Apollo 18 is a fictional story which purports it is an account of what happened on a secret mission to the moon. The Apollo missions were completed with Apollo 17, but according to this story there was an additional mission that was under the direction of the Department of Defense.
The Cold War and the Moon
In 1974 the Cold War was at its peak. The Americans were suspicious of the Russians and the Russians were suspicious of the Americans. The threat of nuclear war remained a concern.
The trio of astronauts that was supposed to go to the moon on Apollo 18, before the final Apollo missions were scrubbed due to economic woes, was called back into action by the Department of Defense (DOD). They were told their new mission would take them to the moon, but they could never tell anyone about it. Although they truly desired to tell their families that they were going to the moon, they knew their mission was important to the DOD, and even though no one would know they were excited to get to the moon.
Their mission was to install listening devices and cameras at various locations on the moon’s surface. This would alert the United States in case the Russians decided to start a nuclear war. The astronauts considered their mission an important security step for their country. This would be the foundation for what we now know as “Star Wars” or the Missile Defense System.
The two lunar astronauts went about their business while the third orbited the moon. It looked like this would be an easy mission.
Unexpected Company on the Moon
Everything was going according to plan until the astronauts discovered a Soviet spaceship about 2 kilometers from their own Lunar Lander. They also discovered the body of a cosmonaut. Was this cosmonaut alone or did he have a partner? They couldn’t tell and there was no trace of another human.
This was a startling surprise to the astronauts who started to get suspicious about the true point of their mission. It was too much of a coincidence for them to land so close to the Soviet ship. What was going on?
Then they discovered tracks on the lunar surface. These tracks were not human. There was something else on the moon. But what?
As this unfolds the astronauts know they were sent up as guinea pigs to confront this situation. And to make matters worse, during all of this they lose their communications with both the orbiter and the Earth.
Apollo 18 Review
The movie is set up to show like some old film footage documenting the Apollo mission. It is disconcerting to view a film with the breaks and black holes, so to speak. The story doesn’t flow like a normal film would. But this is supposed to be a film based on found footage, so this is the way the filmmakers designed it.
The story moves slowly and the characters do not grab the attention of viewers. They are not interesting enough to care about. And the story is hokey, to put it bluntly.
Apollo 18 Blu-ray + DVD + Digital Copy Combo Pack
The combo pack includes some deleted scenes and several alternate endings, none of which would have made the film more enjoyable. This is a film only die-hard sci-fi alien fans will enjoy.
- Apollo 18 Combo Pack
- Studio: Anchor Bay
- Rated: PG-13 for some disturbing sequences, and language
- Running time: 87 minutes
- Release date: December 27, 2011
