Blu-ray Review: In Space No One Can Hear You Snore During ‘Apollo 18’

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CHICAGO – “Apollo 18” is the worst thing that a horror movie can be — BORING. Like deadly, biology class boring. It’s actually a chore to get through, especially the first act, which is nonsensical set-up given what we know has to happen eventually and the lack of quality writing. It would have made more sense to start with the “action” of the film, but then it would have been only about an hour long. And it still would have sucked.

Blu-ray Rating: 1.0/5.0

Reportedly the actual footage of the Apollo 18 mission, Gonzalo Lopez-Gallego’s film is in the vein of “Paranormal Activity” or “The Blair Witch Project” but in outer space. NASA nuts will assume an error was made in the last sentence since our trips to the moon stopped with Apollo 17. In the vein of “Capricorn One,” this is a film that posits that the reason we haven’t gone back to the planet of cheese is because the 18th Apollo mission resulted in, well, some serious sh*t. What could go so wrong on the moon that we would never go back? Ten bucks says you can figure it out.

The concept is a sound one. There are cameras all over space equipment, so making a found footage sci-fi movie is actually relatively clever. It’s the execution that’s disastrous. “Apollo 18” is just a snooze. It’s not engaging. It’s not thrilling. It is easily one of the dullest films of 2011. It just never grabs you, partially because the found footage never feels genuine in the slightest. There’s something about bad characterizations and cheesy dialogue in a standard horror movie that’s amplified when it’s supposed to be “real.” All that’s real about “Apollo 18” is that you really don’t need to bother seeing it.

Apollo 18 was released on Blu-ray on December 27th, 2011
Photo credit: Anchor Bay

Synopsis:
Officially, Apollo 17, launched December 17th, 1972 was the last manned mission to the moon. But a year later, in December of 1973, two American astronauts were sent on a secret mission to the moon funded by the US Department of Defense. What you are about to see is the actual footage which the astronauts captured on that mission. While NASA denies its authenticity, others say it’s the real reason we’ve never gone back to the moon.

Special Features:
o Feature Commentary with Director Gonzalo Lopez Gallego & Editor Patrick Lussier
o Deleted and Alternate Scenes
o Alternate Endings
o Digital Copy Of Feature Film

By BRIAN TALLERICO Content Director HollywoodChicago.com brian@hollywoodchicago.com