From the Earth to the Moon

Rating:
Summary: Labor of Love
Review: Wanted more after 'Apollo 13' Glad Tom Hanks did, too. Something for everyone here. While it is important to note that this is a docudrama, I'd say a valuable historical record was created. Seems to have better production values than 'Apollo 13'

Rating:
Summary: Such a short distance, but such an incredibly epic journey
Review: The Apollo Space program covered such a short distance in our own solar system, yet it was a hugely epic and legendary journey in human history. The true story is filled with so many incredible details that are so mind bogglingly beyond belief that it seems like a work of really well written fiction.

From the Earth To The Moon is more than just the 9 round trips that were made to the moon, and the 6 trips where man landed on the moon. This HBO miniseries covers every aspect of the Apollo space program, and it does in a very convincing and entertaining manner. Every step of the way, everyone involved in the space program was intensly focused on answering the question of how to get to the moon and back again.

Episode One, "Can We Do This?" begins with the early space missions of the Mercury and Gemini programs. Most of the missions have men with now familiar names who went on to be in the Apollo missions featured in later episodes. This episode alone is more adventurous and fact filled than The Right Stuff.

Episode Two, "Apollo 1", is about the tragic Apollo 1 fire that killed the first three Apollo astronauts while still on the launchpad. The episode answers the important questions most people had about what caused the fire.

Episode Three, "We Have Cleared The Tower", is about the next three Apollo astronauts who are training in preparation for the first launch of the command and service module. Througout the episode, a documentary crew follows the astronauts around while they prepare for this mission.

Episode Four, "1968", is about the turbulent year of 1968, and the first trip to and orbiting of the moon by the crew of Apollo 8.

Episode Five, "Spider", was one of my favorite episodes. It was about the making and testing in earth and lunar orbit of the lunar module, the spacecraft that would land on the moon. Apollo 9 and 10 have been often overlooked in history, but were extremely important missions. There is so much detail in this episode, yet it is entertaining, funny, and filled with this awe inspiring prelude to greatness that comes in the next episode.

Episode Six, "Mare Tranquilitatis", is the episode of Apollo 11, the mission where man landed on the moon. What made this episode so believeable was Lane Smith's performance as a fictitious network anchorperson -- he seemed like a real composite of all the anchormen of that time. I felt like I was really there watching the first moon landing for the first time ever.

Episode Seven, "Is That All There Is?" -- The mission of Apollo 12 is directed much like a situation comedy. It is a lighthearted break from all the seriousness of the first six episodes, and one gets the sense that the story has turned a corner -- man has already been to the moon . . . now what?

Episode Eight, "We Interrupt This Program", directs its attention to the reporters on the ground, rather than the struggle of the astronauts of Apollo 13, who were in a life or death situation. Most would agree that this was the weakest of all 12 episodes, but not because the story was bad, it just had already been told in a motion picture with Tom Hanks. As a substitute, I would recommend seeing the Tom Hanks movie instead.

Episode Nine, "For Miles And Miles", is about Apollo 14, and the story of Alan Shepard, who was seen in the first Mercury launch in Episode One, and who thought he would not be going to the moon because of problems with his inner ear.

Episode Ten, "Galileo Was Right", is, in my opinion, an incorrectly titled episode. True, at the end of Apollo 15, Dave Scott tested Galileo's theory about gravity with a hammer and a feather while on the moon, but the story focuses on the geologists who taught the astronauts of this mission how to find the important things that needed to be found. I would have called this episode, "Guess What We Just Found".

Episode Eleven, "The Original Wives Club", focuses its attention on the domestic part of the families of the Apollo Astronauts. Only a small amount of detail is shown about the Apollo 16 mission in this episode.

The final episode, Episode Twelve, "Le Voyage Dans La Lune", is about the last two men who walked on the moon on Apollo 17. It is also about the making of the first film ever about a fictitious voyage to the moon . . . long before the first ship was launched into space.

I loved this miniseries so much, I went out and bought the book that the miniseries was based on -- A Man On The Moon, by Andrew Chaikin. The book covers what the miniseries didn't -- like ESP experiments done by Edgar Mitchell while on Apollo 14.

Rating:
Summary: A must see for all
Review: This is one of the best movies I have ever seen. This film is to the moon what Ken Burns did for the Civil War.
I recommend that every person should watch this movie. I can not believe the number of famous actors who had a role in this picture. I would encourage people to read a book or 2 on the space program during the 1960's before watching this movie as it helps in giving familiarity to the characters and events. I admire HBO's presentation on Apollo 13. HBO presented this mission through the eyes of the reporters covering this story. In fact HBO demonstrates the changing of the guard in the reporting world, as reporters begin to disregard private lives at the expense of a good story. For anyone who wants to watch Apollo 13 from the astronauts point of view then watch the movie Apollo 13 (Tom Hanks).
Enjoy this movie, it is one of a kind.

Rating:
Summary: Fantastic
Review: I love how each episode looks at a part of the Apollo program through a unique perspective. For instance, the episode about Apollo 13 is from the point of view of the TV reporters covering the story, and attempts to show the differences between old-school and new reporters. My favorite episodes are "Spider" (about the design, testing and flight of the LM) and "1968" (about the Apollo 8 mission and the first humans to orbit the moon). If you are interested in the human side of the Apollo program, get this DVD set.

Rating:
Summary: Major disappointment
Review: The 1st seven parts of a 12-part series are pretty good - but the 8th part undercuts the value of whole series as far as I'm concerned. The 8th part, which dealt with the aborted and near-disasterous Apollo 13 mission, should have been a story of the triumph of magnificent behind-the-scenes technological solutions to incredibly difficult problems. However, the Apollo 13 story was instead inexplicably turned into a 3rd rate soap opera highlighting 2nd rate journalism. For that huge mistake in producer judgement alone - my recommendation is to not buy the series.

Rating:
Summary: Terrific Series - Great Overview of the Moon Landing Program
Review: I watched and taped this HBO series when it came out four years ago as I am very interested in the Apollo moon landing program. I've read almost all of the books written by astronauts, flight directors and outside observers, like the one that was the basis for this series written by Andrew Chaikin. The series is fantastic, especially in the DVD format, which really brings the sounds and pictures to life.

I have several favorite episodes in the twelve-part series. The story about the catastrophic Apollo 1 fire, which killed three astronauts is extremely touching and well acted. The Apollo 12 episode explores the friendship that is forged between three men who experience something very few people will ever get to do in their lifetimes. That episode, which includes a fine performance by ER's Paul "Rocket Romano" McCrane, is extremely fun. Alan Shepard's Apollo 14 flight episode also was enjoyable as well as the episode that chronicles the historic Apollo 11 moon landing. This latter episode is great in that it does an excellent job of exhibiting the tension that took place between Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin about who would take the first steps on the moon.

There were only two episodes that I found to be less than average, including the story of the Apollo 13 flight. I certainly understand that they would not want to rehash the events in an episode when there has been a terrific movie made about this ill-fated voyage. But I thought that focusing the attention on a battle between an old school (the terrific Lane Smith) and a new school journalist (the annoying Jay Mohr) just wasn't interesting to me. I also actually didn't care for the final episode which focused half on the Apollo 17 mission and half on the making of an old time movie about landing on the moon (with Tom Hanks in the lead role of a French director). I find myself fast forwarding through these scenes when I watch this episode.

Overall, a terrific package that really brings the moon landing program to light. A must!

Rating:
Summary: Story for all mankind
Review: I decided to get this series because I really love Apollo 13 and I'm a big fan of Hanks. Call me crazy but I cried in every chapter. Each and every one of the mission (or chapter) has its own story, its own drama in itself. The truth that we would never known. Who might have thought about marriage life of these astronuats, I was shocked to realize that 7 out of 9 astronuats in this Apollo program got divorced. Man, it hurts me in a way, though, that these brave men and sacrificing ladies gotta suffer house broken problems because of the stress this astronaut job put on them. Anyway, every single episode has its own glory. It reminds me how long i've forgotten to dream the impossible.

Rating:
Summary: Just gets better and better.....
Review: I just started watching this DVD again for the third or fourth time, and this series is a staggering achievement. The Apollo project, more and more, emerges as far and away the single most significant event of the last 50 years, one of those extraordinary feats that emerges from its times and yet transcends them. The series helps to grasp the sheer magnitude of the achievement of the Apollo project--as well as being gripping and deeply moving drama. Giving the history of the space program since the lunar landings, there is an elegiac quality as well--America's short-sighed leaders backed off from a great achievement and failed to maintain the momentum that the space program created during the crucial decade of the 1960's.

Watch this set for great drama (and humor), for superb effects, and most of all for inspiration. Here's hoping that this will galvanize future leaders to keep going into space and taking the next great leap--the manned Mars expedition.

Rating:
Summary: A series to remember !
Review: If you were born in the sixties and you want to remember the Apollo program or if you want your kids to watch and learn what going to the moon was all about you must get this DVD ! Superb grapics, touching music, great acting.
Special note : I have read newsgroup reports of people who actually WORKED on the Appllo project saying that the series was flawless and provided an authentic representation of the Apollo era. If you love space there is no way you will not love From the Earth to the Moon.

Rating:
Summary: Content very good, DVD transfer could be better
Review: I feel other reviewers have been a little too kind to this product. My friend taped this series when it was first shown on HBO. I watched his tapes and enjoyed it very much. It aims at greatness and almost hits the target. Hanks probably told this story as well as it could be done while still maintaining historical accuracy. When I saw this on DVD at Blockbuster, I had to rent it for a second look. For me, it does not hold my interest as well the second time around.

Additionally, I was slightly disappointed with the DVD picture quality. I had just seen the Sex and the City first season DVD set, where the picture quality was great. The DVD of From the Earth to the Moon is definitely a step down from there. The colors seem a bit desaturated (except in special FX scenes), everything slightly defocussed, and there are often "moire" patterns (I think this is what they are called) in areas of the picture where there are black and white lines close to one another. The special effects scenes seem to be sharper and better looking than the normal photography. I'm not sure why. HBO should remaster this as pennance for not lavishing the care on mastering this material that it deserves. And let people trade in the first edition for the properly mastered one.

The package is very good. But I can't possibly give it 5 stars -- that would put it in a category with works of art like Lawrence of Arabia, or Vertigo. No, it is not THAT good -- let's be realistic.

And the less than stellar (no pun intended) quality of the video must take away another star. So this is how I arrived at three stars. If I was allowed, I'd give it three and a half stars. If we are to have any perspective about this video in comparison to the entire universe (again, no pun intended) of great DVDs of great films, this is a completely fair rating.