Day 244: "According to all official reports, Apollo 17 was the final lunar mission."

Apollo 18 takes on the sci-fi/horror genre in a fresh way, and succeeds tremendously.  Filmed to look like NASA archival footage, and put together in a very similar fashion to The Blair Witch Project, Apollo 18 demonstrates how a movie can be constructed very simply, with a solid story, minimal effects, and good acting.  the film posits that after the final "official" Moon mission, the American Department of Defense sets up another mission.  Shrouded under the ever popular "national security' excuse, the three astronauts are unable to tell even their families that they are, indeed, going to the Moon.  Once there, the two who actually land on the Moon discover what the DoD had known all along, and I ain't telling what it is, see for yourself.  The way the movie is set up, using a mix of actual archival footage and combining it with the scenes that the filmmakers shot for this movie is what makes the story successful.  Using the inherent loneliness and barren landscape of the Moon turns it into its own character.  Apollo 18 comes off as a haunted house movie in a strong way.

Starring Warren Christie, Lloyd Owen and Ryan Robbins as the astronauts, they do a great job in the cramped sets that make up the lunar lander and command module.  This movie makes those particular ships seem much smaller and claustrophobic than they appeared in Apollo 13, which is quite a feat.  Just a great job by the actors to convey, not only the horror that they encounter, but the desolation of being in a situation where there is absolutely no chance of rescue.

A very tense and edge of your seat thriller, Apollo 18 was very effective in its purpose.  Every time the camera view changed, I was waiting to see something, ANYTHING.  The tension builds very methodically, but the last fifteen minutes were astounding.  My main point of contention with the film, as with any documentary style movie is this:  If this was a "lost" or "unofficial" mission, A) why was it documented? and B) How was the filmed footage recovered?  Minor quibbles, but I'm a curious guy.  8.25/10.

See you tomorrow, and GO WATCH A MOVIE!!