Apollo 11

This documentary was made using a lot of recently discovered film, much of it is high-definition, large format film. It truly gives amazing images.

But the story of course is the real meat here. I attended the same University as Armstrong, I had just graduated with my Master's when the Moon landing happened. I remember it well and will always have a connection, Armstrong and I walked the same college walkways, had classes in some of the same buildings, both watched the Boilermakers play football in the same stadium. Just a few years apart.

Recently I discovered separate online interviews with both Armstrong and Aldrin, in the documentary we see them as young men about to get the ride of a lifetime, then we see them nearer the end of their lives putting it all in perspective.

Great documentary, worth a viewing for anyone.

The film starts the morning of launch day July 16, 1969. There are no actors, no reenactments, no narrator. It is 100% restored archival footage and recorded audio, most of which I had never seen before. Opening footage of the crowds gathering around Kennedy Space Center gave you the sense it was apparent to everyone the magnitude of what was about to happen.

They had audio and video of (an issue I won't spoil, something during launch prep I had never heard of before). Obviously there is no external footage of the spacecraft from the time it leaves earth orbit until it arrived at the moon but the editing and coverage used are excellent and you never feel like you're in the dark or missing out.

There is no attempt made at politicizing the event or manipulating the viewer, it is raw, factual cinéma vérité. Although I did find Kennedy's speech moving, they made the excellent choice to NOT show the famous portion we've all heard about landing a man on the moon and returning him safely by the end of the decade. It was the rest of that speech, which I'm not sure I'd ever heard, that was astute, prophetic and even funny at one point.

My one very minor caution is that viewers who aren't already aware how critical/dangerous some maneuvers were could miss out on the gravity of the situation. The filmmakers do assist with this with the score, which is absolutely fantastic (and according to the credits, composed entirely with instruments available in July '69), and some minor on-screen graphics (e.g. FUEL 30 seconds, 1202 alarm). It's a trivial concern but viewers who are familiar with the space program in general, and this mission in particular, will get the most out of the experience.

The film wraps up after our astronauts are safely home and cleared from quarantine. During the credits there are a few more interesting shots of some of the celebrations.

Saw the Apollo 11 IMAX film last night. Highly recommend. No narration just the NASA announcer, communications between ship and ground plus a few other bits added such as Walter and JFK now and then. Images are amazing, esp in IMAX. It moves well, no slow moments, no soap opera, no agenda, lots of unseen footage and some new stories, pure documentary, the trip is the whole story. PDI is great, TLI is great, LM separation, footage of the crowd is great. Go see, you wont be disappointed. 90 minutes long.

Should be mandatory watching for all the folks that have lost the feeling of global humanity. I remember it from 50 years ago and I feel proud of the world as it looked then and the can do attitudes. The grace and humility of Neil Armstrong and crew was amazing. I was excited at each event and the music was marvelous. You know they make it but the tension was intense. so much could have gone wrong. What was error 202 !!!

Todd Douglas Miller's documentary Apollo 11 is a rich buffet of restored footage, clever image juxtaposition, and ingenious lip reading. There is SO MUCH newly-released footage, one gets the impression that 1/4 of the mission weight must've been cameras and film! Where have these images been for fifty years? There's no narration... just sounds and voices from the mission, peppered with occasional contemporaneous commentary from Walter Cronkite's legendary broadcasts. The film is a beautiful, visceral thrill ride, lovingly constructed, without aggrandizement... yet emotions soar. This is what America once was, and what it could be again, and I absolutely do not mean that in any jingoistic sense. Truly our finest moment. See it in IMAX if you can - IT IS WORTH IT.