Magnificent Desolation: Walking on the Moon 3D (2005)
Average Rating: 7.2/10
Reviews Counted: 32
Fresh: 28 | Rotten: 4
This inspirational 3D IMAX film approximates for audiences what it is like to set steps on the moon.
Average Rating: 6.9/10
Critic Reviews: 14
Fresh: 11 | Rotten: 3
This inspirational 3D IMAX film approximates for audiences what it is like to set steps on the moon.
liked it
Average Rating: 3.6/5
User Ratings: 1,728
Movie Info
Twelve men who belong to one of the world's most exclusive fraternities -- people who've walked on the surface of the moon -- are paid homage in this documentary. Using newsreel footage, rare NASA photographs, and digitally animated re-creations, Magnificent Desolation: Walking on the Moon examines the Apollo missions between 1969 and 1972 which put astronauts on the moon. In addition to explaining the technological know-how necessary to take our fliers to the moon, the film shares the thoughts
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Tom Hanks
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All Critics (32) | Top Critics (14) | Fresh (28) | Rotten (4) | DVD (3)
Magnificent Desolation: Walking on the Moon is an earnest but insubstantial Imax 3-D spectacle that, even at 40 minutes, seems unduly padded.
The illusion is impressive but incomplete, and therefore mildly disappointing. But I cannot deny having felt a little nervous when 'we' were standing too close to the edge at the Grand Canyon-like Hadley Rille. So clearly I am a liar.
One of the astronauts describes his excitement during the lunar mission as 'like a kid playing in a sandbox.' Unfortunately, that could also sum up the film's visual content.
Adults will be more than passably entertained by this short, patriotic feature, and kids will be entranced.
Playful, inspirational.
Offers the most realistic approximation of a moon visit that Earthbound mortals have ever seen.
This is a mesmerizing film that serves as a reminder of just how amazing our country's space exploration has been.
It's a stirring and persuasive plug for resuming in-person space exploration -- and it's a lot of fun besides.
Overall, the production successfully maneuvers through 2D and 3D nearby-space with a playful spirit of curiosity, experiment and wonder.
Go see Magnificent Desolation on the giant IMAX screen and Tom Hanks will moon-rock your world.
"Magnificent," indeed.
In a cinematic era in which seemingly any feat or place can be generated for the screen, it's what these men said -- in mundane exchanges and insightful retrospection -- that stirs one most.
condensing the moon program into roughly 60 minutes is a pretty impressive feat. Giving you the feeling of actually being part of it is even more impressive
Tom Hanks' folksy narration could be intended to bury as much as praise the space program: Apollo missions belonged to an era of American optimism unlikely to be revisited.
As contrived as its title, Magnificent Desolation has the look and feel of a NASA fundraiser.
The movie's very realistic 3-D simulations and cleverly collated archival footage give filmgoers the best idea yet of what it's like to set foot on gray lunar soil.
The film is fascinating history and unabashedly inspirational.
The whole package is as entertaining as it is educational.
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Foreign Titles
- Mission Mond (DE)
- Magnificent Desolation: Walking on the Moon (UK)


Top Critic
Great narration, photography, and science fact.
Recommended