Customer Reviews

Roving Mars

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

We saw a clip of this video at the National Air & Space Museum--my kids, ages 3 and 5, were riveted! We searched the gift shop for the video but were disappointed that it had not yet been released. Several weeks later I came across it quite by accident on TV and taped it for my older son, who loves outer space and has been fascinated by Mars and the rovers since our trip to the museum. Most general audience space documentaries do not keep his attention, but he loved this one. The narration is almost conversational, not your typical dry, boring voiceover. The video is informative enough for adults and yet still accessible for kids. The images are amazing, no matter what your age. I look forward to adding this video to our collection so I can stop fast-forwarding the commercials on our tape!

I don't know how anyone could rate this film lower than five stars; unless they watched the film on a cheap TV with a small screen. `Roving Mars' on blu-ray blew me away by the quality of the IMAX HD cinematography focusing on the manufacturing of the rovers. I was captivated by a realistic depiction of what it takes to get a spacecraft to make a 300 million mile hole-in-one landing.

I had read a review on Netflix where the wannabe critique stated that they didn't like all the CGI; they probably didn't know that some of the extraordinary footage of the mars terrain was actual footage from the HD-quality cameras on-board the rovers. It might have helped the common laymen if the filmmakers had indicted where the CGI stopped and the actual footage from mars began. I've been so engrossed by the rover missions (NASA made all the rover stills, panoramas and video available for download to the public, ever since the missions began http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/home/index.html) I knew when I was when observing actual film-footage from mars, but I hadn't witnessed the utter clarity of the videos by playback on the computer. I'm astounded by the fact that the rovers are still up there working after four years, and this DVD will have a special place in my heart and in my imagination for the rest of my life imprisoned here on the earth.

In reference to the low ratings listed here: pretty much all IMAX documentaries are less than 60 minutes because of the giant-size of the actual IMAX film used for projection in IMAX theaters. I think its well worth twenty-bucks. It's something you'll proudly enjoy showing to your friends; providing you have a quality TV screen or projector.

I'm very excited about science and engineering. We can't take for granted the courage and brilliance it took NASA and its contractors to design, implement, and deploy the equipment for this mission, then exercise the robots for this mission. And they did it all for less than what we pay for a baseball stadium!

This 40-minute film is disappointing, however. It's short on science; there is no discussion of the launch planning, the path of the rover as it travels to Mars, or any interesting facts. What is its weight? How did the timing work? How did the engineers design the rover, and measure its performance? What materials were used in its implementation? What diagnostics did it have? How much power did it use? What challenges were involved in surviving the harsh Martian atmosphere, its cold, the dust, and its chemistry?

The questions I have are simple, and endless. This film addressed none of them, I'm afraid. Worse, as others have pointed out, there's very little actual footage from the rovers. Most of the CGI scenes are flawed -- seeing stars through the shadowed surface of the moon, for example.

I admire the engineers and explorers in our space programs as heroes. This film does them disservice by failing to tell their wonderful story.

I admit I'm a bit overwhelmed even by a bit of math...and yet intrigued by the night sky and the beauty of the planets and stars. This charming DVD leads even the astronomy-ignorant of those of us by the hand. Not for the die-hard scientists, because it was made with the IMAX team cameras which tend to add drama...but geez...it's so fun to watch! Think MISSION TO MARS at Disneyland...but realistic.

First of all I was disappointed not by the fact that there was very little scientific information like one of the reviewers but by the fact that there is almost no actual Mars footage! My guess is 60 percent is about the troubles of building the rovers, and then perhaps 35 percent is CG images of the rover landing on Mars, coming up to a rock, etc, and maybe only 5 minutes of this film (if that) actually contains any actual footage of the planet itself -- the real reason I wanted to watch this film! The movie that I would love to see is one without any narrator, but with just images capturing the sublime grandeur of space (in this case Mars) paired of with some kind of subtle music by someone like Brian Eno.

That said, the CG images were nicely done, and some of the scenes of them building the rovers were interesting. My final advice, rent it first (I did) before you decide if you really want to buy it. I'm going to save my money for something else.

I have seen several other DVDs on the Rovers, on PBS television shows, but this one came directly from a theatrical release in IMAX format and is by far the best of the best.

The "Roving Mars" DVD has both standard 4x3 and 16x9 (enhanced) formats. The latter fits a HDTV screen perfectly (1.78:1 aspect ratio) and looks superb when played from an upscaling or HD DVD player.

The introduction is narrated by a noticeably feeble voice over by Paul Neuman. However, the main storyline is covered by the Lead Scientist, Steve Skyiers, who does a great job explaining the Mars Rovers - there are two, Spirit and Opportunity - without beating you up with technospeak.

"Rovering Mars" is only 40 minutes, but there are two extras provided on the same DVD; a 1957 Disney TV program called "Mars And Beyond", which is quite dated and rather cartoonish. Fortunately, there is another extra about 25 minutes in duration, called "Mars: Past, Present and Future". The latter is just as good as the main feature, a bunch of extra scenes that for whatever reason were (needlessly) editted out of the IMAX film.

The filmmakers did a great job with the animated special effects to accurately depict what the actual rocket launcher liftoffs from Cape Kennedy, and departures from Earth's gravity would have looked like from space. The Martian landings took place many months later, about three weeks apart. Amazingly realistic computer graphics were used to make this movie!

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

This is a quick and great overview of the Mars rover mission. The first three fifths of the movie is the preparation that was needed to build not only the rovers, but the landing mechanism to bring the bots safely to the ground once they got there. The remainder discusses the conditions once they got there and some of what they were able to find. There are not a whole lot of actual photographs and video that were sent by the rovers displayed here, it was mostly computer renderings.

When I say that it is quick, it really is. The DVD is 40 minutes long. There is obviously a lot more detail to the rover mission but for those who have a hobby-like interest or for a good family, educational viewing (maybe even a middle school or high school classroom), the visuals are great so visual learners should enjoy it.

While the DVD does not compare to seeing this on IMAX, it is still a nicely done documentary and easily the most successful Mars mission to date (2008). The mission and the technical aspects are well explained, nicely shot, the score is perfect, and you really develop an emotional attachement to the rovers.

UPDATED 5/17/08: This is a great movie to introduce people to the story of the Mars Rovers Spirit and Opportunity. Ages of interest probably start at pre-teens to adults! Young children may get lost in some of the science, the dialogue, and the movie's pacing. This IS NOT a "child's" cartoon, and NO, it is NOT a grand Martian photo / footage feast either! :D The movie does contain a considerable amount of expository CGI and modeling, but I found them fascinating and educational in the context of what the movie was trying to communicate. People who want a wealth of real Mars views and Mars facts should visit NASA's official websites and see the rovers' "Postcard" movies, which show images of surface features.

For me, what makes this movie worth watching is the human connections that are made: Spirit had to work hard to achieve its success; Opportunity landed in an area where success was guaranteed. The "teaching" analogy here is some folks have to work hard for what they get while others seem to have the cosmos handed to them on a string. :) Yet, both types are important because they contribute to the whole of humanity.

In the movie, I saw the scientists' affection and enthusiasm for the rovers and how the rovers seem to develop their own personalities based on their experiences on Earth and Mars. After seeing the movie, I was ready to explore more of the "real" Mars and Martian features given on NASA's webpages.

Roving Mars may not be everyone's cup of tea. However, I enjoyed it because I am a fan of the Red Planet and its media and myths. In a world full of negative news and war, it's an uplifting 40 minutes. Don't we all need somethings uplifting?

When the original broadcast of the bonus feature "Mars and Beyond" was aired on ABC in 1957, Sputnik was the first man made satellite. Televisions were black and white, had 12 possible channels, and no solid state components. Yet there it was, a vision of a Mars landing vehicle almost identical to what became the Apollo lunar lander when Neil Armstrong stepped on the moon.

In this same 1957 Disney feature, we learn why space exploration is important - "over population and the consumption of Earth's limited resources" make expansion beyond our planet a necessity.

As a lesson in our capacity to imagine and create, and as a lesson in our ability to ignore unpleasant facts, this Disney show is a must see.

Roving Mars itself is an enjoyable documentary. Ponder a bit on what humans are capable of. Find reason to be optimistic that we can solve incredible challenges if we put our minds to it.