The moon landing is one of the great moments in human history. I imagine most people remember where they were when they were watching it. The documentary takes us behind the scenes of the moon landing, looking at all those people who helped make this mission successful. There were no “Houston, we have a problem” scenarios for Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin.
The Apollo 11 documentary gives you the highlights over the main events of the fated moon mission. We get a look at Cape Canaveral and all the onwatchers, Houston and NASA, and some shots from the shuttle itself and its various cameras. The doc takes us from point to point in the mission, showing us exactly how the launch, landing, and reentry came to pass from the sound bites/reactions of all the scientists helping the Eagle land.
With the ending of this documentary known to everyone, Apollo 11 has a tough task keeping us interested while we wait for Armstrong’s big line, and keeping us interested still while we wait for them to safely land. Director Todd Douglas Miller makes some smart choices to keep your butt in the seat. The entire Apollo 11 mission is divided into a series of major tasks (read: movie vignettes) that need to be solved for the mission to work. Therefore, the movie is a series of smaller short films strung together, focusing on the tasks and how hard they are, not waxing poetically glossing over issues. Moreover, those smaller missions make it easier to explain some of the science used in going into space. Miller’s musical score is really propulsive and foreboding, creating a sense of tension for any small glitch in the mostly successful mission. We also become invested in the main 3 astronauts: Armstrong, Aldrin, and Michael Collins, by hearing audio of their mission, pointing out how serious, technical, and dryly funny they are. Characters. Easy to follow plot. Forward momentum. Clocking in just over 90 minutes? Sounds like a well made movie to me.
Apollo 11 isn’t the hard hitting expose on the lead up to the mission or a contemplative piece about what it means for society. The movie simply takes the lead from its astronauts, letting everyone gaze at the wonder around them and enjoy while behind the scenes the pieces are being put in place for you to enjoy yourself. Who knows, there might even be a Johnny Carson sighting?