Journey To Space, 2015
Written and Directed by Mark Krenzien.
Starring Patrick Stewart, Chris Ferguson, Serena Auñón and Lindsay Aitchison.
SYNOPSIS:
Journey To Space is a disjointed effort about the space program that skips over a lot of things but also spends a lot of time talking about NASA’s plans for a trip to Mars, which was the highlight. Best viewed in the 4K UHD version on a big screen, since it was originally released for IMAX.
Released for IMAX theaters in 2015, Journey To Space is a 41-minute film that’s best viewed on the largest screen possible, which is why Shout! Factory also put out a 4K UHD + 3D Blu-ray version. I received my copy on basic Blu-ray, since I don’t expect to upgrade to 4K for a while, so while my experience was enjoyable, I’m sure it would have been even more amazing on a 4K display.
Patrick Stewart narrates most of the film, but he gives way to a couple astronauts and a NASA employee along the way. Chris Ferguson, who flew several missions on the space shuttle Atlantis, talks about his career before handing the reins to Serena Auñón, a current day astronaut who is training on a new spacecraft called Orion for an eventual trip to Mars. NASA space suit designer Lindsay Aitchison also chimes in to talk about her efforts to create modern suits that will be easier to move around in than the older ones, which often restricted mobility.
Overall, Journey To Space is a bit disjointed. It opens with some typical “Rah, rah, humans love to explore, and space is the next frontier” narration by Stewart before jumping ahead to the space shuttle program. It works backward from the shuttle’s retirement but doesn’t cover the space vehicles in much depth. Even when it touches on the Challenger and Columbia disasters, it shows footage and reactions from the former but only displays a photo of the crew from the latter. It felt like the Columbia crew was shortchanged, which was a shame.
Roughly half the film is spent talking about Orion and the plans to send humans to Mars sometime in the 2030s, according to NASA’s current projections. That’s the most interesting piece, and it’s one that I wished the entire film had focused on. Or, even better, it would have been wonderful if the film had been longer and spent time discussing humanity’s race to space, from the first flights in the 1950s to today, with more time spent on each major stage of the story.
The only bonus features on this disc are a five-minute behind-the-scenes discussion of how the high-resolution footage was assembled and a 1.5-minute image gallery.
Journey To Space is probably worth picking up cheap if you’re a space program fan. If you’ve upgraded to 4K video or have a big 3D set and a 3D Blu-ray player, though, that version could be a justifiable purchase if you want to wow friends and family: I’ve read that it’s very impressive.
Brad Cook
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https://youtu.be/b7Ozs5mj5ao?list=PL18yMRIfoszEaHYNDTy5C-cH9Oa2gN5ng
Originally published June 7, 2016. Updated April 14, 2018.
