A lighthearted though respectful depiction of the Parkes radio
telescope, which relayed Neil Armstrong's first steps from the moon to
NASA. The Dish, as it was affectionately known, was built in the
Australian boondocks in the middle of a sheep paddock, the locale
chosen for its desirable climate. The U.S. enlsited the help of the
Parkes and nearby Honeysuckle Creek tracking station to perform as
backups in the event the American's "Gladstone" dish (Across the
Pacific in California) failed, and for when the moon was out of sight
from North America, NASA could still maintain a television feed. The
film provides a few tense moments when early in the mission, while the
Aoollo 11 midule is still orbiting earth, the town of Parkes (and the
dish) suffer a blackout, and the team loses the tracking azimuth for
Apollo. Later in the mission, the Gladstone dish fails and Parkes has
to tip practically onto it's side. Then, as the astronauts are walking
on the moon, unusual wind gusts of up to 60 knots threaten to rip the
dish (theoretically rated to 30 knots) to pieces. Sam Neill gives a
good performance as Cliff Buxton, Parkes 'Dishmaster'. Veteran American
actor and voiceover talent Patrick Warburton (Seinfeld, The Tick,
Family Guy) plays Al Burnett, the visiting NASA representative.
My attention span is better attuned to faster-paced films, so I found I often had to rewind parts where I realized my attention was slipping. Still, it was quite enjoyable.
7/10