Good Night Oppy (2022) User Reviews

Wish Dad was here

[trudjoh · 9/10 · 17 December 2022]

I watch all space exploration shows through my Dad's eyes. He was born in 1899, was in the second class of electrical engineers at Penn State, worked over 40 years at General Electric) and he never tired of the "New". He died in 1987, having watched every launch, every landing, and heard every word. He set his alarm to wake up and watch landings, even if on at 3:00 AM. The shuttle was a fascination. Nothing was boring.

Perhaps because he worked for General Electric (very involved with space programs) ? But his engineering background just lit him up.

I have read a lot of reviews for this film, and realize how jaded folks can be today. We are so used to new accomplishments, the new stuff is boring?

I am not finished with this movie yet, but when I watched Oppy roll onto the surface of Mars, I teared up. Proud of human accomplishment. Anticipating what is coming. Wishing I could go to Mars so I can channel the sites and sounds through my senses to my dad. (Yes I am fascinated by Quantam Physics!). We should all watch these accomplishments and be amazed what we can do without fighting with each other.

A magnificent docu-film about Opportunity rover that made me cry.

[gokhan-erguven · 8/10 · 24 November 2022]

I've known its 14 years of duty, and how its mission and live had ended on Mars. But seeing it on a docu-film like this broke my heart. :( Her 92-day tenure and overcoming it, serving for 14 years... just wow! And at the end, saying goodbye to her breaks our hearts. It kinda has the soul of Wall-E, so if you're familiar with the Pixar-type of storytelling, you'll love this film. Unarguably one of the best productions of Amazon Prime Video of 2022! If you're a space enthusiast and curious about Mars, you should definitely see this film. Maybe one day, they'll make her story an animation film, who knows... :)

My highest review so far

[robdrummond · 9/10 · 6 December 2022]

I have given this documentary a 9 - i have not yet read other reviews but I will after this.

I really enjoyed this original/actual and compelling story of these two Mara Rovers built to last 90 days but fed back info for up to 15 years.

Its daft perhaps to think anyone could be emotionally attached to an inanimate object made by man - but you know what? They weren't inanimate at all - they really were the children of their creators and the emotion the team back on earth had for them was also felt by me - a simple viewer in UK.

The comparisons made between these machines and people made the real life connection between man and machine seem very very real (and it was!)

Excellent - thank you.

An Inspirational True Story About A Rover Who Captured The Hearts Of Its Inventors And Survived Years Beyond Expectations

[rannynm · 10/10 · 5 October 2022]

Goodnight Oppy, by Ryan White is a documentary that brings both excitement and curiosity. I loved learning about how the scientists related to Opportunity, nicknamed Oppy, almost as if she/it was their child. I also loved that, no matter what went wrong, they always never gave up and always thought she would go on. And she did! She outlived her life expectancy by 150 months!

The inspirational true story follows Opportunity, the veteran interplanetary Mars Exploration Rover, affectionately dubbed Oppy by her creators and scientists at NASA. Oppy was originally expected to live for only 90 days but ultimately explored Mars for nearly 15 years. The film follows Oppy's groundbreaking journey on Mars and the remarkable bond forged between a robot and her humans millions of miles away.

Exploring the last 15 years of interplanetary exploration with Opportunity and her twin sister is so interesting. Opportunity and Spirit were identical twins, both 5'2" tall, with human like eyes. I love how the humans associated with them thought of them almost as their children. It takes a long 6 months to get to Mars from Earth. Spirit was launched on July 7, 2003 and Opportunity followed three weeks after that date. I found I it fascinating how, no matter what happened to the rovers, the scientists kept believing that they would work again. My favorite part of their day was the wake up song! It is amazing how Opportunity and Spirit could respond and think for themselves. I enjoyed watching their journey exploring Mars and all the photos they sent back. What stands out most in this documentary is how everyone keeps believing in the two rovers; they never give up.

This inspiring documentary reveals the discoveries that these two rovers gave us about Mars. The film helps audiences understand the incredible amount of work that the scientists and the robots' creators put in to achieve the accomplishments of these two robots. They gave us so much information we never had previously.

I give Goodnight Oppy 5 out of 5 stars from me and I recommend it for ages 12 to 18, plus adults. It is available now on Amazon Prime. By Sariah R., KIDS FIRST!

A love letter to both Spirit, Opportunity, and the NASA teams behind them.

[folalde · 10/10 · 6 November 2022]

This documentary is made with love for two inorganic characters, that display endurance far beyond their design specifications.

The teams behind Spirit and Opportunity exhibit NASA's mission, vision, and values well. The film can serve as a recruitment vehicle for future scientists, engineers, and astronauts.

Autonomous vehicles explore what is inaccessible to humans in technologies current state. Good Night Oppy, explores the adventures of two unmanned vehicles as they traverse the inhospitable planet, Mars.

What these two vehicles encountered rewrote our history books and paved the way for the vehicles and people that will continue NASA's mission.

Too little science, and a bucket of emotion

[chrislawuk · 6/10 · 4 December 2022]

I felt that this docu was too much about the participants in the mission control rooms emotions, and not enough scientific facts. Another criticism is they seem to mix real photos/ footage, with animation, which is hard to tell the difference between these days. There could have been a whole lot more hard science and interesting information, but like many of the mainstream docu's these days, they focus on the elements which do not really matter so much. Personal stories and emotions of crew members in mission control etc. No offence to them as thet seemed like great people, but that just isnt what I am there for when I sit down to watch a science documentary. I felt after nearly 2 hrs, that I had learnt very little about the construction of the devices, or Mars. Shame really. I guess I watch alot of docu's and have pretty high expectations.

The Story I Needed

[userfriendlyhousing · 10/10 · 26 November 2022]

What a beautifully done documentary. I'm old enough to remember the promise of the 21st century that was popularized in the 1960s. To say that this century so far has been disappointing is an understatement. Following current events can be disheartening.

Then I watch something like this and I am reminded that there are people in the world who are still working on that promise my 6th grade science teacher made about how exciting space exploration would be in "the future." These are the people who are keeping that hopefulness alive and I am grateful for them.

This film is made in that spirit of my 6th grade teacher. It isn't highly technical and doesn't seek to teach the technical or science behind the mission. Instead, it is inspirational and enlightening because it reminds us that it really isn't robots exploring other worlds, but human beings who are dedicated to something that will make a mark on the future.

Humans are on Mars and they are exploring another planet.

We all make ripples in our worlds that go further and last longer than our short lives on earth. These dedicated engineers and scientists are remarkable and their ripples will be felt by generations to come even if no one knows or remembers their names. The knowledge they acquire will outlive them. I think that is what makes a human life meaningful. This film will help expand that meaning. I highly recommend this film to anyone who cares about those higher aspirations.

Roam

[ferguson-6 · 7/10 · 2 November 2022]

Greetings again from the darkness. "Check out the brain on Brad!" There may or may not have been a 'Brad' on the NASA team we follow in Ryan White's documentary, however Samuel L Jackson's famous line from PULP FICTION certainly holds true for the rest of the team that helped execute the Mars Exploration Rover (MER) mission. A brief overview outlines the attempts to gain approval, followed by the design and planning and testing to ensure the window for launch was met. See, the launch was scheduled according to a planetary alignment that only occurs every 26 months. A late arrival would have been costly, and possibly ended the program before it really started.

The mission was to send a rover to Mars and have it procure samples from around the red planet in hopes of finding evidence of water, which would likely mean proof of past life. We see some of the design stage as the engineers note the human characteristics, though most movie fans will immediately notice physical similarities to WALL-E. The team created two "twin" robotic rovers named "Spirit" and "Opportunity". The expectation was that each would have a 90-day lifespan and send scientifically significant data back. The race was on to meet the launch date in 2003, and the two rovers were launched three weeks apart - and to different areas of the planet.

After the 6-and-a-half-month flight time to travel 300 million miles, the two rovers were successfully landed, which only kicked off some of the challenges back on Earth in mission control. It's here, and with the numerous interviews of team members, that we really get a sense of the emotions running through these folks who had invested so much time and energy into making the mission a reality. Computer engineered reenactments (stunning work from Industrial Light & Magic) help us visualize what happened on Mars, while the archival footage from inside the NASA control room conveys the palpable tension as they helplessly wait for the next signal to arrive.

Although Mr. White's documentary centers on scientific achievement, much of the focus lands on the human element. We are there to witness first the relief, and then the jubilation as that first signal from Mars is received. Scientists, designers, engineers, and drivers all experience the rollercoaster of emotions driven by the intense camaraderie and teamwork involved. Should you ever doubt whether the smartest people on the planet experience human emotions, you need only look at the faces as daily 'wake-up songs' are played, including "Roam" by the B-52s, "SOS" by Abba, "Born to be Wild" by Steppenwolf. Additionally, after the 90-day window has closed, the annual "cocktail napkin" records each team members prediction about rover survival over the coming year.

Emotions and accomplishments go hand in hand for these NASA types, as do the challenges presented by harsh winters and dust storms that put west Texas to shame. It's remarkable that Spirit lasted more than 7 years, and Oppy (the "lucky rover") went for 15, before finally being shut down while Billie Holiday sang "I'll be Seeing You." Wisely, director White ends on a high not with the 2020 launch of the new rover, Perseverance. What an inspiring trip this is.

Opens in US theaters on November 4, 2022 and on Prime Video November 23.

I'll see you again...

[manfreid88 · 10/10 · 1 December 2022]

Beauty!

A worthy epilogue for one of the most daring feat of human exploration- full of emotion and passion.

For those that were young when the twin missions were launched, our hopes and dreams of a better tomorrow and our childhoods were intertwined with the discoveries and daily updates about this mission.

Thus, pretty much like for those magnificent human beings that toiled towards making this happen, Opportunity and Spirit became more than robots- in them we could see the reflections of human dedication and perseverance.

Good night, Oppy! Good Night Spirit! May the stars watch over you!

Good Night Oppy

[CinemaSerf · 6/10 · 25 November 2022]

I thought that was going to be far more interesting than it ended up being. The documentary tells us the story of the hugely innovative and ambitious task to send two motorised, solar-powered, rovers to Mars. One called "Spirit", the other the eponymously nick-named "Opportunity". History tells us what happened, but I was was very much hoping for more meat on the bones of this astonishing feat of science and engineering than is delivered in this rather dry, vox-pop style, recounting of the project. It is interspersed with occassional actuality, but there is a real paucity of that as this trundles along in a remarkably sterile fashion delivering little of the senses of excitement, frustration and enthusiasm that must have been experienced by this team as the venture gathered pace. Indeed, this whole thing really rather lacks any pace at all. It is more of a video-diary style chronology peppered with some overly earnest contributions. Some of the "wake-up" songs are quite good but whoever concluded that delivering us a host of scientists doing pieces-to-camera was going to prove engaging just, in my opinion, missed an "oppy" to populate this with much more of the imagery NASA collected. It all ends rather sentimentally too and left me feeling just a bit disappointed..

Totally loved his film

[pranderson063095 · 10/10 · 6 December 2022]

What a well told story about the rover program on Mars and the people who made it happen. Just enough science to satisfy those who like such details. Always a supporter and fan of space exploration this added to all the photos that have been published from these missions. The way Spirit and Opportunity exceeded their expected lives and the bond so many had with these high tech bucket of bolts and wires was fun to watch. It is the visionary people who advance human kind. A diverse team was a pleasure to see. The man from Ghana impressed me in how he saw and interpreted various aspects. This is the true "To infinity and beyond" story.

Touchy presentation

[pietclausen · 7/10 · 23 November 2022]

The story of the rovers, Spirit and Opportunity, sent to Mars many years ago. Many people alive today have forgotten those days when these robots blasted off into space to explore a different planet to try and discover whether it ever had life and more important to support life as we know it, water. The year was 2004. Many interesting discoveries were made and eventually probably proof of past flowing water, which could have supported life. Spirit lasted 6 years before it failed but Opportunity carried on for many more years, 15 in all. Not bad for a life span of 90 days for which these crafts were made to last.

What was disappointing is that one wasn't sure whether the scenes on screen were of real Mars photography or simulations, or both. It probably comprised both mixed together, which unfortunately makes many conspiracy theorists believe that we never have been to Mars.

Was looking good

[Peekupz · 5/10 · 9 February 2023]

About 30 minutes into this film I was thinking wow this is great. So many interesting stories with so many brilliant scientists with back stories etcetera.

But somewhere along the line it got really repetitive and almost unbelievably dull.

Still there was a lot of inspiring stuff to be had. So I persevered. But at about 1 hour 20 minutes into the film I reached my enough is enough moment. Some Jonny come lately scientist started waffling on about the similarities between the dwindling capabilities of the rover and her alzheimer suffering grandmother.

This could have been great. But whoever let it become a 105 minute film when 80 to 90 would have been perfect should be ashamed.

The Other Side of America

[toddmenzing · 10/10 · 24 November 2022]

Just beautiful. It's so hard slogging through the day to day horror show that is the United States. It was just so refreshing and heartening to see the very best this culture can produce. All the children of the earth working together in the spirit of exploration. This is what Springsteen means when he calls this place the land of hope and dreams. I am probably the most cynical person on the planet at age 60. I still think America needs a deep shock and a humbling to get on the right track and to be welcomed as a truly equal member of the global community but in the end, it will have been accomplishments such as this that will earn us our redemption. I mean, if anything can.

A heartfelt tribute to two machines that will make you cry

[julymermaid · 9/10 · 14 December 2022]

How does one make a documentary about two scientific wonders that is relatable , inspiring, heartfelt and educational at the same time? Well the producers tried and achieved this with flying colours. I watched this with my 11 year old space mad son and we both shed happy tears several times. An unbeleievable journey spanning 15 years which is so much more than just the machines themselves. It represents everything I love about NASA and the spirit of curiosity and discovery in human beings. I had no idea what it takes to launch such missions and I am so mush wiser after watching this. Surprised at the negativity on here - if people expect an unrelatable science lecture through this documentary - then they should get a hint from the loving title that this isn't what this documentary is about at all. A fantastic watch over the Christmas period which will leave you feeling all warm and inspired and restore your faith in the good things human beings stand for (amidst the constant stream of negative news). Just watch it!

Slick documentary, but a bit over-done

[fung0 · 7/10 · 30 May 2023]

This overview of the Spirit and Opportunity rover missions covers all the bases. It takes us through the highs and lows of the adventure, shows us the personalities behind the technology. And it's all presented with high production values, highlighted by detailed computer-graphic visualizations of the rovers as they travel the Martian terrain.

That said, I found the whole thing a bit over-done. The effort to drum up emotional involvement was so relentless, I found it distracting and gushy. The voice-overs are full of needless hyperbole. There's a strenuous and rather ludicrous effort to anthropomorphize the robotic rovers - which, in the end, have about as much personality as the family car.

Good Night Oppy does do a good job of presenting the human side of the Mars project - but it completely misses the larger story, about Mars itself. By pitching everything on the level of Hollywood melodrama, it explains almost nothing and obscures the real excitement of scientific discovery.

The exploration of alien planets is exciting enough that it doesn't need to be 'hyped up.' I'd have much preferred a deeper dive into the science - but, alas, the nature of the experiments performed by the rovers is barely alluded to, and the results of those experiments are not fully explained. (Perhaps because they've been 'negative' - in that they've failed to find unequivocal signs of ancient life. That's important science, but the filmmakers obviously didn't trust the audience to understand.)

To be sure, Good Night Oppy is worth seeing if you're interested in space exploration or Mars or rover technology. But if you're only going to see one film on this topic, I'd strongly recommend the 2019 National Geographic documentary Expedition Mars. On a much lower budget than Good Night Oppy it offers more science - and, for me, stronger drama - in a shorter running time.

2004~2019 What a romantic journey

[housearrestedever · 10/10 · 24 November 2022]

I rarely have such a patience to sit through watching a documentary like this one. Yes, after 15 years long prospecting on Mars, Oppy, the robot that roamed on that red planet indeed looked more like human with a big heart actually died like a human being. I don't know how the movie maker did in this film to make the journey of these two robots in such colorful narration, but the achievement is so great. We have seen those who have participated this project covering two generations of the scientists, we saw them from middle age to senior, we saw the second generation catching and patching up to continue the probe on Mars. The viewing experience is profound and alarming at the same time. Would the Mars nowadays be the future of Planet Earth? Water was completely gone on the Mars, and our planet seems to suffer the similar long but rapid process of losing water too. The long and harsh drought has already affected all the creatures on Earth. The deserts all over in the world have silently and deadly expanded upon us, yet we humans living on this planet seem to pay no attention to the coming rude awaking. How long we would have before the last drop of water drys up? The possibility of such deadly transformation that the Earth would completely become what we have seen on Mars seems to be inevitable. Of course it won't happen in my lifetime, but how many lifetimes would it be the doomsday of this blue planet to become another red one? Oh, don't forget to waste tons of water to make your lawn look green, and enjoy a 30 to 40 minutes long hot shower everyday.

Loved it! Well done!

[daveshecter · 10/10 · 27 November 2022]

I expected a typical documentary about rovers to mars but what i watched was not only the documentary about rovers to mars but a also an emotional roller coaster that took me from nail biting to wiping tears away to wanting to work at JPL. The rover became a child to those who were in direct contact from start to finish. I can see how you would get emotional during the lift off, as if seeing your child head off to college but knowing you'll never see them again, to the moment they entered mars orbit and for 6 minutes holding your breath waiting to see if you've succeeded or failed. Thank you JPL team for helping me understand what actually goes into a mission of this magnitude. It somehow changed the way i view things here. Now when i look up at the night sky and see mars, i find myself saying Good Night Oppy.

More than just a rover, but an opportunity to shine beautiful human spirits in one of the greatest mission from NASA

[impodream-2014 · 10/10 · 13 December 2022]

This story is following the life of Opportunity, or MER-B - an Mars mission rover and its sister rover Spirit. But also tells the stories behind the technology, engineering and numerous moments where we almost lost faith of a distant robot who has to overcome all hardships, dilemmas, severe environments of alien world, unexpected scenarios, etc. Those stories shines the greatest virtue of humankind - the wisdom, persistence and hope.

I am one of the many, who followed the landing of Spirit and Oppy on 2004 when as a child, and got inspired by it all the way till today, and proudly say that astronomy became my serious hobby and ultimate dream, and becomes part of my life.

This documentary is faithful to the real events, with very touching story telling techniques and put the spotlight on the human-side of this rover. I must say I am attached to this cute yet persistent robot from bottom of my heart.

Cheap style over substance

[anthony-742 · 3/10 · 30 December 2022]

While it was great to see (and keep company with) the brilliant scientists and engineers responsible for NASA's massive achievement, this movie is a gargantuan disappointment and wasted opportunity. There is no room for the viewer to form their own attachments to the twin robots; the documentary does it all for you in smothering, sentimental fashion, relentlessly anthropomorphizing Oppy and Spirit from the first moments. The dreadful, cloying, music similarly sucks the remaining air out of the movie; with every corny overused musical cue, we are instructed what to feel moment by moment. They may as well have depicted the bots with those horrid Disney animations (not the old ones, of course), with oversized eyes gushing tears and winks. Grateful for the little I learned and some of the inspiring footage on display, but the movie is badly in need of substance. Isn't space exploration wonderful enough a topic without bathing it in the cheap sentiment??

To have feelings for a robot

[atesaltay001 · 10/10 · 4 December 2022]

While looking for a movie with my friend, we came across this documentary. Because I love science fiction movies, I was intrigued by the story of a robot that would live alone on Mars. I was surprised that it was a documentary when I thought it was a movie and acted it. Because I was already thinking to myself, I was thinking how can we watch a robot for an hour and a half. If I have to say my feelings without giving spoilers, it is a documentary that I would recommend everyone to watch. At the end, my eyes filled with tears, I was able to give a robot a human feeling. It was a very strange feeling. I'm happy to have watched. One last thing I want to say good night Oppy :)

THANK YOU OPPY AND SPIRIT. GO, PERSEVERANCE!

[szcbtd · 10/10 · 6 December 2022]

This documentary was very beautiful. I learned of people who dedicated a big part of their lives from interest to work for these two Rovers- Opportunity and Spirit. The robots they sent to mars were ofcourse, not that 'alive' but they've given life a meaning. It's true though, the knowledge we gradually learn from mars will be beneficial to earth and its inhabitants. (It's like learning from getting wounded and trying to be more careful next time). And 15 years, instead of 90 sols? They were amazing. I'm just so glad they launched another, Perseverance. A better over-all rover. Godspeed, NASA.

Its Like A Fascinating Book Thats Never been Written!

[silicontourist · 10/10 · 13 December 2022]

The story of these 2 Voyagers is something that unwound in a way that nobody on Earth would/could have envisaged. Its a wild tale of preposterous luck that made a lot of people here on Earth fall in love with the whole experience and an off world craft that exceeded everybody's expectations! Even when undergoing what should have been calamitous events the luck bestowed upon this mission was itself out of this world.

We are given incredibly detailed views of a planet we would otherwise have no idea of what to envisage or imagine about its look. There is not one point in this revelation that deters you, irks or bores you and you are just glued to the film with the odd gasp emitted now and then. Well worth the watch of something you would have never ever seen in your lifetime!

Glad I watched this.

[Top_Dawg_Critic · 8/10 · 25 February 2023]

At first I though this would be just another NASA documentary, of which I would still enjoy, but it ended up being much more than that. I never knew the rovers had a life-span operational warranty, and was shocked by how much each of them exceeded their time on Mars.

The entire production was informative, compelling, and heartwarming. To see how people invested their lives, even having to adapt to Martian SOL days, was astounding. The commitment and love that was portrayed in this docu-film was heartwarming. This is a must see film for all sci-fi fans and for anyone who just loves a good underdog story. This little gem is a collectors dream on historical space-exploration achievements. Bravo to all who were part of this project, and in making this genuine and informative docu-film of a gem.

Not a documentary but a love letter

[glumski · 8/10 · 16 September 2023]

You might already have deduced from its title that 'Good Night Oppy' is not an objective and informative documentary. Indeed, if your intention is to learn more about the magnificent feats of science and engineering that are the Mars Exploration Rovers, you should look somewhere else.

Instead, 'Good Night Oppy' is a love letter to both rovers and the NASA personnel that made them possible. The rovers are heavily anthropomorphised throughout the movie, and there's good chance you'll be left in tears when Opportunity finally "dies" towards the end of the film.

There's a part of me that says that it shouldn't be so, that this should be a proper documentary that rationally states the facts instead of a dramatised video diary.

A much larger part of me gets very emotional whenever Opportunity comes to mind, because look how far she went! It's a strange quality that we humans can feel genuine love for what essentially is no more than a pile of metal and silicon. But it's no secret that Opportunity (and Spirit, too, years before) managed to capture the hearts of millions, and this movie perfectly brings that across.

And perhaps that's an even more important raison d'être. The science of the Mars Exploration Rovers is something that interests those who are already deeply invested into space exploration. But the story of Spirit and Opportunity is for everyone.

That being said, the movie itself is generally fairly well made. I liked the dramaturgy, and the visuals are gorgeous. The "rover diaries" were perhaps a tad overdone, but the interviews with the scientists and engineers were great. It's easy to see how much love went into the rovers.

Truth be told, I wouldn't mind watching something similar about all the many, many missions that have explored our solar system. But I suppose that no spacecraft and no rover came even close to reach as many hearts as these two did.

Well. We'll get the opportunity for something similar about the Voyagers in the not-so-distant future, I suppose. More tears await.