Overview: When you consider the odds against success, the achievements on glorious display in Roving Mars are almost miraculous. This excellent IMAX production follows the familiar IMAX format; at 40 minutes in length, it's not as wide-ranging as other documentaries might be, but in chronicling the design, launch, and successful landings of NASA's robotic Mars rovers Spirit and Opportunity, it offers an unprecedented level of visual splendor, highlighted by amazingly accurate computer-animated depictions of what really happened when the rovers arrived at their destination.

DVD Verdict: From BVHE, and combining the talents of veteran IMAX director George Butler and top-ranking Hollywood producer Frank Marshall (best known for his frequent collaborations with Steven Spielberg), this celebration of science and technology begins with a raspy introduction narrated by Paul Newman, then dives right into the formidable challenge of launching and landing the rovers on time and budget, with a looming deadline of optimal Mars/Earth orbital alignment occurring only once every 26 months.

We saw a clip of this video at the National Air & Space Museum. My kids, ages 3 and 5, were riveted! We searched the gift shop for the video but were disappointed that it had not yet been released. Several weeks later I came across it quite by accident on TV and taped it for my older son, who loves outer space and has been fascinated by Mars and the rovers since our trip to the museum. Most general audience space documentaries do not keep his attention, but he loved this one.

The narration is almost conversational, not your typical dry, boring voiceover. The video is informative enough for adults and yet still accessible for kids. The images are amazing, no matter what your age. I have looked forward to adding this DVD to our collection ever since ... so I can stop fast-forwarding the commercials on our tape! This is a Full Screen Presentation (1.33:1) and a Widesreen Presentation (1.78:1) e nhanced for 16x9 TVs and comes with the Special Features of:
Bonus Movie: Mars And Beyond
"Mars: Past, Present & Future"