Chapter 1: Overview of Apollo 11: A Cinematic Journey

Recently, I attended a screening of "Apollo 11: A Cinematic Event 50 Years in the Making." This film serves as a prequel to Apollo 13 and a sequel to Apollo 10, and here are my impressions.

Wow! The film is packed with SCIENCE! And there’s even more MATH involved! (Thank goodness no one forgot to carry the one.) The year 1969 marked the first occasion a cisgender male human set foot on the lunar surface.

The entire globe was riveted to the Apollo 11 moon landing, much like the frenzy surrounding the final season of "Game of Thrones," though the outcome was far more satisfying.

Interestingly, "Apollo 11: The Movie" is shorter than "Avengers: Endgame," which is quite a feat! When the lunar module touched down, I half-expected Buzz Aldrin to celebrate with an end zone dance. Seriously, where was the moonwalk?

The film’s soundtrack is a lovely tribute, reminiscent of Bear McCreary's work on "Battlestar Galactica." While there's no single track that makes me shout, "That's my space jam!", the remixes are bound to be memorable!

One has to wonder about the absence of female astronauts; perhaps they would have needed to design space suits with pockets.

The control room was buzzing with hundreds of scientists and engineers, not to mention the thousands who contributed to Apollo 11's success. In today's world, we might simply say, "Alexa, launch the rocket."

And let’s be real: you’d need to ask Alexa, because Siri would probably respond with, "Showing results for 'Lunch in your pocket.'"

Spoiler Alert: The contributions of the Hidden Figures remained largely unacknowledged. If you were playing a drinking game counting the number of Black individuals on screen, you’d likely remain sober throughout the film.

I spotted around seven Black individuals, though there may have been more who were passing. One Black scientist stood alone in the corner, and I was smitten; he sported an old-school pocket protector. If he’s still around, someone please tell him to reach out!

That said, it’s challenging to be impressed by Apollo 11 when your first exposure to space travel was through "The Enterprise."

Chapter 2: Behind the Scenes of Apollo 11

The untold narratives behind the acclaimed Apollo 11 documentary reveal the intricate processes and stories that shaped this historic mission.