Apollo 18 (film)
In December 1974, the Apollo Lunar Module Liberty touched down on a dark sector of the Moon. Commander Nathan Walker and Captain Ben Anderson planted an early warning detector for ICBM attacks from the USSR. Two years after the last public moon landing, this mission remained top secret to the Department of Defense. They collected rock samples that caused small disturbances in their equipment. Houston attributed these glitches to interference from the new detector. The next day, Anderson discovered footprints leading to an abandoned Soviet LK lander. A crater held the body of a dead cosmonaut. Walker asked questions about the body, but Houston dismissed his queries. Strange noises woke Walker during sleep. An object bumped into the lander repeatedly. Later, a spider-like creature entered Walker's spacesuit before he found himself unconscious near the ship.
Director Gonzalo López-Gallego shot the film in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Dimension Films co-produced the project with Timur Bekmambetov and Michele Wolkoff. Bob Weinstein, head of Dimension Films, balked at the idea that the movie was fiction. He claimed it felt like real footage in interviews with Entertainment Weekly. The Science & Entertainment Exchange provided science consultation to the production team. NASA was minimally involved with the picture and declined further participation. The film received mostly negative reviews upon its release on the 2nd of September 2011. Critics compared it unfavorably to Paranormal Activity and The Blair Witch Project. Rotten Tomatoes gave the film a 24% approval rating based on 75 reviews. Metacritic assigned a weighted average score of 24 out of 100. Audience reception was similarly poor with a D grade from CinemaScore.
A deleted scene details the specific death of the Russian cosmonaut found in the crater. An alien breaks his helmet visor while he lies motionless. Other alternate versions show Walker and Anderson finding only the helmet without the Soviet lander nearby. In one version, the body is dragged many meters away across the surface. Another version shows the body partially buried under lunar dust. These scenes reveal different outcomes for the Soviet crew member before the main plot unfolds. The final cut omits these specific visual details about the cosmonaut's end. The deleted footage provides context that the aliens were already active when the Americans arrived. It suggests the Soviets encountered the threat earlier than the American astronauts did.
The film concludes with a statement about Moon rocks given away by the Nixon Administration. Both the Nixon and Ford Administrations distributed 135 Apollo 11 Moon rocks to foreign dignitaries. They also gave away 135 Apollo 17 goodwill Moon rocks during their terms. The Moon Rock Project started at the University of Phoenix in 2002 tracked down lost specimens. Over 1,000 graduate students participated in this joint effort to locate missing items. They found that 160 rocks are unaccounted for or destroyed. Operation Lunar Eclipse recovered the Honduras Apollo 17 goodwill Moon rock in 1998. The script incorporates true historical facts regarding these missing samples. The government stated that astronauts died in jet accidents leaving bodies unrecoverable. This cover story masked the actual events on the lunar surface.
Entertainment Weekly critic Keith Staskiewicz wrote that the film fails to stay with viewers. He compared it to the cratered satellite itself having no atmosphere. Los Angeles Times film critic Mark Olsen noted the film takes a staringly long time to rev up. He felt it was thin even at less than 90 minutes. Other critics pointed out slow pacing and predictable scares throughout the runtime. Seth Shostak and Keith Cowing praised the atmospheric tension instead. They highlighted the commitment to a realistic 1970s NASA aesthetic. The found-footage format was appropriate for the premise but not effectively executed by many reviewers. Critics largely criticized the lack of originality in the narrative structure. Some reviewers noted the film played for time rather than delivering suspense.
Apollo 18 earned $17,687,709 domestically during its run in 2011. It brought in an additional $8,548,444 from overseas markets. The worldwide gross reached $26,236,153 against a five million dollar budget. In its opening weekend, the film screened in 3,328 theaters across the country. It opened in number three with earnings of $8,704,271. The average per theater stood at $2,615 during that first week. In the second weekend, the film dropped 62.7% to earn $2,851,349. Its total gross remained higher than Shark Night 3D despite the drop. The film became a financial success despite poor critical reception. Release dates were moved ten times between 2010 and 2011 before final release on the 2nd of September 2011.
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Common questions
Who directed the film Apollo 18?
Director Gonzalo López-Gallego shot the film in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Dimension Films co-produced the project with Timur Bekmambetov and Michele Wolkoff.
When was the film Apollo 18 released to theaters?
The film received mostly negative reviews upon its release on the 2nd of September 2011. Release dates were moved ten times between 2010 and 2011 before final release on the 2nd of September 2011.
What is the plot summary for the movie Apollo 18?
In December 1974, Commander Nathan Walker and Captain Ben Anderson planted an early warning detector for ICBM attacks from the USSR on a dark sector of the Moon. They discovered footprints leading to an abandoned Soviet LK lander containing a dead cosmonaut before a spider-like creature entered Walker's spacesuit.
How much money did the film Apollo 18 make at the box office?
Apollo 18 earned $17,687,709 domestically during its run in 2011 and brought in an additional $8,548,444 from overseas markets. The worldwide gross reached $26,236,153 against a five million dollar budget.
Why do critics say the film Apollo 18 failed with audiences?
Critics compared it unfavorably to Paranormal Activity and The Blair Witch Project while noting slow pacing and predictable scares throughout the runtime. Rotten Tomatoes gave the film a 24% approval rating based on 75 reviews and Metacritic assigned a weighted average score of 24 out of 100.