Apollo 11 doco delivers a true blast from the past

Apollo 11 (2019)
Director: Todd Douglas Miller
Stars: Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, Michael Collins
Showing: in cinemas now
★★★★★

REVIEW
BY CATHRYN BOYES

Fifty years after it blasted off, the Apollo 11 mission has made history again.

The discovery of unseen archival footage and uncatalogued audio recordings from the 1969 Apollo 11 mission to the moon made this film possible. 

Remastering is an understatement; post-production house Final Frame helped to create a custom scanner that was used to digitise and remaster the trove of original footage into modern, high-resolution film suitable for distribution. 

Entirely from this archival footage, director/producer Todd Douglas Miller has delivered the eight-day moon landing mission in crystal clear HD. 

The iconic voice of mission control shines through as a grounding narration, complemented by original music from Matt Morton. 

The audio recordings of Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins communicating back to mission control make the whole experience fun and exciting. This is what was said, and how it was said. This is the real footage and audio, it’s all from newly discovered archives, and it is ingeniously put together. 

Apollo 11 is more than a glimpse, it felt like being there. We are transported back in time to 1969 and then all the way to the moon.  

It’s a must-see for space enthusiasts and students of science and engineering, but also for budding filmmakers. 

Riveting, funny and out of this world, it’s one small step for Apollo 11, one giant leap for documentary film. And yes – that was entirely necessary.