Day 17- Movie 14. For All Mankind (1989)

All this time, and I haven't added a documentary to my blog yet. That problem has been remedied. I watched 1989's stunning documentary about the American space program's lunar landing, For All Mankind. This was definitely a labor of love, as director Al Reinert went through 6 million feet of film and 80 hours of astronaut interviews (thanks for the info, Netflix!) to create this documentary.

This film is remarkable because it shows so much footage that the average person has never seen before. I've always been interested in the moon landing and in human exploration of outer space, but I hadn't seen 90% of the footage shown. This movie gives us an intimate look behind the scenes of the one of the greatest achievements in the history of humanity.

That is probably the strongest aspect of this film- it helps you appreciate the beauty of the Earth and the Moon like you never have before. I don't understand how some of the footage is so crystal clear that you feel like you can almost reach out and touch it (watching it in HD helped, obviously), but it is amazing to see our home and satellite in such stunning glory. This film sparks our imagination- of what we have already accomplished, and what we are capable of as the human race. I left this documentary appreciating our past accomplishments, but even more so looking forward to what we will explore and achieve over the next several decades. I do really enjoy movies that stir those emotions in me.

A few notes of criticism- I didn't care for how the film seemed to jump around chronologically. There wasn't a clear narrative, and that made it hard to know what we were watching. We also never see the narrators- we hear astronauts speaking, but don't know who it is- this is frustrating, because the documentary pulls quotes from astronauts from many different missions, and we never know who's talking. There's also a scene that wasn't real footage, but doctored in order to get a point across. I didn't appreciate that, as it makes me question what else isn't 100% real.

Those few flaws aside, I thought this was a strong, entertaining film. I would give this movie a very solid 7.5/10.

Now, as far as documentaries in general, what are your favorites? I am not the biggest documentary viewer- I desperately need to spend more time watching the important ones. I personally loved Super Size Me (although both times I watched it, I immediately went to McDonald's afterward). Let's see- The King of Kong is also one of my favorites- that is such a terrific film- I highly recommend it. Any good recommendations?