 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Apollo 18
- Review Date: September 2, 2011
- PG-13
- Genre: Science Fiction
- 2011
Common Sense Media says
Fake moon-landing chiller is no Blair Witch in space.
Parents say
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that this sci-fi/horror movie -- which is told in the "found-footage" format pioneered by The Blair Witch Project and continued by Paranormal Activity and others -- revolves around a final, secret moon mission in which astronauts discover something terrible on the lunar surface. (In real life, 1972's Apollo 17 was the final mission.) There are some intense, frightening sequences, mostly based on sudden movements and scary faces. There's also a gory wound that grows worse as the story progresses. Profanity gets fairly frequent as things escalate but is more along the lines of "hell" and "goddamn" than stronger words (though there are a couple of those as well).
What's the story?
Just as NASA is about to cancel its manned moon missions, it prepares for one more trip, a top-secret voyage to plant a radar device on the lunar surface to keep tabs on the Russians. The Apollo 18 mission lands successfully, and the astronauts (played by Warren Christie and Lloyd Owen) go for their moon walk. Unfortunately, they find an abandoned Russian craft, plus evidence of foul play. Soon, strange things begin happening aboard their own ship, and one of the astronauts is wounded by an unseen invader. Worse, their radio contact with Earth is knocked out. Will these brave men ever return home?
Is it any good?
The fake "found footage" genre has really started to wear out its welcome; this movie really shows the drawbacks and limitations of the format. APOLLO 18 always seems like an attempt at a scary movie edited by scary movie-makers, rather than an actual document from the NASA vaults. It's never convincing, except perhaps for the pre-flight interviews conducted on Earth. And the picture's constant twitching and dropping out gets annoying.
On the moon, there's hardly any drama or character development to keep things moving. The moon monsters -- when they're finally revealed -- are fairly pathetic, and we barely know the characters, so there's no one to root for. What's more, the film's general tone is so downbeat and hopeless that it's not the least bit fun. The best thing you can say about this movie is that it's not too long.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about the movie's violence. Is it scary? In general, which has more impact -- seeing frightening things take place or knowing that they're happening but not being able to see them?
Does this film really look or feel like it's made out of real found footage? How does the editing affect that perception? How does this compare to other movies using a similar style?
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AGE
Thrilling Sci-Fi
Overall a very good movie. Did remind me of Paranormal Activity or Cloverfield by the way the camera moved. It was very exciting and made me very jumpy at parts. The creatures are very scary because they resemble spiders. A great sci-fi!
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AGE
Apollo 18
Honestly i'm 12 and I get scared by movies really easily, this movie was a little scary. If you don't mind a few profanity words here and there then its fine. Also they die so if you don't want your kid seeing violence then you might want to watch the movie first then let your kids watch it.
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Kid, 12 years old
September 19, 2011
AGE
Eeeeeeekkkk!
It was sooooooo scary. I was about to cry I was so scared in the theatre. Some minor swears but no f-bombs. I had nightmares every hour that night. Alien spiders that disguise as rocks. Previews before that are supposed to be movies you would like because you are seeing this one, Paranormal Activity 3!!!!! GO WITH A FAMILY MEMBER OR A FRIEND!!!! YOU NEED SOMEONE TO BE THERE WITH YOU! I would recommend talking to someone who has seen it or truly understanding the trailer. Otherwise pretty good on-the-moon horror movie! (tip: if you're not sure, watch the movie preview/review thing! It gives you a good sense of what you're in for!)
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AGE
super awesome scary sci fy
Hello guys i saw this movie the opening night its started out great and just got greater there is 4 very disturbing sceanes me and my mom jumped so many times the langue is'nt that bad besides the 2 f bombs for a couple scenes there was gore but not so much go see it it looks very real
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AGE
Intense but ultimately awful found footage horror movie is fine for older teens
I honestly don't have a clue as to why I actually wen't and saw this moive on opening day. me and my my friends were both miserable after in ended, so we wen't back to my place and watched a truly scary movie: The Exorcist. But, we're not com[aring movies like this to classic masterpieces of horror, pluse, it just wouldn't be very fair to the latter in the first place if I did a comparision of the two.Anothet thing, I saw every commercial, I read every comment and even read a summery of the story, and yet, I still wen't and saw it. Oh well, for me. I don't really think that this movie is too much for younger audiences, as long as they enjoy found footage horror movies, they should be fine. There is some occasional violence, including a grisly wound in a mans stomach, a face exploding and some assorted blood. Also, there is frequent profanity with at least 1 F-word. But besides that, as long as your teen enjoy these type of movies, or horror movies anyway, I think that they should probably be able to take it.
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AGE
14 and up.
Apollo 18 is the worst science fiction movie ever but it does tell a true story in the year of 1972's Apollo 17 was the final mission were one of the astronauts had landed this movie is best for older teens and parents you need to know that apollo 18 has some disturbing images and some violence shown and also some strong language used.
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Kid, 12 years old
September 18, 2011
AGE
wait until it is on video
it wasn't as bad as the critics rated it.to me it kind of went downhill as the movie went on.it wouldn't be too scary for younger kids, but some images may be disturbing.i found the actual aliens comical.they literally look like a bunch of rocks with legs.i closed my eyes when the gory part happened,so i can't say how bad that part was.the aliens look computer animated, so it takes away from the effect a little.i did enjoy the movie, but i should have just waited 'till it was out on video and rented it.although it wasn't as scary as i thought it would be, it'll definitly make kids change their minds about being an astronaut when they grow up.
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AGE
Interesting mild horror film is appropriate for teens!
It's a very interesting story. I really don't know if it is real footage, but it was still pretty good. It is more aimed at teens, not young kids. The footage is pretty scary and there are some very disturbing scenes. The language is appropriate for a PG-13 movie and includes sh-t, d-mn and a couple of f bombs.
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Kid, 11 years old
September 6, 2011
AGE
sweet movie
so cool watch it now!!!!!!
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AGE
Apollo 18
Language- profanity throughout the movie including the f-bomb.
Violence- frightening scenes for younger viewers, and one nasty infected gory wound.
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| Studios: | Dimension, Weinstein Co. |
| Director: | Gonzalo Lopez-Gallego |
| Cast: | Lloyd Owen, Ryan Robbins, Warren Christie |
| Genre: | Science Fiction |
| Run time: | 88 minutes |
| Theatrical release date: | September 2, 2011 |
| DVD release date: | December 27, 2011 |
| MPAA rating: | PG-13 |
| MPAA explanation: | some disturbing sequences, and language |
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