Spanish director Gonzalo Lopez-Gallego has brought a film of such profound beauty and depth to the screen that to categorize it as science fiction is to do a disservice to he as a director and the ingenious script by Brian Miller. Working with a limited budget, the gifted Lopez-Gallego makes superb use of what is available to him to create a excellent recreation of an Apollo moon lander which is essential to creating an atmosphere of realism and incredible suspense for him to work within. He also puts a largely unknown American cast through their paces as they deliver unforgettably moving performances in roles that veteran actors would die to play. Ultimately, it is Warren Christie who will be remembered forever as the American astronaut with the most to lose and who must bear the greatest existential burden outlined by the story. Those who came together as artists have produced a film that has the courage to confront difficult questions regarding life and death, truth and lies, and duty and conscience. There is really no other film to compare this unique work to because it is so stunningly original in both concept and execution. Some of the scenes involving the astronauts' bitter confrontation with the truth and the unknown force that threatens them are so intense are unlike anything ever filmed before. Low-budget, independent films seldom garner the attention and awards they deserve, even when Harvey Weinstein has placed his personal imprimatur upon them, so the Academy will most likely pay this work little mention at all. However, director Lopez-Gallego, screenwriter Brian Miller, and actors Warren Christie and Ryan Robbins are names we will be hearing a great deal of indeed in the future. Under other circumstances, there would certainly be nominations for the director, screenplay, and Christie for a performance that sets the screen afire with emotion and leaves audiences sobbing. The technical work done in expression of the hypnotic script is on a par with some of the outstanding special effects houses in America. It is a mystery why there is such a low rating here and the absence of mainstream reviewers' high praise. Once all involved with this motion picture ultimately achieve the recognition they deserve, you can be sure that Apollo 18 will be reappraised by those who have dismissed it and it will go on to become a famous piece of artistic brilliance that initially heralded the arrival of director Gonzalo Lopez-Gallego to the English language format and Brian Miller to the ranks of the truly legendary writers of truly fine scripts. There is little doubt that Warren Christie will become a household name when he is reevaluated on the basis of his acting here. Most importantly, do not deny yourself the honor and enjoyment you will experience when you view what is an overlooked masterpiece that has somehow been sadly overlooked. You will not soon forget it and the haunting questions and images it will leave you with.
