Apollo 11 (2019)

Review

93min

Genre:       Documentary

Director:    Todd Douglas Miller

Cast:         Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, Michael Collins…and more

-Synopsis-

An in-depth look at NASA’s 1969 Apollo 11 mission and the journey which would change the course of humanity while inspiring generations, as director Todd Douglas Miller dives into and remasters rare and extraordinary footage to relive one of mankind’s greatest ever adventures.

In the over five decades since Stanley Kubrick forever changed the face of movie sci-fi and expanded cinematic horizons forever with ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’, audiences have been treated to an array of semi-plausible, believable epic space voyages of every description. But there’s one thing that most audiences haven’t had the chance to truly dig into—the real thing . . . until now. Now on the fiftieth anniversary of one of the greatest achievements in human history, and thanks to a treasure trove of footage released by NASA, multiple generations get to experience the mission which changed the world as if they were there themselves.

The film not only follows intrepid NASA astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins through their pre-launch preparations to the journey, the landing and the return, but also accompanies the hundreds of engineers and mission controllers in Houston and the Kennedy Space Center, as well as gathered spectators and families, and the world’s media.

On many levels ‘Apollo 11’ delivers a completely engrossing behind-the-scenes, fly-on-the-wall look at the original moon landing, while proving a truly unique and effective piece of documentary filmmaking from director/editor/producer Todd Douglas Miller.

Taking thousands of hours of NASA home video, newsreel footage and CCTV shots, plus thousands of hours of newly digitised audio recordings, Miller and his team whittle it all down to a perfectly blended ninety minute adventure which feels like a contemporary space sci-fi movie, complete with ultra tense, butt-clenching moments, even despite the fact that we’re all familiar with the story, and how it ends. And it’s that sense of urgency which is really the greatest achievement of this film, unlike most documentaries never feeling like an account of history or a retrospective, instead coming off as contemporary and happening in the moment . . . which for the viewer it is.

Indeed the beautifully remastered and vividly colourful video footage, and the cinematography by Adam Holender, only adds to the film’s living and cinematic feel, making it seem like you’re watching a retro realist sci-fi adventure filmed by a resurrected Stanley Kubrick . . . although the less said about the accompanying conspiracies of the last five decades the better.

There is also no traditional narration here at all, and no after-the-fact interviews to speak of, and just like the video footage all the voices you hear are from the people involved in the week or so surrounding the mission; often from some of the thousands of engineers and mission controllers who made the voyage possible, regularly from the three intrepid astronauts who embarked on it, and occasionally from the journalists and media figures who covered it all. All are expertly edited together to provide a sort of non-traditional narration which maintains the film’s momentum, while keeping the audience in the moment at all times.

In fact the only non-original element here is the highly atmospheric and moody electronic score from composer Matt Morton, a regular collaborator with the director, which works wonders in adding a wondrous, almost ethereal quality to some of the more cinematic scenes, and helping the film hit all the right emotional cues.

For younger audiences raised on highly dynamic, CGI-heavy blockbusters, or for moon landing deniers and conspiracists, ‘Apollo 11’ might feel dull or even quaint, and it may struggle to capture their imagination or truly leave them in awe. But to the more discerning viewer with a sense of history, and those able to distinguish fact from fiction, this is an extraordinary piece of filmmaking and befits the monumental achievement it depicts—one which saw mankind forever broaden its horizons in a rocket-powered tin can . . . fifty years ago.

The Bottom Line…

A mighty movie experience which blurs the line between retrospective documentary and urgent drama, and keeps you gripped in the moment despite happening five decades ago, ‘Apollo 11’ sees Todd Douglas Miller & co. turn an epic voyage for mankind into a cinematic journey which rivals most space sci-fi, reminding one generation and teaching another about what intrepid explorers and true heroes really look like . . . and their impact on the 20th century.

Similar films you may like (Home Video)

First Man (2018)

In the middle of the cold war and at the height of the space race, an unassuming pilot and NASA astronaut from Ohio is chosen to command what would become the first successful manned mission to the moon, turning his life upside down and becoming global icon in the process—as Oscar winning director Damien Chazelle ditches his beloved jazz for this Neil Armstrong biopic.

Directed by Damien Chazelle and starring Ryan Gosling, Claire Foy and Jason Clarke among others.

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