For those of you who missed Hubble in IMAX, of which I am regrettably one, do not hesitate to pick up the most transformative 44 minutes of documentary filmmaking you’ll have watched in a long time. Some of the most breathtaking views of our universe and the daily struggles of mere men to preserve one of our greatest inventions will ensure you are rooted to your seat for the duration. My only warning is this: prepare to feel small.
Narrated by Leonardo DiCaprio, Hubble combines IMAX footage shot on the 2009 repair run of the Hubble Telescope by Space Shuttle Atlantis with images from the telescope itself, newsreel footage, and a motley assortment of hand-cameras. The intention is perfectly executed, capturing the climate of Hubble’s original launch, the urgency of its repairs, and the epic heroism of those brave souls who venture into a place no human is meant to survive.
An event that was undoubtedly lost in the daily newsfeed of worldwide tragedies and meaningless broadcasts, the dramatic 2009 repair ensured our eye-in-the-sky will look ever deeper into the staggering expanse of space. Forgoing any CGI, Hubble relies solely on the actual telescopic images, and the result makes Avatar look like an early Disney cartoon.
Just when you think the images couldn’t possibly become more staggering, the newly installed infrared lens pushes aside the veils of space to reveal even more beauty and wonder. The film remains confidently objective, neither taking a political standpoint nor neglecting the obvious value of Hubble and NASA in a time when the nation is questioning their function. It is the patience of the filmmaking and mind-blowing nature of the images that will have you forgetting anything else in your world, your eyes glued to the screen.
To think our government could ever consider letting Hubble breakdown and crash out of orbit, captures the true peril of our times. As cities put out hiring freezes on teachers and public libraries are forced to close, the numerous battles and programs of conflict continue to get generously funded. It seems, after watching the film, that mankind has forgotten the power of knowledge. TVs may become 3D and video games may dominate a child’s life, but no realm will ever be more vivid than that of the individual’s imagination. It is this imagination that rallied a world deep in a Cold War around a single man’s footsteps, and it is this imagination that burns brightest for the future of not this generation, or even the next, but of all generations yet to inhabit our planet.
Leonardo DiCaprio’s own activism for green policy heralds the end of the film, when Earth, a shining orb alone in a black sky, has never looked more like home. With some of our closest neighbors hundreds of trillions of miles away, the value of a home that sustains us comes with a cold chill. The message is clear: we have to do better.
DVD Bonus Features
The DVD is basic, with the usual language options and a trailer. Although, it is worth checking out the only real special feature: "Inside IMAX’s Hubble 3D". Featuring interviews with the creative team, as well as the courageous astronauts who braved the abyss, the 8-minute video is a love-song to Hubble in which everyone recalls the power of the first images from the Telescope they’d seen. Undoubtedly, there is an altogether different documentary to be made about space training, but this quick and casual look at NASA’s work from the filmmakers’ perspectives arouses the sense of pride and fascination that kept our world staring at the television sets on July 21st, 1969. As countries devote ever-greater resources to conflict, Hubble reminds us what we are capable of in our best moments. It dares us all to ask the questions that have chased the great minds of this and every time, fueling the pursuit of pure knowledge. Nations will rise and fall, but when mankind is prepared to reach for its better angels, they’re out there in the great beyond waiting for us.
"IMAX Hubble" is on sale March 19, 2010 and is rated G. Documentary. Directed by Toni Myers. Written by Frank Summers, Toni Myers. Starring Leonardo DiCaprio.
