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Special Features
- Lunar Exploration Command Center: includes NASA, photos, a video diary, trivia game, moon maps, and more
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Tom Hanks continues his love affair with space that began with Apollo 13 and his miniseries From Earth to the Moon with this compelling IMAX adventure, Magnificent Desolation. Fans of space fact and fantasy will not want to miss this engaging docudrama, which combines actual footage of lunar walks and interviews of the few men who've trod there with dramatizations of scenarios both exciting and terrifying.
The true way to experience this film, of course, is in its IMAX splendor, but home-theater buffs won't be disappointed. The footage takes the "lunar visitor" along moon's craters and potholes, with nothing but the vastness of space all around. Unseen film shows close-ups of terrain as well as technical infrastructure that may well be models for future moon-living. One particularly scary scene thankfully has never happened on a moon mission, and involves the sudden loss of breathing apparatus. Scuba divers will recognize the "buddy system" of sharing a single air source--and viewers with any kind of claustrophobic issues may want to fast-forward. But overall, the thrills of space travel are made as real as possible for us mere mortals who will only experience it from our comfy chairs. Roger that.--A.T. Hurley
Product Description
Only 12 have walked on the moon. You're next! Presented and narrated by Tom Hanks, Magnificent Desolation: Walking on the Moon is an IMAX documentary film that transports the viewer to lunar surface, where they can walk alongside the 12 extraordinary astronauts who have been there, experiencing what they saw, heard, and felt.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
33 of 36 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
I saw Tom Hanks's, "Magnificent Desolation: Walking on the Moon 3D" at the IMAX theater at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia twice. It was stunning from beginning to end. Outer Space has always been my first love and when the film showed 3D shots of the lunar surface and what a future lunar base would look like, I got emotional to the point that tears were in my eyes. It is a must have for everyone's home movie collection and especially if you are a space buff like me. It will be in my collection, count on it!!!!
20 of 21 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars
Cursory, IMAX-Formatted Look at the Apollo Lunar Missions Designed to Inspire the Next Generation
September 14, 2008
Format:DVD
If you saw the superb 2007 documentary, In the Shadow of the Moon, I am not certain what the point would be in viewing this forty-minute 2005 IMAX film - at least if you are old enough to remember the television coverage of the Apollo missions. The former film includes spectacular archival footage of those missions and insightful on-camera interviews with ten of the surviving astronauts. This one is aimed more directly as a motivational film for a youthful audience as it seeks to reignite the pioneering spirit that sparked the first space flights. NASA aficionado Tom Hanks wrote and produced (along with director Mark Cowen) this enthralling if somewhat cursory look at what it took to get to the moon and what it will take to continue the legacy. The film not only recreates some of the actual Apollo lunar missions but also posits what could have happened had disaster struck. The result adds a suspenseful element obviously designed to engage younger viewers.
Hanks applies his storytelling skills to full dramatic effect during these fictitious interludes. They are intertwined with a whirlwind of facts presented in a breezy manner, an especially effective tactic in chronicling mankind's fascination with the moon since this film is meant to inspire as well as to educate. To reinforce the approach, there is a series of quick interviews with youngsters that bookend the featurette showing how the space race has completely preceded them and how it could be resuscitated for the next generation of lunar exploration which targets us back on the moon by 2016. A number of famous actors provide the voices of the astronauts - Matt Damon, Morgan Freeman, Paul Newman - but few are recognizable. The 3-D visual effects are lost on the 2007 DVD, though I think not as much as the elongated dimensions provided by an IMAX theater. Even more than the technical elements, what really brings the film together is Hanks' obvious enthusiasm for the subject. The DVD includes additional video footage and photographs from the Apollo 11 mission plus a trivia game.
Hanks applies his storytelling skills to full dramatic effect during these fictitious interludes. They are intertwined with a whirlwind of facts presented in a breezy manner, an especially effective tactic in chronicling mankind's fascination with the moon since this film is meant to inspire as well as to educate. To reinforce the approach, there is a series of quick interviews with youngsters that bookend the featurette showing how the space race has completely preceded them and how it could be resuscitated for the next generation of lunar exploration which targets us back on the moon by 2016. A number of famous actors provide the voices of the astronauts - Matt Damon, Morgan Freeman, Paul Newman - but few are recognizable. The 3-D visual effects are lost on the 2007 DVD, though I think not as much as the elongated dimensions provided by an IMAX theater. Even more than the technical elements, what really brings the film together is Hanks' obvious enthusiasm for the subject. The DVD includes additional video footage and photographs from the Apollo 11 mission plus a trivia game.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
By Dok S
Format:DVD
Disappointing. I had hoped for actual photos and images from the Apollo missions, but found mostly computer generated images. The best real stuff, and the majority of it, is in the end credits. The bonus material is anemic. If you are looking for something to get pre-teens excited about going back to the moon, show them this. If you are someone that grew up in the early days of space travel, as I did, don't waste you time or money.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
1.0 out of 5 stars
For kids only, looks like a low budget film
I had high hopes for this movie when I purchased it. Sadly if fell flat on its face. For all but younger kids (8 or younger) this film is amatuerish and has poor special effects. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Bradley J Anderson
5.0 out of 5 stars
Magnificent companion dvd
Regardless of the fact Tom Hanks made this DVD as part of a series, or as a stand alone. "Magnificent Desolation" makes a perfect companion to the series: "From the Earth to the... Read more
Published 10 months ago by patch365
5.0 out of 5 stars
Waiting For The 3D Blu-Ray
I saw this film at a 3D Imax. It was stunning. It made you feel like you were right on the surface of the moon, along-side the astronauts. It was exhillerating. I saw it twice! Read more
Published 12 months ago by N. Gabriel
5.0 out of 5 stars
Inspirational
Since I love NASA and the old glory days of the first astronauts this DVD was an obvious choice when I discovered it. Everything about this is first rate. Read more
Published on May 22, 2011 by J. White
2.0 out of 5 stars
Magnificent Desolation - Walking on the Moon (IMAX)
No real "new" footage more of a kids movie. Not bad for the price. It has some amazing photos, but a lot of the moon landing footage is reenacted. Read more
Published on May 11, 2011 by Andrew Kelly
4.0 out of 5 stars
In fame, the Sherlock Holmes to to Hubble's Avatar. In quality, the...
For all my reviews visit my website
I am NOT reviewing the DVD. Just the movies unless otherwise stated. Read more
I am NOT reviewing the DVD. Just the movies unless otherwise stated. Read more
Published on June 23, 2010 by I, Da Ca$hman
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent Production
Purchased this after seeing it on IMAX screen, though not the same effects, the production, as with al IMAX productions are top shelf in quality!!
Published on February 1, 2010 by Kon Troy
2.0 out of 5 stars
Superficial, but maybe suitable for very young kids
I'm inclined to like anything that has to do with the space program, but I was very disappointed by this film. Read more
Published on August 22, 2009 by Andy Baird
2.0 out of 5 stars
Lightweight
I wouldn't even show this to kids. It's obvious that a lot of work went into it, but the results are insipid.
Watch "In the shadow of the moon" instead.
Watch "In the shadow of the moon" instead.
Published on July 21, 2009 by Marcus J. Ranum
3.0 out of 5 stars
what if? (rhetorical question about Tom Hanks)
What would happen if Tom Hanks refused to do another NASA film? Would he mysteriously disappear, or maybe die in a mysterious car accident? Read more
Published on July 19, 2009 by e_j_buster
