Review: In the Shadow of the Moon

Always informative, usually entertaining, and occasionally inspiring, In the Shadow of the Moon is yet another strong affirmation of the fact that the documentary is alive and well. The film chronicles America’s late-1960s quest to put a man on the face of the moon. The viewer is introduced to the initial goal as set forth by the Kennedy Administration, and then shown the completion of the seven Apollo missions later sent to land on the alien planet. For younger audience members like me, the experience functions as a highly informative look into a crucial piece of contemporary American history. Viewers who lived through the events documented in the picture will likely find it more involving on an emotional-level. All ticket-buyers will find the movie’s dazzlingly pro-American themes, conveyed first-hand by the astronauts and NASA-workers involved (primarily Apollo 11’s Buzz Aldrin and Mike Collins), to be uplifting and entirely welcome. In a season of treasonous downers such as Paul Haggis’ In the Valley of Elah, In the Shadow of the Moon’s simple view of a united and hopeful America reminds one of the great things that the people of this country are able to accomplish when thrust into extraordinary circumstances.

-Danny Baldwin, Bucket Reviews

Review Published on: 9.28.2007

Screened on: 9.26.2007 at the Landmark Hillcrest in San Diego, CA.

In the Shadow of the Moon is rated PG and runs 109 minutes.