From the Earth to the Moon (2005, DVD)

From Earth to the Moon is a wonderful DVD presentation of the critically acclaimed HBO series, and no collector of space or DVD's should be without it.

Chronicling the story of NASA and its challenge of bringing America to the Moon, the story unfolds smoothly, with each mission from the tragic Apollo 1 right through the last moon visit treated as being just as important as Neil Armstrong's first, tentative steps on our sister world.

The DVD presentation is very well done, supporting Dolby 5.1 - though there isn't a lot of rear channel effects - each rocket launch is glorious, with deep thundering bass. Center channel is a little light, and I had to boost the center volume to hear the dialogue over the music soundtrack.

Visually, the picture is stunning, in its 4:3 aspect ratio (no widescreen, but then it WAS made for TV, after all). CGI generated special effects are above par for a TV show, and I swear I've seen some of these shots in Apollo 13 . There are plenty of extras found on the 4th disk, including interviews, cast notes, etc.

You'll suffer deja vu, if you've seen Apollo 13 , as many of the same actors appear here, if sometimes in different roles. Acting is superb, with just the right mix of hot shot astronauts and steely eyed missile men to please NASA watchers.

As with any series of this type, episodes can be uneven, but all are winners here - my personal favorite being Apollo 12, with a humorous performance by Dave Foley as the LEM pilot, 4th man ever to set foot on the moon. The episode for Apollo 10's fly by of the moon is mostly depression, with many montages of 1968 detailing the various tragedies and distractions of that year: the deaths of King, Malcolm and Kennedy, the Vietnam war, etc, but ends of a positive note, showing the power of the human spirit to achieve great things.

It is 12 hours of viewing, so don't expect to watch all of 'em in one sitting! Personally, we've been watching a few episodes on those Friday's we have no social life - which is sadly quite often, actually.

A wonderful story, and a fantastic presentation on DVD make this a great value, and not to be missed!