Plot Details: This opinion reveals major details about the movie's plot.

We live near the Kennedy Space Station and are kids are always watching the sky when a shuttle or rocket takes off. The kids have an interest in space and always have a lot of questions about it so I chose this movie which they were just as receptive to watching as they are to watching a traditional kid’s un-educational movie.

This is an IMAX movie which is presented by Lockheed Martin with NASA's help. It is a 45 minute documentary released in 2002 about the assembly of the space station and focuses on how humans interact in a space environment.

This reminds me of the movies that they show at the Kennedy Space Center but unfortunately the 3D effects and panamoric beauty isn't seen as strongly at home. IMAX movies are best seen at the movie theater as you may have already guessed. Still, the pictures on the television screen are amazing in high definition. I just loved seeing earth from the space station. The pictures of the space were very clear and detailed. There were a lot of breathtaking shots.

This was interesting to each of us in our family. It’s the type of movie that spawns discussion and thoughts. My 5-year-old has never asked so many questions during a movie before. My 11-year-old was really interested in seeing how things were done in an environment that didn’t have gravity. My husband and I even watched it intently because it was interesting material and presented in a more entertaining method.

The narrator, Tom Cruise, gave a lot of information about what we were seeing in an interesting way. He speaks in an easy-to-comprehend speed and adds lots of humor in his statements. There is an assortment of background music which adds value to the documentary.

A lot of the video is of the astronauts inside the space station conducting their every-day activities such as brushing their teeth, eating, fixing broken equipment, exercising, and so forth. It discussed how the astronauts adapted to things such as not having a water supply, or not having a repairman or replacement parts to fix things.

There was video of the space shuttle leaving earth for the space station which is only 220 miles about earth. We saw some of the technology that was used such as space suits and jets to get around in zero gravity. The danger of going into space was briefly addressed. There was a scene when an astronaut calls to a classroom and children ask about three questions of what it is like to be in space.

We found it interesting how 16 different countries are working on this together and how different the Russian shuttles are from our own in design and type of fuel that it uses. The parts are made in different countries with different technologies and yet they all work together successfully.

There were some personal stories that made the show more interesting and educational in a non-textbook way. There were some interviews with astronauts or a family member about their feelings before they take off in space, or how they feel at Christmas time with their loved one far away. They talk about what they miss about Earth that we take for granted that doesn’t exist in space such as walking along the beach.

Overall
The movie is more of an overview of the space station rather than a thorough investigation of it and presented in a way that would be interesting to both youth and adults. A lot of emphasis is given to what the challenges of building a space station in space and the impact and changes that humans have to overcome.

The movie created more questions about the space station and since the material was so interesting and not crammed with textbook facts we were able to retain some of the information that we heard. I quizzed the kids the next day on the show and they were able to describe the documentary with enthusiasm.

We enjoyed the movie and look forward to leaning more about the space station. As a movie for entertainment this is probably a 3 star but for a documentary considering presentation and content it is above average. It is definitely time well spent even if you have to watch it at home.



Recommended: Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Better than Watching TV
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 9 - 12