In the Shadow of the Moon
May 2008 Reviewed by: Josh Barber Format: DVD	(all ratings out of 5): Overall Enjoyment Picture Quality Packaged Extras Sound Quality

It's been more than 35 years since man last walked on the moon, which means that there are several generations for whom NASA space missions are nothing but dull and mundane events. No longer is every shuttle launch an important cultural moment: These days we only seem to care when something goes wrong. Documentarian David Sington tries to change that with In the Shadow of the Moon.

We're used to seeing grainy old footage of the lunar explorations, but with this film we get to go much deeper. Using rare and previously unreleased footage, Sington provides audiences with new looks at the moon and the men who briefly stood upon it.

But the film is about more than pictures. The primary mission was to interview the Apollo astronauts, letting them tell their own stories rather than just relying on the dry facts and figures. Buzz Aldrin, Michael Collins, Alan Bean, Jim Lovell and many of the men who followed them regale us with their firsthand experiences 240,000 miles above the Earth. The men are at times wistful, funny, and poetic, but always eloquent about what they've seen and done, and they do a great job of sharing it with us.

In the Shadow of the Moon is a beautiful film. Sington and his team culled hours of NASA footage to show us things we've never seen before, and every inch of it has been carefully remastered so that it can stand frame-by-frame with the modern footage and still look sharp. The audio presentation isn't stunning, but it's perfectly fine, with no obvious problems or errors. There's no narrator for the film, so everyone is left to stand on his own.

It may seem odd to get bonus features for a documentary, but In the Shadow of the Moon doesn't disappoint. We begin with an optional introduction by Ron Howard, who wasn't involved with the movie but was brought in to gain the film some recognition. There's a full-length commentary by Sington, editor David Fairhead and assistant director Christopher Riley. The commentary is honest and informative, and Sington isn't afraid to point out mistakes he feels he made.

We get several bonus interviews -- the documentary equivalent of deleted scenes -- which total nearly an hour and cover a wide variety of topics. If you enjoyed the film, you'll like these as well. "Scoring Apollo: A Short Feature with Composer Phillip Sheppard" is a ten-minute piece about the music that accompanies and complements the film's stunning imagery, while "Ron Howard: Inspired by Apollo" gives the Apollo 13 director six minutes to talk about astronauts. The disc is rounded out with a selection of trailers.

In the Shadow of the Moon makes the moon a place of awe and wonder again. It's a silly cliché to say "you'll feel like you were there!" but turn down the lights, grab some Tang and settle in, and see if you don't feel like you've just taken one giant leap again with the rest of mankind.

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