This July marks the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11, the space mission that resulted in the first, two people from Earth walking on the Moon. It is one of the single, greatest achievements of human beings and of the United States. There have been productions on TV and on film that have depicted this mission. Those productions have been fictionalized versions like the Emmy-winning
From the Earth to the Moon (1998) and the Oscar-winning
First Man (2018). The astronauts and the people involved in the mission have obviously been interviewed and profiled numerous times. However, three years ago, CNN Films approached filmmaker Todd Douglas Miller about doing this documentary. Miller was working on a film about Apollo 17, which is about the last mission to the moon, so it made him the perfect candidate for this.
Miller's team along with NASA and the National Archives uncovered film footage from 1969 that was shot of that mission. That footage included unreleased 70 mm reels of the launch and recovery. Upon further research, Miller also found thousands of hours of audio recordings that detailed every aspect and every little step leading up to the launch and the aftermath of the recovery. Apollo 11 took off on July 16 from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. It splashed down in the Pacific Ocean on July 24. Over the course of nine days, audio was being recorded, noting every single thing that Apollo and the men involved did. Along with it, there were tons of cameras capturing the events as well. There were cameras all over, both outside and inside NASA. There were cameras both inside and outside Apollo 11 itself.
Therefore, Miller had a plethora of material. Miller made the decision not to do voice-over narration or do any present-day interviews. Essentially, he didn't need to do so. Possibly, the only thing he needed to add was animation, simple line-drawings that fill in the gaps of when Apollo 11 is out in the black of space and there isn't any visualization of the craft's flight in between the Earth and the Moon. Otherwise, Miller's role is one of intense editing. As such, most of the appreciation of this film is going to be on a technical level.
In comparison to something like
First Man, which is about the emotional journey or lack thereof with the astronauts. It's about emotional and possibly psychological introspection, as well as the sacrifices that went into this mission and project overall. This film isn't about any of that. This film is merely about the celebration of the process and the procedures, as well as the exhilaration of men methodically doing their job, a very scientific job, and doing it efficiently.
Of course, another major draw is the 70 mm footage. Half of this movie is comprised of that footage that gorgeously, clearly and immersively shows that launch and recovery. The other half is comprised of 35 mm and 16 mm film, as well as video from TV cameras, that isn't as glorious but still is beautifully rendered here. Some of the sequences are thrilling. Knowing the ending, it probably won't have most on the edge of their seats, but it is involving and isn't boring at all.
Rated G for all audiences.
Running Time: 1 hr. and 33 mins.
Available on DVD and VOD.
Edited IMAX version playing at the National Air & Space Museum in DC and Virginia.
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