Apollo 11 2019 Trailer Review
Director Todd Douglas Miller (Dinosaur 13) utilizes archive footage from NASA missions such as Apollo 13 to construct a high-definition time machine that transports us back to when humanity first set foot on the moon. We see technicians on launchpad platforms, men in hardhats, and spectators sporting RCA paper caps witnessing history unfold.
Witnessing its build-up, launch, and landing without unnecessary narration is quite exciting.
The trailer gives us a glimpse of what to expect from the movie.
Todd Douglas Miller employs a remarkable collection of archive footage to craft an enthralling documentary that acts like a high-definition time machine. We follow from when the crew suits up on the beach until launch day and landing, following in their wake as man made history and brought back scientific information that has transformed our planet forever.
Apollo 11 is an inspiring tale about humanity’s striving to break free from our boundaries through space travel. The film centers around Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins as they embarked upon their mission. Their team at Mission Control as well as those on Earth who helped get them there are given center stage – but also deftly humanizes those helping from Earth. Watching it in IMAX gives audiences the feeling that they’re immersed within what’s being displayed onscreen – truly captivating cinematic experience!
APOLLO 11 takes us on an emotional journey back into America’s most celebrated space mission as it unfolded, using never-before-seen footage discovered recently. This new documentary follows Apollo 11, its crew members, Mission Control managers and millions of viewers at home on its historic trip that ended with “one small step for man and one giant leap for mankind.”
Viewers familiar with the history of the mission will still find plenty to take in. Watching footage of the Saturn V rocket being rolled to its launch pad and raised into the air is breathtaking; and that sight becomes all the more amazing when one realizes all of the pieces had to come together for this achievement, which provides plenty of drama throughout this film.
Archival footage is enhanced with narration from three astronauts and interviews with members of Mission Control team, but what really stands out are the visuals which tell this incredible tale: including scenes wherein one of their computer monitors becomes malfunctioning while in orbit; or scenes capturing Eagle, its journey, reentry into Earth’s atmosphere and final landing back onto its launchpad which provide truly captivating sequences.
It’s a 93-minute journey.
Todd Douglas Miller’s film elevates this historic event into an incredible cinematic experience, using modern digital technology to remaster restored 70mm footage and recreate this historic momentous event. Not only has he captured all the drama surrounding humankind’s first steps onto the moon but he has also created something that connects modern audiences to this historic moment in time.
Aural storytelling in this film is equally impressive, featuring original audio communications between astronauts and Mission Control taking center stage. This allows it to avoid using narration; for 93 flash-cut minutes viewers simply look upon images depicting events which happened decades ago but continue to resonate today.
Beginning with breathtaking shots of huge wheels–on which the Saturn V rocket was mounted–slowly turning at Cape Canaveral, creating a sense of grandeur that cannot be recreated on screen. After that comes an extended shot of thousands of fans — dressed like extras in Robert Altman’s Nashville — waiting eagerly at its launch pad until blastoff occurs.
After the launch, the film then turns its attention to the landing itself, giving audiences the thrill of witnessing Armstrong and Aldrin as they exit their battered Command Module (CM), deploy the Early Apollo Scientific Experiment Package, and travel across the lunar surface. Their return journey was no less exhilarating; swimming through lunar dust while fighting power outages threatened crew survival; finally returning safely back to LM was no less thrilling!
Once on the moon surface, they were welcomed by an amusing sight: an illuminated landscape illuminated by golden light. Unfortunately, Mission Control informed them they only had 30 seconds left in fuel for their planned powered descent; thanks to Armstrong’s excellent piloting skills however, their spacecraft landed safely on the surface.
Neon and CNN Films have just unveiled the full-length official trailer for Apollo 11, which premiered to great acclaim at Sundance this past January. Now available both IMAX theatres as well as online, viewing it is best experienced on a big screen for an unforgettable viewing experience.
It’s a time machine.
Nothing compares to experiencing Apollo 11 on a big screen, with its grainy and wide-eyed images that look more authentic than the hyperrealistic productions we’re used to seeing from space exploration. The film captures John F Kennedy’s grandiose vision; an era when everyone looked upon the moon with wonder unthinkable to modern sensibilities.
Archival footage in the trailer depicts thousands of people gathering along Florida’s Merritt Island as they watch Apollos launch – an exciting scene with sideburns, flippered bobs and Instamatic cameras which seems like another world today.
A stunning scene depicting Armstrong and Aldrin’s voyage down to the Moon is equally memorable. Their voyage is filled with suspense as they attempt to land their Lunar Module (LM), while Command/Service Module Columbia hovers overhead in lunar orbit. Prior to landing, however, they must separate, which presents obstacles such as computer system glitches that trigger 1202 program alarms which threaten their landing attempt; after calling mission control however, this problem was soon fixed and Armstrong and Aldrin were off on their journey once more.
Once on the lunar surface, they set to work collecting lunar rocks and soil samples as well as conducting several scientific experiments that would remain on the Moon for long after their departure. A video of Armstrong taking his first step on the lunar surface is truly amazing; but what captures its spirit best is his description of it as “magnificent desolation” by Armstrong himself.
This documentary employs some impressive audio detective work, piecing together all the backchannel communications between NASA teams. These have been cleaned up and meticulously matched with 16mm footage from the mission – creating a powerful, moving experience both for those who remember watching it unfold on analog TV as well as newcomers coming in later to witness it all unfold in person. A film that will reclaim moon landing for new generations.
It’s a documentary.
Contrary to most movies about space travel, Apollo 11 does not use fictional characters to represent astronauts; rather it relies on real footage and audio from their mission that brings audiences as close to what it might have felt like at the time as possible. Director Todd Douglas Miller remasters old footage to make an experience similar to both documentary filmmaking and high-definition IMAX simulation.
The movie chronicles the Apollo 11 mission from its launch to Armstrong and Aldrin’s declaration, “one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind”. Additionally, viewers get to meet all those involved – from mission control personnel to spectators lining beaches at Kennedy Space Center – as they travel this journey together. Miller’s film editors carefully combed through hundreds of reels containing newly discovered 70mm footage as well as over 18,000 hours of audio recordings to complete this piece of historical documentation.
Therefore, the film perfectly captures not only all of the excitement and tension of their mission but also reveals their human side – in a locker room changing into their suits, eating in spacecraft, experiencing anxiety or wonder from peers, laughing together as they attempt to complete something nearly impossible together.
Miller creates the feeling of being inside an astronauts’ spaceship using archived audio to recreate conversations, as well as modern computer animations for technical aspects of their mission. Yet these details don’t go too far, allowing viewers to experience it authentically.
Miller employs countdown clocks and speedometers to show how much time remains in a mission and its speed, creating an air of urgency and suspense. Furthermore, he shows how lunar module constantly repositions itself in order to avoid heating up during its orbit or reentry phase.
But the most moving moments come not from space but from Earth itself. Miller and his crew carefully restored wide-lens footage of crowds at Kennedy Space Center, capturing their emotions like never before on film – giving viewers a stunning and moving glimpse into history that will leave them awed and inspired even 50 years later.