DVD Review:
Voyage to the Planets and Beyond

Yes, I will admit it. It is inevitable. My husband and I are geeks at heart, and we can't help but raise geeky children.

Last week I took my kids to the library. As we browsed through the DVD section my preschooler found a video with an astronaut on the cover. He begged to take the DVD home. I quickly scanned the back of the video, saw that it was a BBC production for the Discovery Channel, and thought that it might be an interesting show. I gave my son permission to borrow the DVD with the stipulation that I had to watch it first (to see if it was appropriate).

A few nights later, Ben and I popped the DVD into our computer and settled in to our couch cushions. We were in for a pleasant surprise! Voyage to the Planets and Beyond is an excellent video.

The story is set in the near-future and the plot is believable and realistic. The characters come across as genuine. I thought the computer graphics were quite good. The show plays in two episodes and runs for approximately two hours in total.

The DVD jacket provides the follow description:

Five astronauts embark on an extraordinary and awe-inspiring journey. Their mission: to land on and explore the most extreme worlds that orbit the sun. As nerve-wracking drama gives way to incredible spectacle, they are taken to their physical and psychological limits in an astonishing voyage of discovery.

Voyage to the Planets will especially appeal to fans of Star Trek and other science fiction shows. It also reminded me of the movie Apollo 13. I found the voyage so enjoyable, I would like to watch the DVD again to catch the details I missed the first time through.

I am thankful that my space-loving son spotted this DVD at the library. However, some of the action depicted in Voyage to the Planets is not appropriate for small children.