Trailer Tuesday: Apollo 18

-

Well, last week as part of Trailer Tuesday I profiled Chronicle, an early 2012 release in the "found footage" cinematic style that has become all the rage in the horror genre. Apollo 18 is a 2011 movie that utilises the same approach, although instead of mixing the superhero and horror genres as Chronicle appears to do, this one goes for a more standard sci-fi and horror combo.


One to no doubt tickle the fancy of conspiracy lovers, Apollo 18 promises to expose the truth as to why Apollo 17 was the last manned mission to the Moon. And that's because the moon isn't as lifeless as we've been told. Produced by Timur (Wanted, Night Watch) Bekmambetov, Apollo 18 is marketed as a "documentary" that exposes the "shocking truth" - that, in reality, although publicly cancelled, the Apollo 18 moon landing still secretly went ahead in 1973. It was however more deeply buried in top secret government records as a result of nightmarish events experienced, and filmed, by the 3 man crew once they reached the moon's barren, dusty surface.

Look, I think you have to be pretty damn naive if you accept yet another "handheld camera" movie as the truth. And Hollywood is even more naive if they think people will fall for the scam after The Blair Witch Project, Paranormal Activity 1 through 3, The Last Exorcism and The Fourth Kind all made the same claims of authenticity. This said, it doesn't mean another movie that utilises the gimmick can't be entertaining. After all, sci-fi and horror can make very creepy, compatible bedfellows as dozens of movies set in the black isolation of space (Alien and Event Horizon being prime examples) have proved.

Unfortunately though, that doesn't seem to be the case with Apollo 18...

The film opens in South Africa this Friday, 11 November. The movie has however already released in North America and other international regions back in early September. In the process, Apollo 18 racked up a Rotten Tomatoes rating of 24% Fresh. In other words, just 24% of critics reviewed the film positively. Apart from resorting to cheap scares, the film's biggest failing apparently is that it's a massive bore. Oh dear. And here I was thinking the concept had real promise. Apollo 18 is perhaps one to catch eventually on TV. Or reserve as a DVD hiring/streaming last resort.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Is the rebooted Lara Croft gay? Evidence for and against...

-
Image
As some of you know, I’ve been fangirling hard over the new Tomb Raider , the first entry in the video game series since 2008, and ostensibly a reboot for the entire franchise . Taking the form of an origin story, Tomb Raider 2013 depicts the events that transformed a beautiful, if bookish, archaeology graduate into a pistol-packing adventurer with a devil-may-care attitude. We meet Lara Croft as a pretty, fairly ordinary 21 year old, brooding over her work notes, listening to her mp3 player and very much confined to the shadow of her male mentors. By the end of the game, however, she’s taken charge – she’s had to! – and, battered, bruised and bloody, she’s both a survivor and hero, right down to rescuing the princess and carrying her away in her arms. Yeah, this is probably the best point to mention that there will be some Tomb Raider 2013 spoilers in this post, so read ahead with caution. Anyway, I loved the game. Technically it’s near faultless, it looks beautiful, the ov...
Read more

Lara Croft: Tomb Raider and Queer Icon (Part 4)

-
Image
Part 4: The mystery of Lara Croft’s sexuality “Now what’s a man gotta do to get that kind of attention from ya?” – Larson Conway (Tomb Raider, 1996) Despite being an icon for many queer pop culture consumers, Lara Croft’s own sexual orientation remains ambiguous. Outside of the Top Cow comics and live-action films – where Lara is blatantly heterosexual, with a fondness for slightly scruffy bad boys (who keep betraying and hurting her) – the character comes across as primarily asexual. Kurtis Trent is the only male figure who even comes close to being a love interest in the game series. Lara's apparent sexual disinterest is despite the adventurer appearing very sexually attractive herself; a figure of desire with bee-stung lips, voluptuous breasts, toned stomach and impossibly long, athlete’s legs. Yet Lara is never dominated by sexual yearnings or romantic affections. She is very much in control of herself at all times. It’s worth noting, however, that over time th...
Read more

Ladies I Love: Part 2 - Rhona Mitra

-
Image
Following on from the first post in this series , you may realise that I have a very definite type. Anyway, today we profile model-turned-actress Rhona Mitra . This 36 year old Briton is of English, Irish and Indian descent. You'll have seen her pop up on the big and small screen multiple over the past decade and a half, although Mitra's claim to fame is that she was the second ever model (some say first if you rule out "unofficial"  Nathalie Cook ) to play iconic video game character Lara Croft . From 1997-1998, Mitra could be found in PR material, as well as at trade shows, events and conventions as a flesh-and-blood embodiment of Tomb Raider 's kick-ass archeologist lead. There have been many official Lara Croft models over the years , but as far as I'm concerned Mitra remains the best. In my mind, of all of them, she most closely resembles the video game character in terms of facial features. Plus she comes from money and had a rebellious boarding...
Read more