The filmmakers used some spectacular footage I've never seen before and seem to have done a fine job of conveying the emotions astronauts felt as they flew lunar missions.
However, this film should NOT be taken as a historical document. They mixed footage from various Apollo missions as well as earlier Gemini missions to creative a loose mission timeline. In one case that I noticed, the audio from one mission was used with video from another mission, and I'm sure there were other cases. Again, the goal of the film was to convey the emotions rather than a completely factual recounting of the program.
One area in which the filmmakers failed was with the landing of Apollo 11's lunar module, Eagle, carrying Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin. The actual landing was much, much more dramatic and suspenseful than was shown in the film. In fact, the crew was literally less than a minute from having to abort the landing because of their fuel state. The landing area picked out by the automated system was pockmarked with craters, making it dangerous for a landing, so Armstrong had to take over, choose a different landing spot, and handle the whole thing manually. The filmmakers skipped over that, and I believe that was a major mistake. For anyone that's interested, actual footage and audio from that landing drama is available on YouTube.
The film's intent was fairly narrow and it succeeded in that, but it played loose with the details. See it but don't take it for gospel as a historical record.
However, this film should NOT be taken as a historical document. They mixed footage from various Apollo missions as well as earlier Gemini missions to creative a loose mission timeline. In one case that I noticed, the audio from one mission was used with video from another mission, and I'm sure there were other cases. Again, the goal of the film was to convey the emotions rather than a completely factual recounting of the program.
One area in which the filmmakers failed was with the landing of Apollo 11's lunar module, Eagle, carrying Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin. The actual landing was much, much more dramatic and suspenseful than was shown in the film. In fact, the crew was literally less than a minute from having to abort the landing because of their fuel state. The landing area picked out by the automated system was pockmarked with craters, making it dangerous for a landing, so Armstrong had to take over, choose a different landing spot, and handle the whole thing manually. The filmmakers skipped over that, and I believe that was a major mistake. For anyone that's interested, actual footage and audio from that landing drama is available on YouTube.
The film's intent was fairly narrow and it succeeded in that, but it played loose with the details. See it but don't take it for gospel as a historical record.