Apollo 18 Movie Review

Apollo 18 Click to look into! >> Read More... is a science fiction horror film, directed by Gonzalo Lopez Gallago. The film uses the ‘found footage’ technique for the same. Brian Miller has written the script for this film. Timur Bekmambetov and Michael Wolkoff have co-produced this film. This film has been distributed under the banner of Dimension Films. Jose David Montero is the cinematographer, while Patrick Lussier is the editor of this film. The film stars Warren Christie, Lloyd Owen, and Ryan Robbins in the lead. Andrew Airlie and Michael Kopsa comprise the supporting cast of this film. Initially scheduled to release in March, the film got an eventual theatrical release on 2 September 2011.

Plot

After Apollo 17 landed on the Moon in 1972, another lunar mission was attempted in 1974 but failed. But what if the people landed on the Moon, only to never come back again? Is there another reason why no human ever attempted to go back to the Moon again?

Star Performances

If there is something remarkable about this film, it is the acting performances of the three astronauts, played by Warren Christie, Lloyd Owen, and Ryan Robbins. Each of them plays their roles with finesse, and Lloyd Owen attempted to go the extra mile to send chills to the audience.

Analysis

Imagine some science fiction grilled on the pan of horror, sprinkled with a healthy dose of conspiracy theory. Feeling hungry? Well, despite his best efforts, director Gonzalo López-Gallego's science fiction thriller "Apollo 18" will compel you to think otherwise.

Using the ‘found footage’ technique, as popularized through ‘Paranormal Activity,’ ‘The Blair Witch Project’ etc., the film attempted to do what none had thought before. The execution, however, is a different story.

To start with, there are several plot loopholes, that are hard to ignore. If the makers intended to make the viewers jittery, they did succeed, but partially. The circumstances in which the footage from the now-defunct mission was obtained are not explained as well. It looks as if the director left the logic behind the space mission to the imagination of the audience. If only it was that simple.

This film is not more than one and a half hours long. Yet, in some instances, the viewers would feel to get out of the hall the very next second. Now we are no experts in science, but some of the sequences involving the space mission made us wonder if the regular Indian commercial potboiler is a better choice than this!

Some of the sequences evoke chills, but they are far and few. Much of it has to do with the bland editing. Even the best efforts from the acting crew cannot make up for the half-baked script that is ‘Apollo 18’.

What's There?

• Only the performances of Warren, Lloyd, and Ryan

What's Not There?

• Half-baked plot
• Awkward editing
• Sequences that end up being unintentionally funny
• Some scenes that defy both logic and rationality

Verdict

‘Apollo 18’ as a concept could have been a revolutionizing movie. The product, however, is something very few would love to talk about. Only the acting performance of the lead trio somehow made this film a one-time watch.