Apollo 11 (2019) - Review

Apollo 11 (2019)

If you have been living in a cave or you are a millennial as I have recently discovered who have no single clue who Neil Armstrong even was, 50 years ago this July the United States sent three Astronauts named Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Mike Collins in a space craft trade named Apollo 11 with its Command Module named “Columbia” and a Lunar Landing Module named ”Eagle” to travel 238,900 miles to land on the moon in a designated area called “The Sea of Tranquility”. 

Once there Neil and Buzz collected rocks and soil samples and after 21 hours, 36 minutes and 21 seconds on the lunar surface they lifted off again returning three days later with three candy cane colored parachutes unfurled landing them again all safely in the brilliantly calm blue Pacific Ocean.

To commemorate this extraordinary American achievement the CNN-NASA documentary titled “Apollo 11 (2019)” has been released exclusively in IMAX theaters nationwide with loads of never-before-seen footage, along with some amazing minute by minute audio recordings and music. The result is a film that will take you immediately straight back into the hearts and minds of those working people of NASA and their most celebrated historic mission for all of human kind.

REVIEW: Goose Bumps. I have had movie going experiences where certain scenes and or dialog have given me good bumps, but never have I experienced something so compelling and stirring for all of its 1:30 minutes running time in every single frame as I did in “Apollo 11 (2019)” in IMAX.

In the first 3 minutes you will first hear a loud rumbling sound initially without any video. Shortly later you see the source of the noise by way of the massive platform crawler moving at a snail’s 1 to 2 mph pace carrying the giant towering pristine white Saturn 5 rocket from its assembly plant building to the launch pad site a mile away. Along side the rocket you have the juxtaposition of seeing several hard hat wearing engineers walking in cadence with the crawler and their walkie-talkies in hand. This is the first scene that blew me away by both its intimate closeness and yet its equally sweeping vista panning around and about of these uniquely connected behemoth structures. Giving you the viewer right out of the box the first scaled perspective of just how extraordinary these pieces of machinery were even back then.

Soon after The Saturn 5 is positioned on the launch pad we see the three astronauts already in their white suits. It’s immediately clear that while all three men displayed exemplary courage in their achievement that year, the reality was in the NASA prep room that morning was a room filled with deafening quiet tension. You can see the deep seeded pressure and weight of what these three were about to embark on their collective faces. They knew without any words that they would either be hailed as individual iconic heroes or mourned as symbols of national failure, that could also come at the great cost of their own lives.

Apollo 11 (2019) is listed as documentary but in any format it is an extraordinary experience as you will ever have in a theater whether you are novice fan of science or not. And the principle reason for this film’s success and achievement is Director Todd Douglas Miller who's work here is amazingly intimate and highly personal. An exquisite frame by frame re-examination of all those people behind the scenes as well and their humanity into making this space mission a national American success. To my point, the direction in the film is so good I literally had myself wondering, even worrying if Neil and Buzz would crash on the moon and equally worrying again if they would lift off. Its that gripping - its that captivating - its that absorbing. 

On some technical notes, the use of multiple split screens and a magnificent musical score were so thrilling it makes you think that the events you are watching are occurring right now, with some moments that were so well done, (for example) the close up viewing of the Saturn 5 launch itself left me so astonished it was as if I had never seen a rocket launched before. And when you add the digitally remastering of old footage in the 70 MM format I found the entire revisiting of this historical event riveting and pulse pounding every single second.

"Apollo 11" is a meticulous, enthralling, astonishing, vivid and inspiring film experience. A human technological adventure that brilliantly - nostalgically recaptured that hot summer in July of 1969 without any display of personal ego or political divisiveness. A human spirited event where the entire nation and maybe even the entire world were drawn to televisions around the globe holding their collective breaths as the three men journeyed into darkness and the unknown and equally reveling and rejoicing in the grandeur of their achievement and their safe return.

Look, all I can do is implore you to all to see this. And should you do, please stay through all of the credits for some additional never seen before scenes released by NASA. BUT WHAT EVER YOU DECIDE DO NOT MAKE THE MISTAKE of thinking you will rent.  Seeing it in IMAX at any and all cost.

Finally, one scene I will soon not forget early in the film was just before the launch.A helicopter was buzzing about filming the throngs of people gathering around Cape Kennedy area that day to see the launch. In a very brief moment you see the mounted camera swing about to what was apparently a residential business area nearby where you immediately see a JC Penney store in the background. For just a very brief glimpse you can see the parking lot on that day was so crowded with viewers to see this event you could hardly see any of the cars they came in.

“Apollo 11 (2019)” in any format is an astonishing flawless masterpiece.

4.00 Stars Plus