Series review: From the Earth to the Moon

From the Earth to the Moon (1998)
From the Earth to the Moon poster Rating: 9.0/10 (6,503 votes)
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
Stars: Tom Hanks, Nick Searcy, Lane Smith, David Andrews
Runtime: 60 min
Rated: N/A
Genre: Action, Drama, History
Released: 05 Apr 1998
Plot: Dramatized portrayal of the Apollo manned space program.

I kind of can’t believe I hadn’t heard of this HBO mini-series before – I think I stumbled across it after it was mentioned in a Band of Brothers review. Immediately I knew I had to see this, since I’ve always found everything to do with space exploration immensely thrilling, especially of course the short years during which humankind actually went out there and landed on the moon.

From the Earth to the Moon covers exactly that time period, using each of its 12 episodes to showcase a different aspect of the not even 15 years. It’s a drama series, not a documentary, but considering how extensively most documentaries these days use dramatisations and how well-researched it feels, the lines are definitely blurred.

As is to be expected, the quality varies a bit from episode to episode and at times the US-patriotism and pathos gets cloying (unsurprisingly, I guess, considering the narrative of American excellence and achievement running through it all), but overall I enjoyed it so much, I mainlined the whole thing over the course of a weekend. Every episode covers a different aspect of the program, from the astronauts, the science, the engineering, the press coverage, to the toll it all took on the wives. It didn’t feel repetitive because of the different approaches used to tell each story and the stunning special effects, especially for the scenes set in space, which have barely aged at all.

I cried, I laughed, I sat on the edge of my seat and I definitely learned things I hadn’t known before. If you’re at all interested in this era of scientific and human achievement and can overlook the way the show ignores everything non-American going on in the world, this is a definite must-see.

A very human achievement
  • From the Earth to the Moon (1998)
4.5

Summary

The American race to the moon didn’t even last 15 years, from the foundation of NASA in 1958 to the last Apollo moon landing in 1972 – but what a thrilling decade it was, full of incredible human and scientific achievements. This mini-series, produced by Tom Hanks shortly after his 1995 Apollo 13 movie, covers this time, using dramatisations to make every aspect of the program come to life. Every episode approaches this thrilling time from a different angle, giving the audience the chance get to know the astronauts, the engineers, the scientists, the families – their achievements and their sacrifices and how they shaped popular culture at the time. As is only to be expected considering the subject matter, the series is chock-full of pathos and US-centric patriotism, but it still feels very well researched and never boring.