Blu-ray Review Apollo 11 Blu-ray Review (1 Viewer)

[dpippel]

I just picked it up from iTunes in 4K for $9.99. Looking forward to watching it!

 

[Jeffrey D]

I was blown away by the picture quality of the footage. Excellent documentary.

 

[Tino]

Hmm. I see it available as HD only.

 

[dpippel]

 

[Tino]

Yeah. Never mind.

 

[dpippel]

I hate it when that happens.

 

[Osato]

Encouraging people to not be in a hurry to buy anything.
Wait till they get it right.

 

[Mark-P]

Encouraging people to not be in a hurry to buy anything.
Wait till they get it right.

Only iTunes purchases will get it in 4K. All code redemptions will be HD because there is no 4K Blu-ray.

 

[benbess]

Encouraging people to not be in a hurry to buy anything.
Wait till they get it right.

Is there something wrong with the 4K from itunes?

 

[Robert Crawford]

As much as I want to see this, I'll hold off for now and hope for a 4K release, either on disc or streaming.

The stream has upgraded to 4K/HDR on iTunes. I’m happy I bought it at $9.99

 

[dpippel]

The stream has upgraded to 4K/HDR on iTunes. I’m happy I bought it at $9.99

Yep, I picked it up in 4K for $9.99 on Tuesday Robert. See my post at the top of this page. I'll be watching it tomorrow night with some friends.

 

[Doug Wallen]

I grew up during the 60's and I was fascinated by the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo programs. I had and Aunt and Uncle who lived in Cocoa. They used to manufacture tie tacks modeled after space capsules. A neighbor of theirs worked at NASA and provided details/blueprints to help them make accurate capsules/LEM.

I was immediately transported back to my youth while watching this film. I was blown away by the 65mm footage. Such a visual feast. Thanks to everyone who recommended this disc.

 

[Tino]

Is there something wrong with the 4K from itunes?

Not at all.

 

[Mark-P]

And now Vudu has it available in 4K as well, but of course separate purchase required since they don't do free 4K upgrades.

 

[The Drifter]

Just recently saw Apollo 11 on Blu - I went into watching the doc. knowing nothing about this. WOW! The PQ - especially early on in the doc. - was truly stunning. I have never seen 50-year old archival footage that looked this good. Though most/many of the later sequences were understandably "rough", much of the early control room footage & some of the exterior shots (showing the large groups of people gathered outside, watching the launch) are incredibly sharp - amazing. In fact, when I initially started watching the film, I suspected parts of the film/doc. were actually a modern recreation that recreated everything to make it look like it took place in 1969. Then, I watched some more & as time went on, it was obvious it was all archival footage. Everything looked extremely believable re: the era - right down to the cars, hairstyles, clothes, etc. - i.e., no recreation I've ever seen looked this authentic.

I wasn't yet born when this iconic launch occurred, so didn't see this on TV - nor do I ever remember seeing any news programs about this, etc. However, the doc. brought me right back to that era - if only temporarily.

Re: the film itself, very interesting. I didn't mind the lack of narration, etc. that would typically be seen in a doc. like this. Obviously, the footage spoke for itself. Well-done!

In addition to the obviously impressive moon launch footage & the footage surrounding the launch, I liked the other little minor touches: I.e., it was interesting to see the brief lunch room scenes showing a sign for 5 cent coffee, as well as the mention of what later came to be known as the Chappaquiddick incident/tragedy - which happened as the moon launch was occurring.

 

[Mark-P]

Just recently saw Apollo 11 on Blu - I went into watching the doc. knowing nothing about this. WOW! The PQ - especially early on in the doc. - was truly stunning. I have never seen 50-year old archival footage that looked this good. Though most/many of the later sequences were understandably "rough", much of the early control room footage & some of the exterior shots (showing the large groups of people gathered outside, watching the launch) are incredibly sharp - amazing. In fact, when I initially started watching the film, I suspected parts of the film/doc. were actually a modern recreation that made everything look like it took place in 1969. Then, I watched some more & as time went on, it was obvious it was all archival footage. Everything looked extremely believable re: the era - right down to the cars, hairstyles, clothes, etc. - i.e., no recreation I've ever seen looked this authentic.

I wasn't yet born when this iconic launch occurred, so have 0 memories of seeing this on TV, etc. However, the doc. brought me right back to that era - if only temporarily.

Re: the film itself, very interesting. I didn't mind the lack of narration, etc. that would typically be seen in a doc. like this. Obviously, the footage spoke for itself. Well-done!

In addition to the obvious impressive moon launch footage & the footage surrounding the launch, I liked the other little minor touches: I.e., it was interesting to see the lunch room shots showing a sign for 5 cent coffee, as well as the mention of what later came to be known as the Chappaquiddick incident/tragedy - which happened as the moon launch was occurring.

It's the 65/70 mm footage that you are marveling over. Check out the short restoration documentary to learn about the origin of that footage.

 

[English Patient]

I've watched the blu-ray 3 times over the last week, and it's become one of my favorite films of the last few years. I think it edges out the Al Reinert doc For All Mankind (which is very, very good) because it's more immersive and focused on one mission rather than the entirety of the Apollo program. The lack of narration and talking heads is a big plus, as well, because I think landing on the moon was such an incredible, awe-inspiring, one-of-a-kind event that it's almost futile to have experts try to put it all into words. Better to let the experience speak for itself and let the viewer come to his/her own conclusion.

If anyone is on the fence about getting this, don't hesitate - it's excellent.

 

[Keith Cobby]

My copy arrived in time for a viewing last night with my son (I was 8 when watching Neil and Buzz walk on the moon). I have watched many hours of Apollo film and interviews over the last 50 years but nothing as good as this amazing film. It is so well edited together, you forget that it happened 50 years ago. We were transfixed by the descent of the LM with the countdown fuel clock and height rapidly reducing from 50,000 ft, the astronauts working on the moon, and the film of the LM approaching and docking with the CM, and then splashdown.

The passage of time just makes it seem an even more extraordinary achievement.

 

[English Patient]

The passage of time just makes it seem an even more extraordinary achievement.

It certainly does. It almost seems like something out of a myth or a wild Biblical story, because no other event in history comes close to its grandeur and audaciousness.

The Apollo 11 documentary has quickly become one of my all-time favorite films. I've enjoyed many other Apollo documentaries recently (like Chasing the Moon), and even though they're all interesting and informative, Miller's Apollo 11 doc just feels more powerful. I haven't seen the old Moonwalk One documentary from the early '70s, and I'm curious how it compares to this new one.

 

[Nelson Au]

I was going to watch First Man tonight, but I think I’ll watch Apollo 11 instead after reading the comments!

I grew up on Apollo too, so this new 65mm footage sounds like a real time travel capsule.