IMAX: Cosmic Voyage / Destiny in Space [Blu-ray]

Back in gradeschool there was a wonderful day when we were shown "Powers of Ten". It was very fast, and very short, but one of the most jam-packed mind-expanding experiences available. In short, a math concept (the logarithm) is used zooming out, and then in, to give you a tour from wide astronomy to partical physics. Well let me tell how far we've come...Some of the graphics in this 1996 feature were rendered by the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA). That means significant supercomputing, programming, and visualization research went into our best scientific understanding of how galaxies cluster, at the farthest scale of the universe, and you get to fly around through it in this video. But of course it's the whole trip out there (and back), that's so appealing.I have to admit i've only seen this 2008 rerelease in a planetarium. I doubt the same visual shock will fit in widescreen, but even if the movie loses half its visual effect, the sense of wonder - the opportunity to think big (and small) - will remain.BTW, the original "Powers of Ten" is by Charles and Ray Eames, 1977. There's a version reproduced with permission on YouTube, and since it's only 9 minutes long, you can get a taste of the theme quickly, for free. Comparing versions, we have added two powers of ten to our knowledge since then, and the graphics are way better.

I enjoyed both presentations but Destiny in Space held my interest a bit more. Good examples of IMAX films. Both presentations possessed good image and sound quality but the Cosmic Voyage had an exceptionally high level of mid to upper bass; tended to be a bit irritating. A good bang-for-the-buck.

Very well done.

This movie is beautiful. In addition it is educational, thought provoking in how it reminds us of both our complexity while Showing us how inconsequential we really are and you get to listen to Morgan Freeman too!

Not quite as awesome as in IMAX, but very interesting.Shows the relative sizes of everything in the universe.Narrated by Morgan Freeman. The cosmic zoom near the end is breathtaking.

This movie is pretty cool, but when viewed on an HD TV the overwhelming special effects are overwhelmingly CGI. They video is still fun for the most part, but I actually prefer the Destiny in Space film that came on the disc as an extra, simply because the shots of earth from space are real, and from the best cameras possible. It's just more fun to look at.

Love this documentary, and it looks great on Bluray!

Magnificent imagery. Saw it at IMAX in smithsonian. Wasn't disappointed with this DVD. Every much as entertaining as IMAX. Great exploration of universe

Worth it for two reasons:1) The audio/video quality is stellar. IMAX is truly spectacular.2) The content features an episode dedicated to the Hubble Space Telescope's launch into outer space (mid earth orbit) - shot in IMAX.3) The content features an episode partially based on Venice, Italy - shot in IMAX.4) The special effects are still quite impressive all these years later.Someone needs to correct the running time because it's ~90 minutes total.

Cosmos Voyage is a well presented film on Humanity & the Earth's place in the Universe. A good tool for explaining perspective for anyone particularly children who enjoy all things to do with space and time.