Review of Apollo 18 (2011) by Ilhm — 02 Feb 2013

In 1972, the Department of Defense launches Apollo 18 on a secret mission to the moon. Objective: Unknown. Its crew would never return. Nearly 30 years later, their footage has been found. If you aren't already a fan of the "found-footage" genre, APOLLO 18 is unlikely to change that fact, but for anyone who enjoys watching in horror through the shaky first-person perspective of the camera will find this to be another fresh new take on the format.

Director Gonzalo López-Gallego has taken great care in making every scene feel authentic by properly aging the footage and dressing down the technology to fit the early 1970's. The cramped space station and craterous moon setting add the the believability, and allow for a suspension of disbelief as we travel alongside the cosmonauts in zero-gravity.

While this particular style does lend credibility to the plot, it is also cause for a lot of expected slow-downs in the pace, with the action being spread thin throughout the entire run-time. Fear and paranoia do set in much like in THE THING once the men discover that there is life on other worlds.

An interesting use of the format to be sure, APOLLO 18 nevertheless reaches the limit of its own high concept quickly as the audience eagerly awaits any signs of life from the film.