Whenever an IMAX film is released to DVD, viewers have to cope with the inevitable tradeoff: the gigantic IMAX format loses most of its grandeur (even on the best widescreen monitors), yet always retains the impressive, vividly-lifelike clarity. The residual sense of wonder is especially apparent in Space Station, the most successful of all six IMAX space films to date, which serves as a magnificent primer on the International Space Station, humankind's first international (focusing on American and Russian cooperation) long-term space habitat. Narrated with awestruck enthusiasm by Tom Cruise, the box office hit follows the IMAX formula with equal measures of educational content, the joy of exploration, and characteristic one-of-a-kind imagery (shuttles launching, marvelous vistas of Earth from high orbit, astronauts frolicking in zero-gravity, the excitement of EVA missions outside the space station itself, etc.) that make the franchise so special. A tad bit dry at times (hey, science can't always be exciting), the program is nevertheless guaranteed to entertain grownups and inspire at least a few kids into spacefaring careers. Recommended. [Note: DVD extras include the production featurette “Adventures in Space--The Process of Moviemaking,” two astronaut guided tours of the ISS, and a gallery of never-before-seen photos. Bottom line: a fine extras package for a solid IMAX entry.] (J. Shannon)
Space Station
Warner, 47 min., not rated, DVD: $19.99, July 19 Volume 20, Issue 4
Space Station
Star Ratings
As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.
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