From the Earth to the Moon (TV Mini Series) Le voyage dans la lune (1998) User Reviews

Disappointing finish to the series

[Solnichka · 8/10 · 16 February 2016]

Another unsuccessful attempt at being creative with the storytelling, the final episode of this series misses the mark. First, we're subjected to Hanks hamming it up as a fictional character, and second, there were so many good stories to be told about Apollo 17, etc. Why focus on this angle? Oh well ... don't blame Tchéky Karyo for the crappy writing here! He is good as Georges Méliès, but again, the whole episode doesn't work well. The "flashback" interviews are the best part of the episode, but why not explore the experiences of Gene Cernan more fully? He was the last man to walk on the moon, and we haven't been back. That in itself could be a whole episode. Also ignored in the process of the final episodes was Charlie Duke, one of the more engaging astronauts ever (along the lines of Alan Bean, who got his own episode in the series). Duke was CAPCOM for Apollo 11's landing, too, and then walked on the moon during Apollo 16's mission. He's basically ignored by the writers. Too bad they chose this kind of random way to end the series, because there were some good stories missed elsewhere in the process. One thing all writers should learn in college is that the conclusion of any written endeavor has to outdo the introduction, and on this note, the series fails with this episode.