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Apollo 18 - 2/9/2011 3:44:56 PM

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Post #: 1

RE: Apollo 18 - 2/9/2011 7:51:32 PM

Rgirvan44

Posts: 18881
Joined: 10/3/2006
From: Punishment Park

An awful film.

And it isn't bad because it is a "found film" picture, it is bad for a whole bunch of other reasons. The same scares are repeated constantly. Could write so much about went wrong here.

And the sad thing is - it ain't a bad idea! In the right hands Apollo 18 could have been great.

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Post #: 2

RE: Apollo 18 - 2/9/2011 10:05:22 PM

Rgirvan44

Posts: 18881
Joined: 10/3/2006
From: Punishment Park

I was instantly taken out of the film due to the bad acting, and the bad script. People in real life don't speak the way these guys do. I was also annoyed that they put a soundtrack on it, but tried to make it sound like it was equipment...despite the fact there is no sound in space.

The aliens were rubbish - there was a scene where one guy is following another over the desert of the moon - and I was hoping for an Exorcist 3 style moment - some creature striding into frame, killing the guy and walking out in a matter of seconds. But alas - they went for a lame and cost effective solution.

Also they use the same three scares throughout the film - the PA "sitting camera" shot. The flashing light into the dark,and the "someone is asleep...and then NOT!" scare. So boring.

With regard to some other stuff....

SPOILERS

One of the things that bugged me was they seemed to setting up that there was a second Cosmonaut out there. They asked if there was anyone else out there and are told no. So I am sitting there thinking "oh...so that means that there MUST be another guy out there. When the astronaut was making his way back to the Russian ship, I was expecting some freaky alien/human guy to jump out of somewhere...but nope. That plot thread just got dumped.

I don't understand what the military plan was, and why they didn't tell the guys. Heck they are already involved in a cover up - why not say "Hey guys, we think the Russians got up there, but didn't come back - your mission is to find their ship and what happened to them". Astronauts are from the military and will have had a lot of top secret knowledge. No need not to tell them about that. Even the potential alien threat they could have explained. It made no sense to send them up there blind.

END SPOILERS

Already put too much effort into this mini review than the writers did for their film.

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It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to, than I have ever known.

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Post #: 3

Apollo 18 - 4/9/2011 4:12:06 AM

Kev2012

Posts: 39
Joined: 10/4/2006

Really enjoyed it, thought it was a good variation on the whole 'found footage' idea. Well acted and directed, with some effective scares. However, while watching it, I began to think of The Quatermass Experiment and was thinking it was going to go a similar route. In the end it went a different way, but I wonder if they makers were inspired by Quatermass in some way.

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Post #: 4

RE: Apollo 18 - 4/9/2011 9:06:36 PM

jackcarter

Posts: 1708
Joined: 12/1/2006

***SPOILER ALERT***

saw it, yes as expected basically Blair Witch on the moon. mixed with some Alien (the DOD like Company), TF3 (apollo astronauts sent up to enounter aliens) and Red Planet (the creatures and finding the Russian ship/using it to get away)

was quite convincing - really bought they were on the moon and didnt disappoint in the creepy/eerie/horror stakes.

< Message edited by jackcarter -- 13/10/2011 4:13:55 PM >

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Post #: 5

Apollo 18 - 6/9/2011 8:13:56 PM

HERMES_67

Posts: 91
Joined: 1/10/2005

A front runner for the worst film of all time. Total crapola that unfortunately I paid to see. Avoid like the plague unless you feel the urgent need to be lobotomised from the real world for 90 mins.

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Post #: 6

RE: Apollo 18 - 6/9/2011 10:19:41 PM

hampstead bandit

Posts: 374
Joined: 18/9/2009

saw it yesterday, courtesy of some free Odeon tickets (noisy guests were ejected at previous screening of another film, and we were given these tickets as compensation)

the film?

quite enjoyed it, but then I am a sucker for all things "space race" and have several Apollo films and documentatries in my film collection, including the sublime Tom Hanks produced HBO TV series "From here to the moon" and the awesome docs "For all mankind" and "In the shadow of the moon" on HD Blu-Ray

the found footage style was quite well done, the film was suspenseful and maintained the tension although I was expecting a little more to happen at the end?

probably not worth seeing in the cinema as the low quality (understandable) of the 'footage' means it does not need to be seen on the big-screen, I'd recommend seeing it on rental if you like this style of film, or like space race material

3/5 from me!

< Message edited by hampstead bandit -- 6/9/2011 10:20:07 PM >

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Post #: 7

RE: Apollo 18 (SPOILER HEAVY) - 8/9/2011 11:42:47 PM

carlschirwing

Posts: 2
Joined: 27/10/2010

I first got excited for Apollo 18 after the disappointment I'd felt after watching a trailer where Apollo 11's crew were sent up to the moon with secret instructions to investigate an alien crash site once the TV signal had been lost/cut. That film looked amazing until Michael Bay gave it an overdose of Bay-hem. It was such a good idea and for it to be the latest offering of the Transformers series was very upsetting. I was so happy when I saw that someone else had had a similar idea. Sure, it wasn't Apollo 11's crew that were going up but an additional Apollo mission we didn't know about. That in itself leads to questions but I had hoped that they'd be answered.

They weren't.

There is just no explanation as to why the mission even went ahead. Why Apollo 18 was secret but the other 6 since Apollo 11 have been publicised? Why would the American's go after answers to the Russians problems? Surely the russians themselves would have sent their own guys up to investigate.

Obviously, this is the point in the 'Found Footage' genre. It's meant to stir up some kind of conspiracy theory in order to get us talking about the possibilities but while most "FF" films lack answers or explanation, the footage we see is normally entertaining, interesting and captivating enough to make us WANT to talk about the film afterwards. Apollo 18 just didn't do that. I personally hated the 3 man crew. Sure, I understand that all Apollo missions were 3 man crews but I'd have accepted that technology had changed and allowed for an extra man or two to be aboard at least to give the guy left behind in orbit something to do. Instead, he repeated the same tired attempts to reach the surface crew before the final few scenes where he showed a little emotion but it wasn't soon enough to allow us to care for his fate. The 3 man crew worked for Apollo 11 but that was a different film where the three actors were always together, never alone.

The symptoms of infection were also unclear. At times he seemed to be himself and in lots of pain. Other times he seemed possessed. Then he'd go back to sanity again and would attempt to destroy the aliens in the shuttle. We never really knew what he was going to do. Unpredictability can be good... but this wasn't.

The best thing I can say is that the actors did the best job they could with poor material. A lot of credit to the set design and camera work. The feeling of space and the moon was very effective and, at times, claustrophobic. The writing and direction, sadly, was not up to scratch and we have yet another candidate for the "I Wish I'd Made" shelf... except this time, it's on there because I'd have made it better.

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Post #: 8

Apollo 18: Review - 25/9/2011 1:08:21 AM

Edward9630

Posts: 63
Joined: 8/8/2011
From: Ireland

Apollo 18 is a good film. It had a good story, good cast and I did feel like I was in the moon. The problems with the film is it just isn't scary and I've seen better camera films then this. I would recommend to go see this film.

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Post #: 9

RE: Apollo 18: Review - 21/5/2012 1:24:19 PM

Vitamin F

Posts: 557
Joined: 6/10/2005
From: Norn Ireland, so it is

The 'found footage' gimmick strikes again, and still doesn't work!

The most frustrating thing about Apollo 18 is that it does have a couple of genuinely good ideas in there. The idea of the aliens and the way they were presented in a couple of shots was pretty effective, but once the 'horror' aspect of the film kicked in it quickly plummeted in it's ridiculousness and cliche count, and some of the acting is just muck. A more traditional film set in a more 'fictional' universe, that included some of the elements on show here may have worked quite well.

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Post #: 10

RE: Apollo 18 - 21/5/2012 7:00:18 PM

Phubbs

Posts: 660
Joined: 3/4/2012

Made in the same kind of style as 'Blair Witch' with lots of shaky handheld cam and supposedly using real life footage from a real life space mission. The premise is based around historical accuracy when NASA cancelled the Apollo mission but the film tells us that they did actually go ahead with the flight to the moon and this is the 'uncovered' results which have been kept secret.

Now this has received many poor reviews since release but I must go against that and say its actually a good tense little thriller. I wouldn't say its a horror, its not scary and the moon aliens are errr kinda silly but the whole film looks great, very realistic and does a sterling job of making you believe we are back in the 60's space program.

You can guess how the plot unfolds of course as its not original, the setting is quite original but not the actual plot. Mainly based around two astronauts the cast are perfectly fine and do the job, I wasn't blown away or anything but they both make you believe. Its kinda predictable in the fact that you know there is an under current of treachery going on from earth HQ, as usual all is not well within the US government and their over the top secrecy to the point where it does really make you wonder in reality haha

Ends on a question mark which again is kinda easy to spot coming, the designs for the aliens are most certainly unique if anything but at the same time a little bit crappy too and doesn't make much sense of course (what would they live on on the moon? how/why do they attack the astronauts? you don't see much). Basically its a good thriller in my opinion that works because of its setting and clever use of actual events which, in my opinion, always make a plot much more fun and interesting. Now go read up on the Apollo missions and the brave men involved.

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Post #: 11

Www.fivestarscream.ucoz.com - 2/9/2012 7:01:18 PM

jackcarlin18

Posts: 84
Joined: 21/1/2012

To be honest im actually quiet flabbergasted at how bad and disappointing this film actually was! It was a powerful concept gone to waste. What a shame! I personally liked the idea of other species on the moon and i liked the final 15 minutes of the film due to its unnerving moments but the rest of the film just feels lazy and boring; if half the film wasnt the astronauts lying in there bananahamocks then the film could have had room to improve. Apart from that i liked the ending due to it mind-games; it makes us wonder "once if there is creature on the moon that can disguise themselves as rocks? And once if someone went to the moon and spotted these bt were left there to die because of secrecy?" what if is what i asked myself over and over. Damn you goverment! Overall the film was a drag and really knew how to waste an hour of my time with its lack of intrest. Good story exicuted badly! Shame.

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Post #: 12

GOOD IDEA WASTED.... - 15/2/2013 6:36:31 PM

chrisdagnall

Posts: 88
Joined: 10/9/2008

ONE STAR, ONLY THE LAST 15 MINUTES ARE GOOD....

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Post #: 13