VOD (1)
Seasons(4) / Episodes(40)
Plots(1)
Imagine a world where the global space race never ended. This “what if” take on history from Ronald D. Moore (Outlander, Battlestar Galactica) spotlights the lives of NASA astronauts—the heroes and rock stars of their time—and their families. (Apple TV+)
Reviews of this series by the user Kaka (35)
For All Mankind (2019)
A great alternate history idea with a plethora of possibilities to grasp the concept of space conquest, and it works very well on the whole. Joel Kinnaman is the driving force, but the other actors, admittedly lesser known, are not lost either. Unfortunately, as is sometimes the case, the first season is unsurpassed, it had the best mix of space action, great alternate events of the time, and just enough room for the characters to keep it from being too mawkish, talky, and overly emotional. The second and third seasons no longer have an optimal balance and they slip into space and earth soap-opera that doesn't really go anywhere and just fills in the blanks, and is so over-the-top that it would have even the Armageddon guys rolling their eyeballs. Still, there are many scenes that will take space fans by the heart, and none of the creators need be ashamed of the outcome of the project.
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Season 1 (2019) (S01)
A great mix of self-aware popcorn, solid performances, with a strong emotional level and factual elements. For All Mankind offers a compelling version of an alternate history that subtly mines the facts of what was and adds a reasonable amount of upgrades and alternations to what could have been, but never pushes the envelope too hard and serves up a deliberate and subtle ride for family entertainment where every viewer will find something to enjoy. For fans of space travel and space in general, this is an absolute must.
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Red Moon (2019) (S01E01)
An opening with a very specific vibe. It's a sort of deft mix of light comedy/parody and serious drama with surprisingly good visual effects scenes in space. At the same time, the creators are not afraid to address the viewer with a solidly restored sixties atmosphere, including a mix of original archive videos and interviews. There are a number of ways to grasp this alternate history, hopefully it can be done at least half as well as Snyder did in Watchmen.
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He Built the Saturn V (2019) (S01E02)
The second episode will win over many a hesitant viewer. If after the first episode some might have questioned the point and potential audience appeal of the whole project, the second makes it clear with its serious appeal that this series will probably be worth it. A much more serious and dramatic episode, actually better in every way than the occasionally bumbling first one. The characters have emotion and psychological depth, and even political strings are pulled.
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Nixon's Women (2019) (S01E03)
Perhaps the best possible diversion in the alternate past. The theme is factual, briskly filmed and modernly described in a way that is as relevant in the 1970s as it is today. Directorial and screenwriting ideas like these are a joy to watch. At the same time, it is a quite sophisticated depiction of a social issue that has been going on for many centuries. All this in the same cool retro style and with a fresh bunch of unknown people.
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Prime Crew (2019) (S01E04)
The great ride continues. Perfectly balanced characters (even if the layout is a bit politically correct for today's times), suspense, emotions, believable recreation of historical events + alternative digressions, and the launch of Apollo 15, which with its realistic feeling and lack of unnecessary heroism leaves many more famous "space" films in the dust.
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Into the Abyss (2019) (S01E05)
Simple, straightforward, visually breathtaking, factually true to reality – space porn. The only thing that dilutes it a bit and spoils the thrilling experience are the scenes that take place "at home". They're important to the ongoing development of the characters, but they crumble the intensity of Shackleton's brilliant drama a bit.
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Home Again (2019) (S01E06)
Less space, more talking on Earth. An unexpected twist in the alternate past that was quite dramatic and surprising. Some of the plot threads feel redundant and aren't entirely satisfying, and the attempt at deeper genesis of some of the characters could probably have been done differently, more appropriate to the themes of the series, but I understand the creators' point that it can't just be about "cold hard facts". Excellent run of Von Braun's character.
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Hi Bob (2019) (S01E07)
Month-long claustrophobic depression live, including a wild walk.
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Rupture (2019) (S01E08)
Excellent psychology, depression, despair. A probe into the family lives of astronauts, outlining moral dilemmas and the resulting consequences, all delivered in a credible and sensitive way.
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Bent Bird (2019) (S01E09)
The penultimate episode is tense and suspenseful as it should be, with riveting moments in space alternating with more subtle ones on Earth. In both cases, the material is superbly written, directed and acted. The creators work competently with the emotional level while not being afraid to lean into it a bit in orbit to keep space fans happy. But you can still sense that realism is first. So don’t expect any heroic stunts with thunderous music like in Armageddon.
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A City Upon a Hill (2019) (S01E10)
There are some moments that are so over the top that at times it looks like the creators were inspired by Michael Bay, but 95% of the time it still retains a nice human dimension and good depth of characters. The last episode of the first season is just spectacular enough and balanced perfectly in other aspects.
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Season 2 (2021) (S02)
Great blending of fact and fiction, excellent visual effects and solid characters and motivations. Unfortunately, after the success of the first season, the second is more vivid in narrative structure and the emotional levels of the characters are more literal and longer. Apparently the creators thought that we, the audience, liked the characters so much that we wanted to see more of them at the expense of space. Unfortunately, the opposite is true, we, the viewers, have grown so fond of space that we miss it a lot, and the chatter and dissection of every fart is a bit irritating at times. It’s still watchable, I still want to see the third season, but I hope it will be back to basics.
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Every Little Thing (2021) (S02E01)
A similarly awkward opening as the first season. It is not clear and defined whether it will be a relationship drama or space conquest. Whether it will be taken seriously, or whether it will smile through its fingers at the viewer. The first episode of the second season takes on a clear outline towards the end, when an impressively crafted solar storm arrives.
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The Bleeding Edge (2021) (S02E02)
Old sore spots, current sore spots, possible future sore spots and where the hell is the space conquest?
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Rules of Engagement (2021) (S02E03)
The same problem as in the previous episode. Too much room is given to the characters on Earth and dealing with their traumas and problems, while space is kept to a bare minimum, or at most, it’s talked about and perhaps prepared for future episodes. The crown jewel is the calling up of retired astronauts out of the blue for lunar missions. Physical fitness? Mental fitness? They don’t bother with that yet. In the third episode, NASA looks like a bunch of mates, who are spotting missions as they please. It's losing a semblance of realism.
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Pathfinder (2021) (S02E04)
The preparation of the Pathfinder project is quite tedious and will probably be a highlight of later episodes. Meanwhile, not much is happening on Earth. So, in addition the routine exchange of opinions, the only thing worth noting is the racism issue. So far, we can forget about the level of the first season.
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The Weight (2021) (S02E05)
Nothing of substance happens and what happens has little to do with the main plot lines. A pointless escapade in Jamestown, Gordo looking for himself and lesbianism. I could have done without all of it. I want more adventures on the Moon, or a spaceshipt sent to Mars.
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Best Laid Plans (2021) (S02E06)
A funny interaction between the US and Russian astronauts (cosmonauts), with all the strange ways, opinions and ideologies that abound in Mother Russia. In this case, at least, they hit the mark. The rest is basically an endless dissection of relationships, meetings and break-ups, and thus a search for oneself. There’s hardly any space.
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Don't Be Cruel (2021) (S02E07)
An interesting reconstruction of KAL007. A solid political plot and excellently restored original footage, which, with the use of great visual effects, also serves superbly as a means of telling a contemporary – alternative – story. Perhaps the only thing that doesn’t quite work is the outline of Russian ideology and cold-bloodedness like in Chernobyl; it lacks that chilling tension and danger, but For All Mankind doesn’t take itself so seriously, so it’s bearable. Hopefully, the pace is slowly picking up and the finale could propel this back to the stars.
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