Space Station 3D (2002)

Incredible film...I can't recommend this one enough. But see it in high definition and sit close up to your TV. I was worried at the start of the film because there's a brief tiny bit of 3D stuff and I was starting to get uneasy in my chair about it because it ran for about three minutes I think...but once you get past that it doesn't go near 3D again and is simply amazing quality wise with real shots of what goes on inside (and outside) the space station. You get to see two launches in beautiful detail and sound. This film gains momentum at exactly the right pace.This is very much like the five star documentaries I love from the late 70s / early 80s. It also reminds me of Kubrick (I think he would have loved this movie) My only criticism is that it's pretty dumbed down (simplified) and there is also no section on the space station toilet although we do get to see sleeping and eating. 2001 A Space Odyssey has a funny shot of the man looking at the toilet instructions and I think they could have included this in the movie (it would have been good) This is only my second ever IMAX film I've seen...the first one was called Everest and I saw that in the actual IMAX cinema...it was really amazing I remember....a experience everybody should have.

So you wanna spend umpteen million bucks and go visit the space station? Why not just spend eight bucks and go see this movie? That way you get the weightlessness without the nausea (unless you're sitting too close to the screen). For people expecting an action picture, I think Space Station will seem slow and dry. But for science and astronomy geeks who want to see what's up there, this movie is pretty cool. After thirty minutes, planet earth seems foreign, and the space station seems familiar! It seems so narrow and long, like a school hallway lined with scientific equipment. Tom Cruise was a good choice of narrator, because of, yeah, star appeal, but also because his voice telegraphs his childlike sense of wonder. To me, there was also a sense of danger, similar to the danger of being on a submarine. You're travelling through a truly hostile environment, and always just a thin shell away from disaster. For the general public, I'd give it a seven. But for space geeks, it's atleast a nine. Now I can't wait for "Apollo 13" to come to Imax.

I didn't even know that they had actually built this space station. I thought it was still in the planning stages. How did they manage to get all these huge pieces up in the upper atmosphere without it hitting the media in a big way? And all these international astronauts getting to go up! Here I thought I followed science news pretty well -- guess that shows me both a) that I don't and b) how the news media can get focused on a few big stories and black everything else out. I'm glad they made a movie about it so that we could find out.You really could see what the space station looks like inside and out and what the earth looks like from space. It almost felt like being there, without the substantial disadvantage of having to go up there in a rocket and without getting motion sick and all. Plus you get to see a lot of different astronauts and the training areas.Hearing Tom Cruise narrate was fun. His expressive voice really perked the thing up, so it wasn't ever in danger of being dry. I'm glad he's taking an interest in the space program. The space program could sure use his help.I've never been to an IMAX before, so a lot of this was new to me.The 3D goggles were kind of uncomfortable, but basically they worked pretty well, even over glasses -- though I did have some struggles with them, like when some of my hair got trapped down over my nose and trying to get the things over the clips in my hair that stick out. Maybe women with long hair should wear a bathing cap for this.When things flew at you, it really did look like they were going to hit you.Our theater let us go up and see the projection room afterwards, which was well worth the trip. It looks almost as complicated as the space station. The poor guy in there was running around after various reels of film like crazy.

Trippy and near exquisite three dimensional (they give out goggles if you happen to see this in IMAX format which is the best format to view) look at actual footage of outside (in space) and inside the space shuttle orbiting the earth. The kids will really enjoy this one and for all the overall ehancement from the 3D makes this an insightful experience as well as a visual one. Some good music too. A-