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Immersive exhibitions have the ability to transform the typical audience experience — but “The Moonwalkers” fails to leave a lasting impact.

Lightroom Experiences built a 360 degree theater at The Saunders Castle at Park Plaza surrounding viewers with film screens and speakers. The hour-long showing hopes to share the excitement of space exploration.

The exhibit begins by transporting the viewer to Rice University in 1962. On the screen in front of the viewer, President John F. Kennedy ’40 famously proclaims that Americans choose to go to the moon “because [it is] hard.” The side screens are filled with waves of cheering crowds.

Yet, the scene fails to create an alternate reality. Thick black lines break images of the cheering crowds. Additionally, the projector attempts to illuminate Kennedy’s face, but the angle is wrong and thus bright light shines on the viewers instead. These slight technical issues continue to be an issue throughout the performance.

The next seven years are quickly captured as Tom Hanks narrates the work of NASA employees. On all four walls, screens display people computing and calculating solutions to overcome extraterrestrial challenges.

Once Hanks reaches 1969, he begins to share personal anecdotes about being a young boy watching the first men walk on the moon. This audio is superimposed with footage of Apollo 11 astronauts climbing into Saturn V and lifting off. While the light ruins the immersive experience in most scenes, here it is used effectively — as Saturn V takes off light, replicating the rocket’s flames, blasts from the screen mesmerizing the audience.

Here, a shift occurs as the film now focuses on replicating the joy of being on the lunar surface, not just the excitement of watching the impossible become possible from Earth.

Via original NASA footage, the viewer can see Earth, the Moon, and Mars from the perspective of space. Sometimes this is breathtaking — moments where the lunar surface seamlessly encompasses the viewer or when Earth is shown as a mere blue dot in a sea of stars. Oftentimes, black lines and bright lights still prevail reminding the viewer of their terrestrial existence.

While often visually disappointing, the script is accessible and interesting to both individuals who do not know much about space and those who do. The writers successfully elucidate complex scientific processes in lay terms. For instance, they use common objects like the Empire State Building, continents, and even the very room within which the exhibit is held as size comparisons to valleys on the moon, the moon’s expansiveness, and NASA’s operations control room in 1969. Additionally, general concepts like the duration of Apollo 11 as well as more technical details like which instruments astronauts used to navigate are mentioned to leave audiences of all backgrounds with newfound knowledge.

Another enthralling feature of the script is the numerous interviews with Artemis astronauts highlighting how space exploration is not just an event of the past. The Artemis program is currently focused on returning to the moon for further research and to send the first astronauts to Mars. While the film illustrates modern space exploration, it fails to successfully explain to the audience why they should be interested in it. The exhibit vaguely cites how space exploration can improve humanity and shares rationales that are motivating NASA, but are not directly relevant to the viewers’ lives — leaving audiences without a significant personal stake.

Instead, “The Moonwalkers” could have added an emphasis on the commonly used technologies that arose from NASA research such as wireless headphones, freeze dried packaging, Formulaid, which is a key nutrient in baby formula, and more. Or, the exhibit could have highlighted space exploration’s impact on broader scientific fields. For instance, it advances knowledge of wildfires and climate change as well as progresses treatment options for patients with impaired immune systems, asthma, and cancer. This gives the audience a personal reason to be invested in space exploration that would encourage a continued interest in the future of the field.

The exhibit could have been unique with its access to Artemis astronaut interviews and original NASA footage. Unfortunately, its failure to provide the audience a significant stake and build a truly immersive theater prevented the experience from being out of this world.