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patentdragonReview: Apollo 18... Like Blair Witch Project and Cloverfield before it, Apollo 18 takes the "recovered footage" path to concoct an intriguing story - what if Apollo 17 wasn't the last manned mission to the moon...?
The movie doesn't hang around long, setting the scene for a military moon-shot with crew interviews and behind the scenes shots of the preparations for a secret Apollo flight. Then we get straight into the meat of the matter, as the LEM crew set foot on the moon, and begin setting up the early-warning equipment that's the core objective of the unpublicised mission - there's a nice line from the mission commander as he steps off the ladder, and says that he had a speech prepared, but what's the point when no-one will ever hear it...?
Depicted solely through recordings made by the astronauts, we're treated to some idea of the cramped conditions for an Apollo crew - until an astounding discovery is made, a little too close to the landing site...
And so, the scare-shots begin, providing some added entertainment as the noisy students in the seats in front of me get completely caught unawares.
Anyway, back to the serious business of reviewing: the astronauts are presented with several chilling questions, and the one that actually gets an answer does so in fairly relentless fashion as the true threat gradually becomes clear. A small cast, as the story demands, but they serve the story well, coming across as human beings rather than "household names" trying not to get tripped up by their own fame. Nothing - except for a big moth in the smallest screening room in my local cinema - detracts from getting the story told as the moon surface scenes are satisfactorily depicted and the claustrophobia builds. You will watch every square inch of moon-surface for movement, every darkened corner of the LEM for any hint of what has emerged...
It's all constructed for the movie, of course, but there IS one disturbing fact brought to the viewer's attention right at the end... and I won't spoil that little gem. It will make you think...
The Final Word... Grey. Grim. VERY effective. Best watched without moths or students - an enjoyable finale to Blockbuster Season! Score: 8 / 10
The movie doesn't hang around long, setting the scene for a military moon-shot with crew interviews and behind the scenes shots of the preparations for a secret Apollo flight. Then we get straight into the meat of the matter, as the LEM crew set foot on the moon, and begin setting up the early-warning equipment that's the core objective of the unpublicised mission - there's a nice line from the mission commander as he steps off the ladder, and says that he had a speech prepared, but what's the point when no-one will ever hear it...?
Depicted solely through recordings made by the astronauts, we're treated to some idea of the cramped conditions for an Apollo crew - until an astounding discovery is made, a little too close to the landing site...
And so, the scare-shots begin, providing some added entertainment as the noisy students in the seats in front of me get completely caught unawares.
Anyway, back to the serious business of reviewing: the astronauts are presented with several chilling questions, and the one that actually gets an answer does so in fairly relentless fashion as the true threat gradually becomes clear. A small cast, as the story demands, but they serve the story well, coming across as human beings rather than "household names" trying not to get tripped up by their own fame. Nothing - except for a big moth in the smallest screening room in my local cinema - detracts from getting the story told as the moon surface scenes are satisfactorily depicted and the claustrophobia builds. You will watch every square inch of moon-surface for movement, every darkened corner of the LEM for any hint of what has emerged...
It's all constructed for the movie, of course, but there IS one disturbing fact brought to the viewer's attention right at the end... and I won't spoil that little gem. It will make you think...
The Final Word... Grey. Grim. VERY effective. Best watched without moths or students - an enjoyable finale to Blockbuster Season! Score: 8 / 10
