After reading the other reviews on this site, all of which granted five stars, I bought this disk set. As a great admirer of the Apollo program and a reasonably well-informed student of that effort, I fell compelled to offer a different review.
Positives: As others have noted, there is seldom-seen footage and it is really good to see. The use of NASA audio and the definite lack of overdramatization (that smothers some other notable multi-disk videos) is also welcome. Seeing the entire lunar EVA is good to see (finally). The minimalistic narratives at times help focus the viewer on what was really going on. There are some uses of multiple-angle views that are novel, but the astonauts' post-flight audio commentary (covering some key mission events)are more interesting. These are significant positives that the Apollo fan will appreciate.
Negatives: While there is some great footage and audio bits, one should remember that that was the result of NASA's prodigious work -- and considerable public money. The producers' job was to assemble and present them as a coherent narrative. They do their best when they simply let the NASA video play (for example, in the case of the entire EVA). But what they themselves have done is quite modest and at times thoughtless. First, they provide absolutely no overall narrative, although several methods -- a second audio track, accompanying booklet, use of subtitles, an occasional diagram -- could have been used. Those not familiar with the mission's major milestones (preparation, science goals, staging, critcal manuevers, etc.) will not gain insight and will be confused by some of the offerings. Take, for example, the footage labeled "probe and drogue" (disk 3), presented after the landing footage. With knowledge of the mission, one can figure out that it was taken shortly after LM-CSM docking, before the landing. But if you don't have this knowledge, or even what the probe and drogue assemblies are, you're left in the dark and perhaps puzzled as to its place in the mission. The lack of context confuses and fails to educate. Repeatedly, the disks choose not to illuminate the viewer when they easily could have (again, through optional subtitles or 2nd audio track). On disk 1, one sees ~15 minutes of video from a top-mounted camera looking down at the vehicle, poised for launch. It is accompanied by very sparse commentary from an Apollo public-affairs official who largely marks time until launch. One sits through at least five segments of no audio, each lasting 1.5 to 3 minutes! Even one predisposed to like this kind of DVD gets restless at staring at this uninformative shot for that long. Finally, the editing at times is thoughtless. During the section on vehicle roll-out, there are many nice shots of the vehicle, launch tower, and mobile service structure. However, they are inanely and repeatedly shown out of order, one minute ready to launch, the next with the service gantry surrounding it (i.e., events that are days apart). And while presenting NASA audio of the countdown 2 hrs prior to launch, they show the 3 astronauts on top of the launch tower...in shirt sleeves! Later, they show them getting suited up, again with the audio mismatched to the time when they're already in the command module! These large mismatches were simply not necessary.
In summary, I think a die-hard Apollo fan (such as myself) will welcome the additional footage and the lack of over-the-top dramatization. The moon EVA footage is a real highlight. However, the $45 cost, the nice packaging and dramatic menus belie the lack of useful editing and supportive narrative. This set is will interest Apollo admirers, but doesn't do the less-informed viewer any favors. Finally, I have no financial interest in this product.
