When I told people that I was going to see a documentary about the moon landing, the consensus was that it was a quiet day at the cinema. Far from it. In fact, even though we know what is going to happen, this is a thrilling snapshot of a key period in America’s recent history.

Director Todd Douglas Miller goes against the trend of using talking heads and instead simply lets the rediscovered footage and audio speak for itself. As a result, this feels much more like a space-race thriller than your average documentary. Even though we know what is going to happen, Miller still manages to create suspense in the build up to the landing.

The film takes place from the moment Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins prepare their launch to their quarantine post-mission. Any other information is given to us through diagrams (it’s more exciting than it sounds) or radio transmissions from the time. While Miller does indeed focus on the key figures, he also makes great effort to show the hundreds of technicians who were there to support the astronauts at all times.

The footage itself is crystal clear and it is moving to watch the hundreds of citizens who were waiting hours to catch a glimpse of Apollo 11. The America presented in this documentary shows the country working together to achieve a common goal. Something that especially resonates today.

Disclaimer Notice: Any thoughts and opinions expressed here are solely my own. Any images (copyrighted or otherwise) have been used according to Creative Commons and if needed, have been referenced to the best of my knowledge.

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