Overview (Spoiler Alert)
This is another movie shot in the style of The Blair Witch Project or Cloverfield, where the viewer sees what the camera, or in this case cameras, sees.
The story takes the pretense that the Apollo 17 mission on December 7th 1972, was not the last manned mission to the moon, but that two years later NASA along with the Department of Defense decides to send another top-secret mission. The film is supposedly edited together from the actual footage from the mission that leaked on the internet.
The crew consisting of Nathan Walker, Benjamin Anderson, and John Grey are sent to the moon with devices that are supposedly an early alert system for detecting incoming missile attacks.
When they arrive at the moon, Grey remains in orbit while Walker and Anderson go to the surface. After setting up the missile detectors, they starts to experience interference with communications. Later while exploring the moon they come across some mysterious foot steps. Following them they find an abandoned Soviet moon lander, and a dead cosmonaut's body in a nearby moon crater.
After a series of "what was that moments", it's revealed that there are moon spiders. They live in the dark spots on the moon and they camouflage themselves as moon rocks. Walker becomes infected, and the American Lunar Module becomes too damaged to leave the moon. In a last-ditch effort to escape, the astronauts race across to the Soviet Lander. The infected astronaut Walker ends up sacrificing himself to save his partner.
While trying to escape in the Soviet Lander, Anderson is unaware that the moon spiders are on board and he crashes into Grey in the command module orbiting the moon.
The Good
The production of the film is great, it really feels like authentic NASA footage edited together by some conspiracy theorist in his basement. The shots are almost identical to some of the real footage from the Apollo Missions. The film stylized with heavy grain, imperfections in the exposure, as well as deterioration from aging.
The movie never breaks its principal format, and stays true to the faux-documentary style through the entire film. Unlike the movie District 9, that completely drops the documentary style part way through.
Also staying true to the format, this film has no musical score. How can a horror movie have no soundtrack? How are they going to build suspense and let you know our protagonists are in trouble. Creatively and subtly they use the sound of the radio interference to bring up and down the pace of the movie. Its more subconscious than a normal horror flick, where you hear the dissonant chord strike and you know the monster is about to jump out. You get the same emotional build up, and still keep it surprising.
The Bad
Unfortunately as much as I wanted this movie to be great, and how pleased I was with the production, it was just bad.
I really hate it when these movies say they are a true story to generate hype. Just based on that premise NASA refused to give consultation on the film without ever seeing a script. They push the true story angle too much, even trying to push you to a website for more info. When you get there, its supposedly been shut down by the government.
Spider moon rocks, really? I guess its obvious that they need to camouflage themselves as rocks from the other predators we see running around the moon disguising themselves as... Oh yeah the moon only has rocks, dirt, and craters.
There are to many hard to believe moments, and I don't mean the spider moon rocks.
When Anderson gets in the Soviet Lunar Lander he contacts the Soviets on the radio and they patch him through to the US Department of Defense. Oh there is an American contacting us from our top-secret space craft we lost contact with, sure, lets patch him through, no big deal.
Don't forget to mention that flying a Lunar Module is just like riding a bicycle, you've flown one you've flown them all. Anderson just hops in, decides its close enough, and takes off.
Final Thoughts
I had high hopes for this movie, even though it did fill a lot of my video nerd expectations, it was a major let down. I guess I just didn't expect or want to see a monster movie. Couldn't they have to fight a crazy homicidal cosmonaut or something. It is no wonder why the movie had to change its release date at least 5 times.
