Who's in It: Buzz Aldrin, Alan Bean, Eugene Cernan, Michael Collins, Jim Lovell, Edgar D. Mitchell, Harrison Schmitt, Dave Scott, John Young
The Basics: Most of the surviving astronauts from the first lunar landing reminisce about their lives at the time, their fears and the culture it all took place in. And through it all, you get to see some really great archival footage, some of it never-before-seen anywhere. If you weren't alive when it happened — or else, like me, you were three years old and didn't really care — this is your chance to feel what it was like to witness history being made.
What's the Deal? A really thorough, really amazing documentary about how technology in the 1960s seemed like something we'd all use to make the world better, how once America sent men into outer space, things were suddenly going to turn magical and we'd all live like The Jetsons. And while you watch this, you can pretend for a couple of hours like you're back there. There's that much warm hopefulness just radiating off the screen.
Most Conspicuously Absent: Neil Armstrong. He's there in the archival footage, and that's his camera-shy mother you see on an old I've Got a Secret clip, but the man himself doesn't give a lot of interviews these days. If you had people bugging you all the time about what it was like to be the first person to walk on the moon, you might turn off your phone, too.
Major Points for: Even-handedness. It never gets too "rah-rah, USA" or sentimental. The material itself is strong enough that you don't have to spread it on thick to get how awe-inspiring it all was. And it also refuses to shy away from the disasters that plagued early attempts at space flight, including the deaths of three astronauts in a test capsule.
Who Will Be Best Served by It: NASA. Because seriously, the most compelling thing anyone's heard about astronauts lately is that lady in the diaper.