Skip to main content

Apollo 11 | Average Guy Movie Review



On 16th July 1969, Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins were launched into space on what is undoubtedly the most famous mission in the history of space exploration. Their destination, the moon, where Armstrong and Aldrin would become the first humans to set foot on another world.




Thanks to the discovery of previously unseen footage, director Todd Douglas Miller and his team have been able to bring this incredible feat of human achievement back to life. Charting events from the hours prior to launch, through their flight to the moon, the landing, the return to Earth and the aftermath, Miller is able to provide whole new perspectives on the mission. Not just from the point of view of the astronauts, but from all those who worked to get them to the moon, and the millions of people who watched from around the world. In many ways it's like you're actually witnessing these events as they take place, rather than watching a documentary. And the lack of a narrator describing events - instead we are kept up to date by recordings of radio transmissions and news broadcasts from the time - only makes it all feel more real.





The only thing more mind-boggling than what you'll see in this fascinating documentary, is the fact that all of this footage was locked away in a vault and forgotten about for almost fifty years! A lot of work has been done to increase the quality of the footage, and to sync the audio to it, making the whole thing that much more immersive. Combine that with the use of multiple camera angles and perspectives, and you are able to get an idea of just how difficult a task, travelling to the moon can be. "Apollo 11" has even been edited to convey the level of tension that goes with such an endeavour. You may have some idea of how the mission went, you may be well versed in those proceedings, but there are still times when you will be on the edge of your seat. It is a shame then that certain liberties have been taken with the timeline. Events that did take place - like Michael Collins' wisecrack in regard to his biomed sensors - are shown to occur at different times to when they actually did. It's a strange choice given all the hard work that went into achieving accuracy. One that thankfully doesn't have a detrimental effect on your viewing experience.




A fantastic documentary that conveys all the spectacle - not to mention hard work - of such a historic event. One that is now preserved for future generations to enjoy. The quality of the footage is spectacular, and although the timeline has been skewed a little here and there, "Apollo 11" allows audiences  to experience one of man's greatest achievements as if they were a part of it.


10/10





What did you think of Apollo 11? Leave a comment below or find us on Facebook and Twitter. You can also email us at moviemoustache@gmail.com

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

The Suicide Squad | Average Guy Movie Review

A new batch of convicts - as well as a few originals - are under the thumb of Amanda Waller (Viola Davis), who's once again offering years off their prison sentences in return for completing a few jobs for Uncle Sam. This time she's sending them to the island nation of Corto Maltese. There they must infiltrate the capital and destroy a top secret research facility. Sounds easy enough. Task Force X is back, and with James Gunn at the helm things are madder than ever! The Guardians of the Galaxy  director has taken what David Ayer started and blown the roof off of it. But he has done so in a way that is respectful of what has gone before. Fans of the original (of which there are apparently few) will have no trouble going from  Suicide Squad  to The Suicide Squad . And yet, the new movie stands quite happily on it's own two feet. Rather than making them drastically different, the returning characters simply feel like they have grown a bit. Well, maybe not grown, but adapted, t

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings | Average Guy Movie Review

For ten years Shang-Chi (Simu Liu) - the son of The Mandarin (Tony Leung), keeper of the Ten Rings - has been running from his past, trying to escape the life his father intended for him. Unfortunately that past has now caught up with him, endangering the lives of those he cares about. Now he must return home, face his father and learn the secrets of his family. If there's one thing that Marvel is good at, it's taking lesser known comic book characters and turning them into major players. Clearly they haven't lost their touch because Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings  is everything fans love about the MCU and so much more. Whilst keeping things very much rooted in this world, Destin Daniel Cretton has carved out a new piece of the epic film franchise - one steeped in asian culture and mythology - to bring us Marvel's first Asian superhero.  It seems insane to think that just a few years ago Simu Liu tweeted Marvel about Shang-Chi, and now he's playing the ne

Operation Market Garden Anniversary 2016

The John Frost Bridge at Arnhem (from my visit in 2013) 72 years ago today, Allied troops set off on what could be one of the boldest missions of World War 2, Operation Market Garden. Developed by Field Marshall Montgomery, the plan was to advance into Nazi occupied Holland and develop a bridgehead over the River Rhine into Germany. There were two parts to the operation: Market (Airborne) Garden (Ground Forces) In what was the largest airborne operation of the war, paratroopers and glider troops had the job of securing bridges at Eindhoven (US 101st Airborne), Nijmegen (US 82nd Airborne) and Arnhem (British 1st Airborne). The ground forces, made up of the British XXX Corp had to advance up a single highway through Holland, linking up with the airborne forces as they went. In honour of the anniversary of Operation Market Garden we look back at some of the movies and TV Shows that tell the story of the Allies ill-fated attempt to end the war by Christmas 1944. A Bridge Too Far