For All Mankind (1989)

A lot more amusing than I thought it would be.

Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

If you've loved, dreamt big, and witnessed death, this film might be for you.I've seen my share of films, and only a mere handful of them have transported me the way Al Reinert's "For All Mankind" (1989) does; enthralled me, elated me, stopped me in my tracks. The most extraordinary thing is that albeit films like "Zerkalo" (1975) directly address the cinematic function of dreams and memories in fictional terms, it is this film that most evocatively makes me see the insatiably curious child in myself, gazing at the sky, seeing the stars at night, wondering about the vastness of space, the insignificance of one's own existence in the grand scheme of things, both in space and in the great ocean of time. And at the same time, there's deep consolation in this otherwise bittersweet notion that after a mere instance we're gone. We live and dream and hope, and die, and our lives are very much like the deep blue marble seen from space by the astronauts, against the endless abyss of incomprehensibly vast darkness and nothingness. As said by one astronaut in the film, the Earth seems to give the dark space life; truly, then, the darkness of death gives meaning to the fleeting moment of life we as individuals experience here.Brian Eno's music is integral, opulent, and words don't do it justice. The images, and the way they are structured with the sounds, have to be experienced. We're lucky to have the film on Blu-ray in a superb transfer (Criterion has released it in Region A and the Masters of Cinema in Region B, using the exact same transfer).Some have criticized the lack of transparency in the narrative, making it difficult to distinguish between the different missions, but I don't see it as a problem at all. On the contrary, I find the narrative transparent enough, framed with Kennedy's dream, realized in the successes and failures of the Apollo program. The film therefore sees all the missions shown as the actualization of one vision and dream.

This film had some of the most extensive, most well restored Apollo footage I have ever seen.Not having been around in the 1960s to see much of this footage firsthand, I was astounded by some of the videos and insights portrayed by this film. To see the Apollo 11 astronauts goofing around and playing cassette tapes that had been custom made for them by their favorite artists is pretty awesome. This is a must-see for any big Apollo or space buff.Seeing from some other reviews that incorrect footage is mixed to information about different missions doesn't really hurt the picture. Many of the different Apollo launches looked similar. It is hard to tell from the outside what each ship's mission was, so that does not detract from the film.Hopefully we will have more footage from the moon in the near future as we proceed back into outer space to gain more knowledge through exploration like the early explorers that can be heard and seen in this film.

I typically enjoy documentaries about the original moon missions, but I was quite disappointed when I watched "For All Mankind." I have to ask, "where is the documentary aspect?" Most of this film was nothing but slow, boring video shot by the original astronauts with annoying music playing in the background. They don't explain anything, the closest they come to narrating any of this is every five minutes or so, someone makes a short 15 second comment, but that's basically it.I think the History Channel did a much better job with their documentary "Failure Is Not An Option", it was 100 times better than this, simply because they combined the video from the moon missions with good narration and interviews with the original astronauts and mission control staff.In my opinion, "For All Mankind" was nothing more than a collection of the moon astronaut's home videos and it has the quality of a homemade film.

I saw this film at a very, very young age and I suspect that it is the reason I developed a heavy interest in space exploration. I recently saw this again for the first time in many years since all I had was a vague recollection of it. And after watching many times since then I have no problem saying that this is one of the best documentaries ever made.One must give the film's director, Al Reinert, at a ton of credit for his work. Who else could have come up with the brilliant notion behind this film? Who would have thought of taking footage from all of the Apollo missions (and a couple of the Gemini missions) and combining them with the words of the men who went where no one had (or has since) gone before? (Apologies for paraphrasing Star Trek) The genius of this film is that it shuns away from traditional documentary styling. Instead of compiling facts on one mission and having a well known actor/actress do the narration, the film lets those who went tell the story. Who else is better qualified? They might not be professional actors, but the astronauts don't need to be. It is the power of the events they describe that is the main reason for their presence. They are a powerful voice in this story.In many reviews I have read, I have seen complaints about the mixing of footage or the use of footage out of its context (a Gemini reentry used for the TLI burn for example). Yes the mixing is nowhere near subtle and is, thus, blatantly obvious. But it is my feeling that this mixing was necessary. The only way to get across the story of Apollo's achievement to the average person was to mix the footage. Does it really matter in the end? I mean by that this: the film isn't about a single mission to the Moon. No, the power of Apollo lies not in each mission, but in the overall effect of the Apollo program. This film is about the journey of Apollo, the effect in had on the astronauts, and the effect it had on us all.If there is one element of this film that really stayed with men it was the music. It is among the most beautiful and haunting things you will ever here. Brian Eno does a marvelous job of conveying the mystery and majesty of both space and the Moon. This is one of those scores who really have to hear to believe.For All Mankind, perhaps better then anything else out there, demonstrates the power of humanity in space. For one to really appreciate this film it needs to be seen on a large screen in surround sound. Only then can one appreciate both the film and the power of the Apollo legacy. This is the first film I've seen that I recommend to everyone. This is a film that is truly "For All Mankind".