If you already have FtEttM, the best explanation is that this DVD is like FtEttM with audio commentary by the real astronauts. If you want to know about the Apollo program, and you don't already have FtEttM, you should get that instead unless you are obsessed with seeing the "real" footage. To tell you the truth, as I watched this DVD, I was constantly trying to match up the real astronauts with the characters in FtEttM. Here are a couple of other minor complaints: It is hard to know who is talking, as the person talking rarely matches the person shown on the screen. Maybe you can tell if you have subtitles turned on, but that would be annoying. Secondly, the footage is not in any kind of chronological order, you could be looking at footage from Apollo 11, then the next face you see is Jim Lovell (Apollo 13) and then you are looking at Ed White doing his space walk on his Gemini mission. He wasn't even alive during the Apollo missions to the moon. I would have much preferred if they would have lumped all of the pre-Apollo footage together, Apollo 11 footage together, etc. HOWEVER, after saying all of that, there is one feature that totally redeems this DVD. The Al Bean photo gallery and commentary are excellent. You need to watch the Introduction and then look at all of the pictures to get all of the commentary. In case you don't know, Al Bean was the fourth person to walk on the moon (Apollo 12) and since then has painted many scenes from the moon landings. His paintings are fabulous and there is an interesting story behind each one. Sorry to mention this *again*, but if you saw From the Earth to the Moon - you will remember how Al Bean was portrayed in the episode about Apollo 12. It is great to find out that he is really like that and all of the crazy things that he and Pete Conrad did are true. On a side note, I checked into buying prints of Al's paintings and they are available on the web but they are NOT CHEAP - $250 minimum. He does have a coffee table book that looks pretty good, but I haven't bought it yet so I can't say too much about it. Maybe I will review it when I get my copy. Any way, if you are a space nut, you should get this DVD. However, if you want to learn about the Apollo space program, this would not be my first choice (see hints above). Overall, it is worth the price and I would recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: Pretty but empty
Review: One day in the USA there will be a revolution in entertainment. At that time we'll discover how good it feels actually to use our brains for something other than passive, thoughtless goggling at spectacles. But until then we'll continue to get things like this. Very pretty pictures, potentially an amazing set of stories, reduced to "wow, would you look at that" cliches. This DVD is a melange of clips from Apollo VIII onwards, strung together as though it were all one disjointed mission. The footage itself is of course incredibly beautiful but there is a paucity of intellectual content. Very little information, less explanation of history and context, and ultimately it's junk food for the mind. With the footage available a really interesting and profound video could have been assembled. But until the revolution we'll just have to get along with this "turn off your brain and open your mouth" prettiness.
Rating: 
Summary: Expensive But Only Superficially Attractive
Review: This DVD is nearly twice as expensive as the outstanding "Nova-To The Moon" DVD, yet it falls far short of what a true documentary should be. My main complaint is the liberty Producer/Director Al Reinert takes editing video and especially audio into single sequences when they clearly come from multiple sources. The effect is jarring and unpleasant, in direct contrast to the new age musical noodling of Brian Eno. Yes, the cinematography is great, but it is certainly no better than other commonly available documentaries, as it is after all almost 100 percent 30 year old NASA footage, which is largely common to all the available documentaries. I do grasp the concept of artistic license, but my issue here is that Reinert takes license when there is nothing to be gained. The most obnoxious single moment for me is the Apollo 13 'Houston, We've had a problem..." audio, which has added sound effects not found in the original (common through the film) and edits bits of the Apollo 13 dialogue together with the Apollo 12 lightning strike problems during launch, which in his mind, I suppose added drama, but in my mind distorts the truth and fails to tell the story of either of the two emergencies well. When unnecessary compilation and editing like this continues through the film it makes for a very muddled, less factual, film that the materiel deserves. Some reviewers have praised the film for conveying the 'feeling' of going to the moon well. I don't really dispute that, I just think that a documentary can be factually accurate and have information accurately presented (like in the Nova special) and still be captivating. In fact I think it would be more captivating. The DVD does have some strong points, that are unique though. One that is useful is the ability to turn on subtitles of astronaut names and selected flight controller names (although mistakes are made here too, they are generally minor). My favorite feature of the DVD by far is a section in which Al Bean (Apollo 12) describes and explains many of his Apollo paintings, which is absolutely fascinating. This alone gave the review three stars. Overall, there are many better choices of Apollo documentaries available, especially considering the outlandish cost of the DVD. Many critics liked this film. I guess all that means is that many critics prefer a stylized, or 'Hollywood,' form of documentary.
| 
