The Dream Is Alive (IMAX)

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Starring: Walter Cronkite
Rated: NR (Not Rated)
Type: DVD
Directed By: Graeme Ferguson
Studio: Imax
Release Date: 2001-06-12
Journey into space alongside the astronauts on the space shuttle as they orbit around the Earth, floating as never before over the towering Andes, the boot of Italy, Egypt and the Nile. Witness firsthand a tension-filled satellite capture and repair and the historic first spacewalk by an American woman.

DVD Features:
Interactive Menus
Other

Picture quality could have been better
I was a bit disappointed with the picture quality of this DVD. It could be that I still have the impression from seeing the movie in a real IMAX theatre at the Kennedy Space Center.

A Tale of Two Movies
Let me tell you about two movies. The first one opens with stunning footage of the shuttle landing at the Cape, with you in the cockpit. It also displays three launches, one more landing, a 150-mph zoom at fifty feet over the Florida beach that banks towards the launch pad, and some footage of familiar geography from space, all with gorgeous cinematography and wonderful music.

The second film consists of long cuts of astronauts floating around inside their tiny ten by six foot cabin, playing with honeybees and eating dinner, their menu described dreamily by Walter Cronkite.

Of course this is the same movie. "The Dream Is Alive" is both exhilarating and disappointing, for the above-mentioned reasons. IMAX is perfect for grand sights like shuttle launches, landings, and heavenly views of the Earth from space. It's not nearly as spellbinding when so much time is spent on a couple of astronauts floating around their closet-sized cabin.

There's little narrative thread or information, so one naturally expects to get more of the magnificent cinematography than one does. The final disappointment is when the movie that began with a heart-pounding shuttle landing, decides to end by just trailing off into space, pun intended. We've seen the shuttle launch, and for all we know the crew never comes down because the credits are already rolling.

While "Hail Columbia" was frustratingly short on actual IMAX footage, the linear storyline and triumphant emotional punch are quite superior to "The Dream is Alive".

Pretty, but not much substance
"The Dream is Alive" does not do well in the transition to the small screen. Its pretty footage of the shuttle in flight is inevitably less impressive, and it does not have enough substance to make up for the loss of spectacle.

The film is largely a puff-piece for the shuttle program sponsored by Lockheed and NASA. Its simple boosterism (so to speak) is a bit embarassing after the Challenger, the Columbia, and the growing consensus that the Shuttle program was a blind alley at best, a white elephant at worst.

Some other IMAX films on DVD make up for the loss of spectacle by adding substance, but "The Dream is Alive" has no added features or commentary. It's also quite short. Even for fans of the Space Shuttle itself, other IMAX films such as "Space Station" will provide better value for money.

Great Companion to Dr. Strangelove
Is the movie propaganda for NASA and the shuttle program? Sure.

That leaves only one question, then: is it GOOD propaganda??

I'd say so. The film's objective is, visually, to take the viewer into space. People would pay good American money to go into special theatres with surround screens and be transported.

Yes, it was expensive to make IMAX movies. Add to that the enormous cost in payload to take that huge camera apparatus into space...

What we have left is this and your family room. Our home theatre sound systems are typically up to the task, but the visual experience is a toughie. Even if you have the most expensive HDTV setup, it cannot be the same as experiencing these visuals in a dedicated IMAX theatre.

It's a huge, taxpayer-supported roller coaster ride boiled down to your family room. Can it be the same as what was intended? Nope.

But it did help me remember, clearly, the amazing experience that this was in the IMAX theater when I saw it twenty years ago.

Easily the best Space IMAX movie
I have seen this movie dozens of times, both in Imax theaters and on VHS and now DVD. It never gets old. I envy those that are seeing this for the first time: a couple of tips: watch on the biggest screen available with a good surround system hooked up and volume turned up to 11. Press "Play" and prepare to be blown away!