Apollo 11 - Movie Review



Plot: A look at the Apollo 11 mission to land on the moon led by commander Neil Armstrong and pilots Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins.
Director: Todd Douglas Miller
Certificate: U (very mild bad language)
Runtime: 93 minutes
Release Date: Friday 28th June 2019
Fifty years ago, Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins embarked on one of the most dangerous missions in all of human history. Their work and dedication, along with thousands of other NASA technicians, made the impossible possible. The Apollo 11 moon landing is a pivotal moment in history, that every man, woman and child has some knowledge of. What Todd Douglas Miller and his new documentary allows audiences to experience, is an in-depth overview of the entire Apollo 11 mission, from the launch, to its landing back on Earth. The final results are frankly, astonishing.
Apollo 11 takes audiences and transports them into every single corner of the 1969 mission. From the control rooms in Houston, to the launch pad at Cape Canaveral, all the way 384,400km away to the Moon, Miller blends together iconic footage alongside brand new, never before seen clips, to take you on a whirlwind journey. With colour and quality restoration implemented, convincing you that Miller travelled back in time to 1969, the mission has never looked this stunning. Every detail of the journey is highlighted, with significantly key moments treated as mini, tension-filled setpieces. Even smaller moments, that feature film adaptations would typically overlook, such as loose bolts on the launch pad, are given their own sense of gravitas, adding to the fear that one minor slip could result in disaster.


FACT: The electronic music soundtrack was played entirely on instruments available in 1969.
Having only seen this in a regular screening, rather than the highly praised IMAX edition, sequences such as the launch, docking, the landing, and the astronauts return to Earth, are executed with a cinematic panache. As bizarre as it sounds, Miller's presentation of the actual landing is far more cinematic than many big budget adaptations. It is also worth noting that Miller adopts the clinical precision of a documentary filmmaker, by opting to not include narration or interviews. Instead, Apollo 11 is carried through with real conversations between the astronauts and Mission Control. Hearing Armstrong, Aldrin and Collins discuss the view from their respective windows, whilst Mission Control analyse their individual heart rates, adds to the humanity of these heroes. Apollo 11 also benefits greatly from a colossal score by Matt Morton that, when featured in sequences such as the launch, transports any theatre screen all the way across the pond, to Cape Canaveral itself.
Anyone who has even the slightest belief that the Moon Landing was a conspiracy, needs to watch Apollo 11, and the theories of Stanley Kubrick and soundstages, will quickly fade. Todd Douglas Miller brings to life one of the single greatest feats of mankind, in a way that it's never been done before. Not only is this a fantastic accomplishment in filmmaking, but a remarkable tribute to thousands of heroes, that were daring to explore where mankind had never been before.
Luke's Verdict: 9.5/10
What did you think of APOLLO 11? Are there any other space missions you'd like to see have a documentary? Post your thoughts in the comments below.

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