Journey to Space Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		1.0
Overall		3.5

Journey to Space Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman May 4, 2016

Some curmudgeons may wonder whether there really should have been a question mark adorning the end of Journey to Space’s title, since the halcyon days of the United States space program seem to be behind us, at least when compared to the rush of the sixties and the Moon landing, and subsequent adventures with the space shuttle. I’m old enough to actually remember that 1969 journey to our nearest neighbor, and the excitement it engendered (as well as the occasional outré reaction, like the insistence that it was being faked from a television studio in New Jersey). Journey to Space wants to make the case that we’re at the dawn of a new age in space exploration, but with a structure that concentrates initially on what amounts to an epitaph for the shuttle program, its thesis seems wobbly at best.

There’s a litany of several previous NASA and/or IMAX films credited in an opening text card before Journey to Space begins, an early sign that this brief “outing” has a rather cobbled together feeling. That only tends to add to a central question some may have while watching Journey to Space: what exactly is the point? It would seem to be a kind of cheerleading, “rah rah” documentary meant to hype interest in America’s space program, but if that’s so, why does an undue amount of this piece instead document a part of that program which is for all intents and purposes over and done with?

There’s certainly a lot of interesting and even inspiring information in this first part, however, though ironically some of the most compelling footage actually documents the delivery of the Endeavour to the California Science Center through an insane labyrinth of city streets, a feat of engineering that astronaut Chris Ferguson, who (despite the advertised presence of Patrick Stewart) narrates a long swath of the film, actually jokes looks at least as daunting as the engineering that actually got the Endeavour into space. But for a film which starts with an iconic quote from Carl Sagan about limitless possibilities and Man's propensity to "wander", then gives a very brief overview of some of Man’s early attempts at flight (imagine the prologue of Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines or even the recently reviewed Master of the World trimmed down to just a few seconds), the long detour through space shuttle history may provoke stifled yawns in some, at least those who are yearning for skies yet unexplored.

The shuttle information is perhaps more understandable within the larger context of the International Space Station (the shuttle is after all described as a “delivery truck” of sorts for the ISS). There’s some appealing footage of the multinational forces who have manned (and womanned) the International Space Station, and the fact that some of them have spent many months in a weightless environment provides a natural segue of sorts to the section of Journey to Space that finally starts more of a forward thinking, “where will be headed next?” kind of approach.

In another break away from Patrick Stewart’s redolent tones, newish astronaut Serena Aunon takes over for another stretch, this time documenting her part in the “next generation” (sorry) of explorers who will hopefully be traveling to Mars one day. There’s some neat footage of the new Orion crew vehicle that’s being prepared for deep space exploration as well as some of the training regimens to operate it which are being developed. Interestingly, there are some deep space “vehicles” in planning stages that are inflatable balloons in a manner of speaking which resemble the big habitats that are part of The Martian, albeit not tethered to a planet. In fact lovers of the Matt Damon film will probably be geeking out on the prospects of a Mars landing which are documented in Journey to Space.

In a rather interesting marketing gambit, and one which I’m personally encountering for the first time in my reviewing career, Shout! Factory has decided to release Journey to Space in both a two disc version which includes both the 4K UHD iteration as well as a combo Blu- ray offering both 2D and 3D presentations in 1080p, as well as a standalone 1080p Blu-ray offering only the 2D version. Those without 3D televisions will obviously probably prefer the standalone version, but even those who haven’t yet adopted the new 4K UHD format may be drawn to the two disc release if they at least have a 3D television and Blu-ray player. That way they’re “future proofed” and will already have the 4K UHD version should they jump into the fray with this newfangled hardware. Future proofing is in a way one of the central lessons Journey to Space itself deals with, and it’s funny in a way this disc release should bring up tangential issues itself in somewhat the same regard.

Journey to Space Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Journey to Space is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Shout! Factory with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1. Those interested may want to read my thoughts on the video quality in our Journey to Space 4K + 3D Blu-ray review, but as a brief summary, it's important to realize that this documentary was cobbled together from a huge array of different source formats, including everything from 65mm to digital capture to older archival video elements, and as such there's a fairly heterogeneous look to the proceedings. While according to the Behind the Scenes featurette, things were scanned at up to 11K (and, no, that's not a typo), when one factors in the vast array of source elements, there's an understandable disparity in sharpness, clarity and grain structure (when existent). Overall, the image is incredibly sharp and well detailed, with some lustrous hues and excellent black levels. CGI is reasonably sharp looking, though it's often fairly minimally detailed. There are one or two very brief moments of image instability, including some shimmer on solar panels on a quick view of the International Space Station, but overall this is a stunning looking Blu-ray with no compression issues or major faults to concern videophiles.

Journey to Space Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Journey to Space features an absolutely overpowering Dolby Atmos mix which will have both your floorboards and your ceiling boards (if such things exist) rattling during a couple of launch sequences featuring space shuttles. The Atmos speakers provide a wash of overhead activity as the shuttle rises from the launchpad, and there's an almost vibrational essence pulsating through the air that can virtually be felt. Some great attention to detail is also lavished on discrete channel placement for effects. One notable moment comes during a landing of the shuttle where there's a clear rattling sound emanating from the rear right channel that had me thinking, "You know, someone really ought to look into that." The documentary has the typical overamped score that is often a part of such outings (including some needless quotes from Holst's The Planets), and there were a few times where I felt the music was competing with the sonorous tones of Patrick Stewart, but never to the point that I couldn't hear the narration. Fidelity is superb and dynamic range incredibly wide on this awesome sounding track.

Journey to Space Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Behind the Scenes (1080p; 5:03)


• Picture Gallery (1080p; 1:30)

Journey to Space Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Journey to Space may not in fact go where no one has gone before, and arguably spends too much time on where we've already been, but it provides a glut of fascinating imagery (both earthbound and stellar) as well as offering a generalist overview of where our space program (such as it is) is at the current time. The documentary never proves to be quite as exhilarating or consistently inspirational as I would have hoped, but its technical merits are top notch. Recommended.