Writer: Tony Basgallop (Screenplay)
Starring: Daniel Lapaine, James Marsters, Andrew Lincoln, Nigel Whitmey, William Hope, Anna Maxwell Martin
Plot: The story leading up to the July 20, 1969, Apollo 11 moon landing launch.
Runtime: 1 Hour 30 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Verdict: Basic History Lesson
Story: Moonshot starts as we meet the main three astronauts Neil Armstrong (Lapaine), Buzz Aldrin (Marsters) and Michael Collins (Lincoln) as they go through the training regime wondering if they will become the ones that are selected for the first moon landing.
We tend to focus on Buzz’s point of view as he must deal with the idea of being the second man on the moon, even if he is better with the press and has more experience than Neil with actual time in space, but we know the story and how the three men created history.
Thoughts on Moonshot
Characters – The men involved are version of the three men that created history, Neil Armstrong is the quiet but brilliant pilot who must command the mission, Buzz Aldrin who does seem to be the one we follow most, he desire to impress his father by being the first on this mission, he questions the most however much it seems like he could be a perfect PR guy for the moon landing. Michael Collins in the one that didn’t walk on the moon, he goes through his own problems leading up to the mission including a life changing operation which could ruin his chances.
Performances – The three main actors are solid with the roles they are given, they have to play history makers, Daniel Lapaine keeps everything simple and distant which was how Neil is meant to be looked as. James Marsters brings energy to his performance, while Andrew Lincoln is being used to sell the DVD versions of this because of his Walking Dead status.
Story – The story is designed to show the history of the three men’s journey to the mission which defined their lives. We do seem to follow Buzz slightly more than the rest, but this is more focused on the mission over the personal relationship. It is strange to watch this level of story after seeing just how masterful ‘First Man’ was for the same story. if you know the basic history of the events, you will barely get anything out of this film because it is just the ABC of what happened, rather than showing the scientific nature behind the story.
Settings – The settings used feel authentic even if they are just the basics of what was used, it does feel like we do use moments of actual footage too which helps when it comes to the settings.
Scene of the Movie – Deciding who walks on the moon first.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – First Man being a lot more interesting.
Final Thoughts – This is a basic version of one of the most important moments in history, it has since been improved upon when it comes quality of storytelling, but for the basic history lesson it does what it needs to.
Overall: History Lesson 101
Rating