The Pitch: So,
they filmed a bunch of really nice footage for the Apollo 11 mission, then
didn't bother to use a lot of it.
With the 50th anniversary of the Moon landing this
year, I'm getting some space overload. I rewatched The Right Stuff
recently. I watched HBO's From the Earth to the Moon when they made that
available. First Man was less than a year ago. Apollo 11 is sort
of the closing act before my space interest goes on hiatus*. Watching it at
home, I immediately regretted not seeing it in theaters on a big screen.
*That's probably a lie. I'm already thinking things
like "Maybe I need to reconsider Interstellar" and I'm certain to rewatch The
Martian for the umpteenth time before long.
The footage they found for this is incredible. It
captures the overwhelming size of everything involved. The opening shot is them
moving the space shuttle into position and I almost couldn't believe how big
everything looked. I'm so used to seeing the distant shot of the shuttle or the
extreme close up. I never get a sense of perspective like this. The more I
learn about the Apollo missions, the more amazed I am that they succeeded in
their mission. Just as important though is all the footage of the people. I
love when proper film is used for documentary film footage. It makes everything
come alive and feel real. I wasn't alive during the Moon Landing. I know
logically that everything then was just as real as everything is now. But I rarely
see footage that makes it look real, and not like a memory. This documentary
grounds everything and makes it tactile.
After the shuttle launch, the movie does have
trouble maintaining its momentum. The footage understandably isn't as good. The
actual mission is pretty dull. It's still good, but it's not as good.
The lack of narration is a smart move. It makes
everything come alive more. However, that does make the movie a little harder
to follow if you aren't already familiar with some of the specifics of the
mission.
Verdict: Strongly Recommend
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