Magnificent Desolation: Walking on the Moon 3D (DVD 2007) (0026359332128)

This IMAX presentation cuts no corners when it comes to its mission recreating--down to the most precise detail--the experience of landing on the moon. An educational extravaganza the unique film allows viewers to experience a moonwalk in its closest approximation. The film begins by noting the fascination that the moon has held for people over the centuries and looking at their fantasies about what they might find there. Proceeding on to the astronauts who made the trip and the years of preparation that made it possible the film shows what the lunar landings looked like using sets that recreate the moon's surface with painstaking fidelity. The film provides a brief overview of some of the experiments the astronauts were sent to perform capturing the gravity of the venture as well as the joy they experienced. As they explore the surface of the moon both by foot and by car the perspective of the audience becomes that of the astronauts creating a giddy sensation not unlike the optical illusions the space explorers themselves describe. MAGNIFICENT DESOLATION also posits some hypothetical situations documenting conspiracy theories that claim the moonwalks never happened and creating a harrowing enactment of an emergency that thankfully never took place. The presentation is very kid-friendly but paired with the spectacular effects it will appeal to viewers of all ages. In addition to narrator Tom Hanks who also produced the film the star-studded cast of voices includes Mathew McConaughey Bill Paxton Morgan Freeman Paul Newman Matt Damon John Travolta and Donnie Wahlberg.