There are a lot of space documentaries out there. If you’ve ever been to a science museum, chances are you’ve had the option to see one. Narrated by some famous actor for some reason, presented on a glorious IMAX screen so large that you can count the craters on a comet or the pores on an astronaut’s face. If you’ve ever had the slightest urge to see a big screen space documentary, odds are you’ve done it. And odds are it doesn’t stack up to Apollo 11.
Apollo 11, directed by Todd Douglas Miller, doesn’t try to explain how the first Moon mission worked as much as it shows how it felt. Using incredible large format archival footage from the Moon landing, Miller edits together a full observational account of the 8 day mission of astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins to the Moon and back. Aside from some names, countdowns, and simple animations, there are no explanations of the science behind the mission, no efforts to explain the validity of space travel, no cries for a return to the Moon, and no calls to action for future space exploration. There is only a reliving of the 1969 Moon mission from the perspective of a fly on the wall, and it will take your breath away.
The only aspect of the film aside from the editing that could be considered “commentary” is the score, composed by Matt Morton. Using only instruments that already existed in the year 1969, Morton adds an epic modern film score to accompany some of the more cinematic moments of the mission. Aside from the rare graphics laid over images for necessary context, the score is the only part of the documentary that serves as a consistent reminder that you are watching a movie that has been carefully assembled by human hands. Despite this, it melds seamlessly with the rest of the film and sparks awe at what humanity once achieved. It feels like it could belong in a modern sci fi movie, which makes the reality of everything on screen even more astonishing.
In short, see this movie. See this movie on as big of a screen as you possibly can. If you’re a museum with an IMAX theater, give this film a residency. It deserves to be seen with the best sound and picture around.
★★★★★
Noah Harouche is a sophomore in Columbia College.