Apollo 11
Neon | Release Date: March 1, 2019 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
88
METASCORE
Universal acclaim based on 35 Critic Reviews
Positive:
34
Mixed:
0
Negative:
1
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
The GuardianPeter BradshawJun 29, 2019
Somehow, it doesn’t look like something that happened 50 years ago – but rather an extraordinarily detailed futurist fantasy of what might happen in the years to come, if we could only evolve to some higher degree of verve and hope. Read full review
100
CineVueAlasdair BaymanJun 26, 2019
Apollo 11 exceeds all expectations of a seemingly rudimentary documentary on a well-trodden subject. Sitting at a neat 93 minutes, its balance of wonder towards our scientific achievements, whilst maintaining a present tense format, leaves one feeling you have witnessed it all in a wondrous experience. Read full review
100
Movie NationRoger MooreMar 9, 2019
Breathtaking and definitive, Apollo 11 avoids voice-over narration or overly-explaining anything about America’s date with destiny in July of 1969. If we aren’t old enough to remember it, we’re supposed to know it. It’s in our DNA. Read full review
100
Entertainment WeeklyChris NashawatyMar 8, 2019
The NASA mission at the heart of the must-see documentary Apollo 11 reminds you what it feels to be truly awestruck. Read full review
100
ConsequenceDominick Suzanne-MayerMar 5, 2019
Apollo 11 is a great documentary, and its greatness can largely be attributed to the stunning archival scenes compiled within it. It’s impossible for anybody who wasn’t there to truly understand what it felt like to see Apollo 11 complete its travels, but for at least 93 endlessly arresting minutes, Apollo 11 does its very best to put you right there. Read full review
100
RogerEbert.comMatt Zoller SeitzMar 1, 2019
It's magnificent and unique, an adrenaline shot of wonder and skill. Read full review
100
Original-CinJim SlotekFeb 28, 2019
Apollo 11 is ultimately the finest look back to the anniversary of this historic event you’ll see this year. Read full review
100
The PlaylistKimber MyersFeb 28, 2019
This is a rousing, essential viewing experience that reminds us of exactly what humanity is capable of when we work together toward a single, world-changing goal. Read full review
100
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Brad WheelerFeb 28, 2019
Todd Douglas Miller’s documentary about the first moon landing is dead brilliant, sure to enrage conspiracy theorists while thrilling most everyone else. Read full review
100
Wall Street JournalJoe MorgensternFeb 28, 2019
This evocation of the mission half a century ago is as good as it’s likely to get — meaning not just good but magnificent. Read full review
100
Rolling StoneDavid FearFeb 28, 2019
It takes you right up past the stratosphere alongside these souls. Then it brings everything back down to Earth with equal agility and grace. It is a revelation. Read full review
100
San Francisco ChronicleG. Allen JohnsonFeb 26, 2019
An invigorating and inspiring viewing experience. The mission was indeed a giant leap for mankind, and now we have a documentary worthy of its subject. Read full review
100
The GuardianAdrian HortonFeb 25, 2019
The result is a stunning project of historical preservation – no narration, no cutaway interviews, no recreations, just original material synced with some music and the occasional diagram. Read full review
100
Time OutJoshua RothkopfFeb 19, 2019
Subtly, the film draws you into the science. You’ll be nervously eyeballing ticking velocity numbers in the corner of the screen. But always, Apollo 11 is about people working together in a single-minded spirit of peaceful ambition. Read full review
91
Christian Science MonitorPeter RainerMar 1, 2019
What makes this film different from numerous other such movies is that, in many instances, it utilizes footage never before seen publicly. Read full review
91
The A.V. ClubNoel MurrayFeb 27, 2019
Everything looks strikingly fresh… and overwhelmingly so. In fact what stands out most in this film is the sheer scale of NASA’s Apollo operation. Read full review
90
Film ThreatAlan NgAug 19, 2019
You have to remind yourself constantly, this is real. There are no special effects. Read full review
90
Los Angeles TimesKenneth TuranFeb 28, 2019
One of the unexpected but welcome things Apollo 11 accomplishes is restoring a sense of how insanely complex the lunar mission was, and how audacious. Read full review
90
The New York TimesGlenn KennyFeb 27, 2019
Although we know how the mission turns out, the movie generates and maintains suspense. And it rekindles a crazy sense of wonder at, among other things, what one can do practically with trigonometry. Read full review
88
The Associated PressJake CoyleFeb 27, 2019
Apollo 11 might not tell you anything you don’t already know about the moon landing. But it will make you feel it, and see it, anew. Read full review
88
New York PostJohnny OleksinskiFeb 27, 2019
Apollo 11 is foremost a tale of technology and humanity. It’s about a country that needed a figurative lift, and got it with a literal one. Read full review
80
Little White LiesPhil ConcannonFeb 17, 2023
A riveting and awe-inspiring tribute to one of mankind’s great achievements. Read full review
80
The Observer (UK)Wendy IdeJun 30, 2019
A celebration of human endeavour, and of a rare moment of global unity. Read full review
80
EmpireIan FreerJun 24, 2019
Apollo 11 isn’t a film about the facts and stats of the mission to reach the moon. Instead, it’s about how it feels to be in space and on the ground as history is made. Stunning, stirring stuff. Read full review
80
TheWrapSteve PondJan 31, 2019
Miller is after immediacy, not reflection or explanation. Read full review
80
The Hollywood ReporterDaniel FienbergJan 29, 2019
I don't think Apollo 11 should be anybody's first or only exposure to the moon landing and its greatest strength is in recognizing that. Its perspective and immediacy are impressive on their own and the documentary takes a worthwhile and distinctive place within the wider storytelling of this important event. Read full review
80
Screen DailyAnthony KaufmanJan 29, 2019
This meticulously conceived documentary is both a definitive account of the voyage as well as a creative, cinematic you-are-there unfolding of the events that transpired. Read full review
80
VarietyOwen GleibermanJan 29, 2019
Apollo 11 is a cool, meticulous, at times enthralling documentary that captures the Apollo 11 flight in its entirety through raw footage drawn from the NASA vaults. Read full review
78
Austin ChronicleMarjorie BaumgartenMar 13, 2019
It’s a celebratory movie designed to rekindle awe and admiration for the accomplishments of the NASA astronauts and ground scientists, as well as a reminder of the endless realms of possibility that can be achievable when a country and its politicians work in unison toward a shared goal. Read full review
75
The Seattle TimesSoren AndersenFeb 26, 2019
This is history brought to life, something absolutely unprecedented in the annals of humankind. Read full review
75
Washington PostMark JenkinsFeb 26, 2019
It’s a more visceral trip than any moviegoer — even the armchair experts — has ever taken before. Read full review
75
The Film StageJordan RaupJan 29, 2019
As we hear the actual recordings of the astronauts communicating with the designated capsule communicator (aka CAPCOM), it gives Apollo 11 an underlying, powerful thread of humanity. Read full review
75
IndieWireDavid EhrlichJan 29, 2019
It’s only a little while before this starts to feel like just another documentary, but even a short-lived miracle goes a long way. It’s still enough to make you believe in the impossible. Read full review
70
Vanity FairK. Austin CollinsMar 20, 2019
What materializes isn’t a fresh way of understanding this event, but rather a new set of images for telling the same story. This is obviously the wiser choice, commercially; artistically, it proves frustrating, even as this method has its revelations. Read full review
30
The New YorkerRichard BrodyApr 14, 2019
With extraordinary material, a merely ordinary approach is worse than a bore; it’s a betrayal. Read full review
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