Review: First to the Moon| 3 out of 4 Stars| Not rated
By Kyle Osborne
Serviceable, though not quite cinematic, First to the Moon, nevertheless, tells the Apollo 8 story with as much accuracy and detail as one could hope for. That’s mainly thanks to all three of its astronauts, still sharp in their 80s and 90s, who are given ample time to recount the mission in a virtual “tick-tock” style.
Near the end of a tumultuous 1968, which saw the assassinations of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy, not to mention worldwide Vietnam War protests, the Apollo 8 mission was a good news story, and NASA needed one. The mission took the United States into lunar orbit and safely back to earth, with Christmas neatly sandwiched in between.
Director Paul J. Hildebrandt has built his two-hour documentary with more substance than style-long stretches of Frank Borman, Bill Anders, and James Lovell, each filmed separately, will be perfect for “space nerds” and grown-up viewers—less so for younger viewers who might wish for more rockets and fewer soundbites. This isn’t a criticism. Indeed, our three veterans had already led eventful lives before they’d ever gotten into NASA.
Which brings me to the biggest surprise, something that has really stayed with me for days: each of these men had first failed before they succeeded. Whether they were turned away by colleges, preferred military branches, or programs, the recurring theme is that they became astronauts because they didn’t give up in the face of their earlier failures. Heck, without giving away any spoilers, they barely escaped death in their days as war pilots or, later, as test pilots. Yet, here they are.
The other “oh, wow” moment will come when it’s revealed just how the famous “Earthrise” photo was taken. We all know the photograph, but hearing actual audio of the men urgently getting the camera to shoot what their eyes were seeing is an adrenaline rush. For the record, the photo cradit goes to Bill Anders, who almost couldn’t believe his eyes at first glance.
These guys won’t be around forever, so Hildebrandt’s recording of their first person testimonies is an historical document, and one worth watching.
First to the Moon is available on iTunes and Amazon. You can also get more information by visiting: http://www.firstmoonmovie.com/
Kyle Osborne