Most undeservingly overhyped movie of all time??

Easily the biggest piece of Right wing non sense propaganda I ever saw.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

Who knew that practically everything the lunar astronauts did, both in and outside of the spaceship, was captured on film -- including, in at least one subtle sequence, defecating into a plastic bag? And there is plenty of voice-over here from the courageous space pioneers themselves, as they talk about the rigors and wonders of traveling a quarter-million miles to our nearest neighbor in space.The images in this pastiche-style documentary are dazzling -- no wonder the astronauts say they spent much of their time simply gazing at Mother Earth. And some of their statements really make you think. Can you imagine traveling all that distance and seeing nothing between Earth and its satellite but the blackest void? The cosmic travelers contemplate the emptiness of space and the mysticism of conducting an unprecedented experiment for mankind.Most of us won't live long or get rich enough to become space tourists, but perhaps this cosmic travelogue is the next best thing.

This was effective for this viewer. Usually what that means in cases like this is that it made me cry. The hook is that it reviews its subject through the eyes of the astronauts. I was wary of this. I got involved in the program later, during the beginning of the shuttle era and even then the astronauts were pretty much there only to have been taken there. They were chosen — some of them — for how good they looked on newsprint. The magic of the program and its heroes were a few visionaries and an army of competent engineers. Yet it was effective because we see the story through the eyes of witnesses. There role here is simply as witness, and if you were alive during this time, you will be impressed at how it affects you.There were all sorts of paths that could have been followed in this. The quest of man to explore; the mysteries of the unknown; the vast game being played by two enemies to demonstrate superiority of ideology; the hidden weapons programs.They cover all these slightly except that last, and that's excusable because these witnesses saw none of that. But the story that dominates is the Kennedy one. Its hard to imagine today, but we loved our president and he deserved it. He was intelligent and articulate. His advisers came off not as louts or bullies, but men (and a few women) smart enough for difficult times. He was the Peace Corps president. Kennedy promised to go to the moon and return without consulting anyone at NASA, and riding on the crest of a national enthusiasm for science and hardware. The nation really was engaged. And then he was killed, and with our rising self-doubt (Vietnam, race) we decided that as a people we owed it to him, or what he stood for. So when it happened, and the world watched, re affirmed the man and what he stood for. It was a good feeling, not pride as much as wonder about who we discovered ourselves to be.This will evoke that same feeling again, the original tears, followed by tears of disappointment at the massive collapse of esteem which followed. A serious of botched opportunities to be worthy of the accomplishment.Its an effective documentary in that regard, all the more so since everything was designed to be photographed, and was. If you really want to learn of this program, you need to go elsewhere, But this delivers on the promise.Ted's Evaluation -- 3 of 3: Worth watching.

Watched it again last night, on the 35th anniversary of man's first walk on the moon. No need to reiterate what others have said here - it's simply a masterpiece, one of the finest, most moving documentaries ever made (especially compared to the half-witted hysterical polemics that pass for the form these days).It's sobering to think that the deeds recounted in this film are almost forgotten now. The Apollo program is arguably the pinnacle of human achievement, yet yesterday's anniversary passed with hardly a rememberance. I mentioned it to my wife, and she expressed skepticism that the moon landings ever took place! (to her credit, she watched the documentary with me). I consider myself fortunate to have lived in this time and in this place, and had the chance to watch as my countrymen, on behalf of all mankind, took our first, tentative steps on another world.

Without repeating all the good comments that have been mentioned by earlier reviewers, I will add what is unique for me.1. When Reinert wonderfully builds up the tension for the liftoff, it is more than a crescendo of power when those Saturn 5 rocket motors blast to life! I've had the film on VHS tape for about 10 years, and I still enjoy knocking the socks off of first time viewers when the surround sound system is allowed give its all as it shakes the house. If there were ice chunks on the outside of my house, they would surely shatter and fall just as they did from the rocket body as it slowly left the pad. UNBELIEVABLE! I once read that the Apollo rocket, if it all exploded at one time, would equal 80% of the Hiroshima atomic explosion in WW2. Imagine sitting atop that 31 story tall monster awaiting your fate on the launchpad.2. Eno's music- just can't say enough superlatives about this soundtrack. Like good art, there is plenty there to continue to pique your interest for years. He is a gift to all mankind for his work on this soundtrack, but that is just the beginning. He's been doing that high level of work for decades!GREAT FILM!!!