blackhawk66 Unfortunately, what could have been a good movie is turned into a major disappointment by a decision to take all the aerial photography done in 4:3 format and stretch it to fit the 2.35:1 format used for the rest of the movie. This makes the aircraft look strange and unreal. It ruins the experience.This should have been a "must see" movie for aviation buffs since it shows an important period in the development of aviation. But stretching the film to fit a widescreen format makes the scenes of the X-15, the B-52 mother-ship and the F-104 and F-100 chase planes look distorted and unrealistic. It is a real waste and a shame that the film producers were more concerned with using a widescreen than with a usable presentation.

northamericanx15 As a teenager I don't see myself falling into the average 6 voting. Even though the 60s is not my decade, I still love this movie. It should be appreciated for the simply its existence. Besides the Right Stuff, we don't really see much of them depict the space race so specifically. Starring MTM and Bronson is better than random actors anyways. At least we see how fine MTM use to be.Inviting popular movie stars showed how important this project is. The power of how much people cares during that decade is amazing compare to the significance of it today. Usually, how much public cares indicates how well the technological advancement is going to turn out.Unfortunately that enthusastism is long gone... You won't see another movie over space exploration anymore.

x-15a2 OK, so X-15 isn't the best of Hollywood, but it IS the 2nd best X-Planes movie ever (second to Right Stuff, but better than Space Cowboys).Call it a docu-drama, call it campy, call it naive, whatever. This is a great Saturday afternoon movie. It's a blast to see MTM and Charlie Bronson together. Those of us with a fascination with historic aircraft love the authentic footage. Hey, the movie even got a mention in Milt Thompson's Book "At the Edge of Space: The X-15 Flight Program".So, do your best to find a copy, forget Soviet comparisons, check your mind at the door and enjoy X-15!

John Seal One day someone will write a book comparing films of this sort to the artistic accomplishments of 1920s and 1930s Soviet socialist realism. There is minimal character development as the film focuses almost entirely on the technological triumphs of space age America. The fetishistic treatment of the space programme and all its minutiae is dull in the extreme, and the only relief is a stolid performance by the always reliable James Gregory.