The Wasteland Review Request: Apollo 18 (2011)
What made the found footage genre such a cultural phenomenon? With a cinematic sensation like The Blair Witch Project leading the charge, you can understand why so many filmmakers wanted to follow suit. When a film captures the culture zeitgeist like Blair Witch did (by pretending it was actual footage of real people and not a narrative film) you are going to see others trying to capture the same type of spark at the box office. But the found footage genre is a compelling (and challenging) one because it puts the audience in a pseudo-reality that feels like a unique experience and opens the door for plenty of creativity. But for 30 years and many versions of this idea have come and gone, making it a more familiar experience. But back in 2011, director Gonzalo Lopez-Gallego took found footage to a place where humanity has barely been…space!
How does Apollo 18 capitalize on such an idea? The main concept is one that is quite fruitful in potential. You have government footage leaked regarding a mysterious Apollo mission never thought to have happened. But why was this mission kept secret from the public? Well…that is what makes the mystery so tantalizing. There are some strong elements for sure as the idea of mysterious creatures and infections attacking one of our missions to space is a nightmarish scenario. Admittedly though, screenwriters Brian Miller and Cory Goodman play this scenario safely in many ways. There is a surprising lack of shocking moments throughout this lean film (just over 80 minutes). You have some astronauts (who are set up quite broadly with minimal characterization) that find some horrific stuff, bad stuff happens to them, and the government covers the whole thing up. Other alien films have found much more interesting and layered approaches to telling such a story. But for a modest runtime, it has some strong moments that deliver along the way.
Does Lopez-Gallego deliver from behind the camera? There is a valiant effort to make the footage from the film feel like old NASA cameras which are necessary for the film to feel authentic. They succeed. There are a few stand-out moments where the staging, effects, make-up, and tension come together to effectively craft some terror. But these moments come too few and far between. There are even some moments that are too choppy and over-edited which take away from the experience (which feels extra odd since this was found footage and they had to find clunky ways to explain that. The pacing of the film is quite frustrating as well as you have a film with such a modest runtime feeling so long. The film does not linger on effects shots, but they work quite well for what Lopez-Gallego is going for. The tension is fleeting but there are a few strong set pieces that deliver quite well.
Does the film deliver regarding the cast of characters? The crew of actors in the film do not stand out much as none of them were launched by this experience. But the main trio of actors who portray the astronauts do their jobs well. They act in a naturalistic way which gives the film a more authentic feel. Once the horrible stuff starts building up, there are certainly moments that call for terror (for the characters and audience). The performers do this just fine even if none of them are true standouts during the experience. The film could have benefited from more interesting and charismatic characters (helping fill up the moments in between the horror) but that is not the approach they decided to take here.
Is Apollo 18 a worthwhile found footage experience? A great concept with safe execution. There is little about the film that is terribly bad…but nothing extraordinary either. A few standout moments do not make a film. A lagging pace also doesn’t do the film too many favors. This film will scratch the itch for those looking for a found footage experience, but it is too lacking to deliver more than the bare minimum.
Special thanks to Nicholas Attanasio for nominating Apollo 18 (2011)!
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