Most of us will remember the words by Neil Armstrong, "…one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind…". But how many of us associate the words "Magnificent Desolation" with the moon? Edwin ‘Buzz' Aldrin did when he walked on the moon. In this short piece of documentary, one can experience first hand exactly how magnificent it is to be on the moon.

"Magnificent Desolation" is a description of what it is like to be on the moon. It also allows us the experience of getting splashed at with dirt from the moon, showing us how difficult it is to even walk on the moon and the process of what it takes to get to the moon. Isn't that amazing? One day you have your feet on the ground and the next, you're on a different planet breathing only from the oxygen tank you carry on your back.

The film features historical clips and really gives us a taste of reality in weightless space. Definitely better than reading a book about space, and with the help of Tom Hanks' narration, we get to understand the moon experience just by seeing and hearing. To add a little spice to the documentary, the producers also interviewed cute little kids who came up with some pretty interesting answers that seem so spontaneous it might even have been original.

One memorable bit in the movie was when you get to see the different types of walk that astronauts have to do whilst on the moon. Some hop like rabbits, others gallop along like gazelles on the run, others just tumble over. The shots that show them falling over, do get some laughs.

The film tries to explain to us that achieving such a thing as walking on the moon is by no means an easy task. You don't wake up and just go. Instead, there is a lot of preparation for both the equipment as well as the astronauts themselves. Working together is another key element that the movie emphasizes on. Just as you rely on your partner while you climb a mountain, you have to cooperate while you're on the moon. Failing to do so might cost you your own life.

The effects and cinematography of this film is fair. Portrayal of the moon and the feeling of isolation are definitely felt. If the film wasn't in 3D, it probably would not fare as well, as it is the 3D that takes us there. And 3D is probably the closest most of us will ever get to the moon.

I felt the film could have told more about the families of the astronauts. Perhaps touching on the human element and motivation that these astronauts have before they actually stepped on the moon would have given the film a more personal feel. There were some bits of the documentary that got a little dull. However, with it being 45 minutes, there wasn't much time to take a nap. On the whole, "Magnificent Desolation" is an insightful film that will probably only appeal to people who enjoy space or have their eyes set on walking on the moon.

That's such a lovely title isn't it, "Magnificent Desolation"? It's the kind of phrase that conjures those oxymoronic characters in your minds eye, maddened genius haunted by ghosts, fighting an impossible task against common belief. It's somewhat musical; like an orchestra of chaos, the glorification of death, the possibilities are endless.

Your hands are shivering, your throat is dry, boy oh BOY this is gonna be great!

Fear the mighty hand of REALITY! Smack, and Smack it goes!

It's around then that you notice the rest of the title, "Walking On the Moon" (in IMAX 3D! whee!). Might I say that it's not often that the poster completely gives away the movie. Give the poster a glance, and you see a person walking on the moon. Shift your eyes to the title, and its called walking on the moon. Pity my redundant neurons; they wasted a synapse thinking the exact same thing in less than a second.

After my awestruck senses recovered, (mind you I was reeling from excitement, really.) I put on my charity hat, and stood there thinking. It's a space show, so there might be cool super fast shuttle flight scenes (one of the things actually going for IMAX), there might be some meteor storm that'll make me turn my popcorn tub over, use it as a helmet and jump for cover as the cosmos are flung at me, there might be crashes, tension, excitement, spiffy IMAX-ness, ALIENS!!.

Then again, there might be something more interesting to do inside an elevator lift. All those shiny buttons make me go up and down!

As the lights dimmed, I dimmed it further by donning my funky IMAX glasses and sat back. Tom Hanks it said, sure crowd puller, great actor, massive screen presence, and a whimsical narratical role in "Magnificent Desolation". And so it began, a great adventure of deceit and lies, a web of conspiracies shielding a truth that could shake the very foundations of…

Wait.

Wrong show. I was dreaming of something else. Whoa! Does that mean I fell asleep? The Humanity!

I pulled myself off the floor, and wiped the drool off my shades. I was frantic, what did I miss?! Slamming my back into the seat, I am greeted by a studio shot of a little girl saying "When I grow up I want to be an astronaut". Followed by a little boy saying the same thing, then by a group of little boys idolising the stars. Rotten brainwashing tricks won't work on me, subliminal astronaut propaganda.

Did I mention this was all done on a flat plane elevated off a spacey background? Great application of technology there, I went home and tried the same thing with my PowerPoint slides.

What followed was a documentary. Yes, an attempt at education. Who landed on the moon? Why did they land on the moon? How many times did they land on the moon? If you've been losing sleep over these mind boggling soul devouring issues, this may BE YOUR HOLY GRAIL! Soon to come from IMAX - "Malevolent Aromas: Swimming in a Septic Tank".

Okay, Tom Hanks was talking, but rest assured, the show shifted away from the children's show and tell session to some pseudo walk on the moon. Yeah, we witness footage from real moon landings, which Mr. Hanks asserts to be true despite some controversy arising on the validity of Neil Armstrong's first steps. Then behold, IMAX's superbly done lunar landscape, fitted with dunes, craters, chaps in funky space suits. It's so real, they really have to be there!

On goes Mr Hanks, sometimes he goes and has a glass of water, and they'll play some quote from an astronaut. Our actors (who aren't really on the moon) go on their mimicking of certain significant actions our real space cowboys pulled off. The appeal was electrifying. Honest.

All right, to be fair, it would be worth the watch if you're wandering around the huge 10 storey shopping complex, and suddenly feel compelled to watch a documentary. Otherwise, save the money and go buy yourself an ice cream cone. If you look close enough, it kinda looks like the surface of the moon.