While the spectacular shots of spacewalks and blasting into space are probably a bigger appeal for most, the extensive interviews are probably the more valuable part, as we hear from NASA veterans like flight directors Gene Kranz and Chris Kraft and the astronauts who made history like John Glenn, Scott Carpenter, Buzz Aldrin, and even the somewhat reclusive Neil Armstrong. The series feels less like a documentary and more like story time with these giants of American history, and it’s a truly great accomplishment to have the stories of all of these men compiled in one set – future generations will benefit.
The 1080i HD presentation looks as good as you can expect from footage as old as some of this is. There’s plenty of grain and spots on the film stock, but the color and black levels look better than they ought to on archive footage. The interviews, shot in HD, are remarkably crisp. The audio is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1, and isn’t a major player here, as a single channel of interviewed voices is the primary audio.
The special features are basically just footage that didn’t make it into the final presentation, along with original NASA films. With an entire disc devoted to special features, this is a set that’s worthwhile even for those who already saw the miniseries on TV.
When We Left Earth is a production of the highest quality – it’s a Blu-ray set that is both historically significant and technically excellent.
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