I took a week long, 4500 mile road trip out west in March. We hiked all day and I drove all night, only slept 3-4 hrs at most every night thru the entire trip but it was absolutely amazing.. this film comes close but still does not due it justice. God I miss being out west! If any of you are ever out by Glennwood Canyon in CO you really need to see hike up to Hanging Lake, its beautiful.. esp during a blizzard in March ;-)

Some nice pictures, but not much at all on facts. The description is misleading as to the actual content. Visually I'd give this 5 stars. But I was expecting to learn a couple of things and that just didn't happen.

Absolutely ridiculous visuals...make you feel like a true adventurer. There's not much of a story really, just kinda jumping around about different people using diary excerpts like the pioneer, the indian, the chinese immigrant, etc. You won't learn anything you probably already didn't know
But beautifully made. Watch it for that at least.

Sexy mormon who-ers making the west fun for all.

Long on romance, short on history. There were a few interesting catchphrases here and there from the narrator that made it sound like they might have been trying to make a point, but anything salient was lost in the excessive numbers of flyover vistas and painfully cliche music. If they'd tossed about 50% of the "ooh! scenery!" moments, they might have been able to fit in something worthwhile or educational. As it is, it does nothing but propagate the romantic myth of the West with no grounding in reality, either past or present.

Visually nice, but generic. 4th grade level history at best. In fact, I do recommend it for elementary student viewing.

Mostly opinions with no direction. Best to watch with the sound off.

I thought this did an excellent job, and was visually compelling. While many critics are quick to note how it glosses over many of the complicated aspects of how the West was explored, colonized, its people driven and killed, and game exploited, they seem to forget it is ONLY FORTY MINUTES LONG! I was actually amazed at the variety that WAS included, far more than I expected. I am not going to be nit-picketty about what I would have preferred to be included. To Connie S. The Mormons who helped discover Gold were not there because they were tired of their faith and felt brainwashed, They stayed there because they had come to California with the Mormon Battalion and needed to earn money they could take home to Utah with them. Nearly all of them returned to Utah within a few years. That sure doesn't sound like they were disillusioned with their Mormon faith to me. Sounds like somebody needs to do some history homework. As to knocking it because it gives a feel-good approach to this subject. I would rather see this than a documentary that focuses ENTIRELY upon the deprivations and slaughter of the natives, the buffalo, and the "evils" of Manifest Destiny. This version of events is just one perspective of MANY. Let it be what it is, there are plenty of sources for perspectives of the Indians, etc. Not hard to find.