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{{Infobox film
| name           = Apollo 18
| image          = Apollo 18 Poster.jpg
| alt            = 
| caption        = Theatrical release poster
| director       = [[Gonzalo López-Gallego]]
| producer       = {{ubl|[[Timur Bekmambetov]]|Michele Wolkoff}}
| writer         = Brian Miller
| starring       = {{plainlist|
* [[Warren Christie]]
* [[Lloyd Owen]]
* [[Ryan Robbins]]
}}
| cinematography = José David Montero
| editing        = [[Patrick Lussier]]
| studio         = [[Bazelevs Company|Bazelevs]]
| distributor    = [[Dimension Films]] (United States)<br>[[Alliance Films]] (Canada)
| released       = {{Film date|2011|09|02}}
| runtime        = 86 minutes<!--Theatrical runtime: 86:37--><ref>{{Cite web |date=August 25, 2011 |title=''Apollo 18'' (15) |url=https://bbfc.co.uk/AFF277548/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120124031545/http://www.bbfc.co.uk/AFF277548/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 24, 2012 |access-date=August 28, 2011 |website=[[British Board of Film Classification]]}}</ref>
| country        = {{ubl|United States|Canada}}
| language       = English
| budget         = $5 million<ref name="mojo">{{Cite web |date=September 2, 2011 |title=Apollo 18 (2011) |url=https://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=apollo18.htm |access-date=October 26, 2011 |website=[[Box Office Mojo]]}}</ref>
| gross          = $26.2 million<ref name="mojo" />
}}
'''''Apollo 18''''' is a 2011 [[found footage (film technique)|found footage]] [[Science fiction film|science fiction]] [[horror film]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Apollo 18 (2011) – Gonzalo López-Gallego |url=https://www.allmovie.com/movie/apollo-18-v530936 |website=[[AllMovie]]}}</ref> written by Brian Miller, directed by [[Gonzalo López-Gallego]], and co-produced by [[Timur Bekmambetov]] and Michele Wolkoff. An American-Canadian co-production, its premise is that the [[Canceled Apollo missions|cancelled Apollo 18 mission]] actually landed on the Moon in December 1974, but never returned.

''Apollo 18'' is López-Gallego's first English-language film. After various release date changes, it was released in the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada on September 2, 2011.<ref name="avc" /> The film received mostly negative reviews, with most critics comparing it negatively to ''[[Paranormal Activity]]'', ''[[The Blair Witch Project]]'' and ''[[Alien (film)|Alien]]''.

==Plot==
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Two years after the [[Apollo 17]] mission, the crew of the cancelled Apollo 18 mission consisting of Commander Nathan Walker, [[Lieutenant colonel (United States)|Lieutenant Colonel]] John Grey, and Captain Ben Anderson are informed that it will proceed as a top-secret [[United States Department of Defense|Department of Defense]] (DoD) mission to place an early warning detector on the Moon for [[Intercontinental ballistic missile|ICBM]] attacks from the [[Soviet Union|USSR]].

Grey remains aboard [[Apollo command module]] ''Freedom'' while Walker and Anderson land in [[Apollo Lunar Module]] ''Liberty'' to plant the detector. Anderson takes back rock samples and the two return to ''Liberty''. The samples cause small disturbances, which [[Space Center Houston|Houston]] attributes to interference from the detector. The next day, Anderson discovers footprints that lead them to an abandoned but functioning Soviet [[LK (spacecraft)|LK lander]]. They discover a crater with a [[Lost Cosmonauts|dead cosmonaut]], to which Houston dismisses Walker's queries. While sleeping, Walker is awakened by strange noises and an object bumping into the lander. 

Walker and Anderson complete the mission and prepare to leave, but the launch is aborted when ''Liberty'' suffers violent shaking, which they discover is a result of damaged foil. Nearby, they find non-human tracks outside the ''Liberty'' alongside damaged equipment. Walker is horrified at a spider-like creature that has entered his spacesuit and disappears before Walker finds him unconscious near ''Liberty'', which Walker later denies happening. Later, Anderson removes a [[Moon rock]] embedded in Walker. Walker smashes the rock, contaminating the ship. Due to interference from an unknown source, the two are unable to contact Houston or Grey. 

Anderson speculates that the device is meant to monitor the aliens and that it is the source of the interference. They attempt to deactivate the device but find it destroyed. Walker begins to become contentious and paranoid, and they discover that the aliens are camouflaged as Moon rocks. In an attempt to destroy the cameras inside ''Liberty'', Walker destroys other controls, causing the ship to depressurize. While traveling to the Soviet LK lander to get oxygen, Walker intentionally crashes the rover, believing that he will spread the infection on Earth if he were to return.

Anderson awakens and finds Walker getting pulled into a crater by the aliens. Anderson fails to rescue him and flees to the Soviet LK. He uses the radio to contact the USSR Mission Control, who connect him to the DoD. The [[United States Deputy Secretary of Defense|Deputy Secretary]] informs Anderson that they cannot allow him to return to Earth, admitting that they are aware of the situation and incorrectly believe that he is also infected. Grey contacts Anderson, and they plan to return him to ''Freedom''. As Anderson prepares to launch, Walker suddenly appears and demands to be let in before being suddenly swarmed by the aliens, who kill him. Anderson launches, but the DoD informs Grey that he is to abort the rescue, or they will not allow him to return either. 

The LK enters orbit and, while in free fall, the aliens attack and infect Anderson. Anderson is unable to control the ship, and he collides with ''Freedom''. The U.S. government states that the astronauts were killed in various jet accidents that left their bodies unrecoverable. They note that many of the rock samples returned from previous Apollo missions [[Moon rock#Goodwill Moon rocks|given to dignitaries]] are now [[Stolen and missing Moon rocks|missing]].

==Cast==
* [[Warren Christie]] as Lunar Module Pilot Captain Benjamin "Ben" Anderson
* [[Lloyd Owen]] as Commander Nathan "Nate" Walker
* [[Ryan Robbins]] as Command Module Pilot Lieutenant Colonel John "Johnny" Grey
* [[Andrew Airlie]] as CAPCOM (Thomas Young)
* [[Michael Kopsa]] as [[United States Deputy Secretary of Defense|Deputy Secretary of Defense]]

==Production==
''Apollo 18'' was shot in [[Vancouver]], [[British Columbia]], Canada, [[North America]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bcfilmcommission.com/database/rte/files/Jan%2011,%202011%20-%20BCFC%20Film%20List.pdf |title=British Columbia Film Commission Film List: January 11, 2011 |date=2011-01-11 |publisher=British Columbia Film Commission |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110928104039/http://www.bcfilmcommission.com/database/rte/files/Jan%2011%2C%202011%20-%20BCFC%20Film%20List.pdf |archive-date=2011-09-28 }}</ref>

The work has been promoted as a "[[Collage film|found footage]]" film that does not use [[actor]]s. In an interview with ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'', [[Dimension Films]] head [[Bob Weinstein]] "balk[ed] at the idea" that the film was a work of fiction: {{blockquote|"We didn't shoot anything; we found it. Found, baby!"<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://insidemovies.ew.com/2011/02/25/apollo-18-secret-new-sci-fi-flick-exclusive |title='Apollo 18': Details on the super-secret new sci-fi flick |first=Tim |last=Stack |magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]] |date=2011-02-25 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |quote=We're&nbsp;... not saying that [[mockumentary]] films should be banned. Or [[viral marketing]], for that matter—Apollo 18 has a fairly great Russian cosmonaut viral happening right now. And we're sluts for a good internet puzzle. We just don't need the head of a studio to try and convince us that they found mysterious alien footage on the Moon. |url=http://io9.com/#!5774422/are-audiences-sick-of-being-lied-to |title=Are audiences sick of being lied to? |first=Meredith |last=Woerner |work=[[io9]] |date=2011-03-04 }}</ref>}}

The [[Science & Entertainment Exchange]] provided a science consultation to the film's production team.<ref>{{cite web |title=Project |url=http://www.scienceandentertainmentexchange.org/projects |publisher=[[National Academy of Sciences]] |access-date=2011-07-07 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110726111433/http://www.scienceandentertainmentexchange.org/projects |archive-date=2011-07-26 |url-status=live }}</ref> NASA was also "minimally involved with this picture", but declined to go further with the project.<ref>{{cite news |last=Keegan |first=Rebecca |title=NASA reaches its outer limit |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-xpm-2011-sep-01-la-et-nasa-hollywood-20110901-story.html |access-date=2011-09-14 |newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=2011-09-01 }}</ref>

The film concludes with a statement that the Nixon Administration gave away hundreds of Moon rocks to [[Ambassador|foreign dignitaries]] around the world, and that many of these Moon rocks have been lost or stolen. This is true; both the Nixon and Ford Administrations gave away 135 Apollo 11 Moon rocks and 135 Apollo 17 [[Moon rock#Goodwill Moon rocks|goodwill Moon rocks]]. The Moon Rock Project, a joint effort of over 1,000 graduate students started at the University of Phoenix in 2002, has helped track down, recover, or locate many Moon rocks and found that [[stolen or missing Moon rocks|160 are unaccounted for, lost, or destroyed]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.geotimes.org/nov04/trends.html |title=In Search of the Goodwill Moon Rocks: A Personal Account |work=Geotimes Magazine |date=2004-11-01 |first=Joseph Richard |last=Gutheinz }}</ref>

In 1998, a sting operation called Operation Lunar Eclipse recovered the Honduras Apollo 17 goodwill Moon rock.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Potter |first=Mark |date=1998-12-07 |title=Customs agents seize 4 billion year old moon rock |work=CNN |url=http://www.cnn.com/US/9812/07/moon.rock/ |access-date=2021-03-08 }}</ref>

The film has been distributed by Dimension Films.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://dreadcentral.com/news/41434/new-apollo-18-viral-examines-why-we-havent-been-back-moon |title=New Apollo 18 Viral Examines Why We Haven't Been Back to the Moon |accessdate=2013-02-14 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203024009/http://www.dreadcentral.com/news/41434/new-apollo-18-viral-examines-why-we-havent-been-back-moon |archivedate=2013-12-03 |date=2010-12-13 |author=Uncle Creepy |work=Dread Central }}</ref>

=== Alternate endings and deleted scenes ===
Sixteen deleted scenes and four alternate endings are included in the DVD releases.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Beebe |first=Jessica |date=2020-06-14 |title=''Apollo 18'': All Four Alternate Endings Explained |work=Screen Rant |url=https://screenrant.com/apollo-18-all-four-alternate-endings-explained/ |access-date=2021-03-08 }}</ref><ref name="Bloody Disgusting">{{Cite news |date=2011-12-28 |title=[Blu-ray Review] Does ''Apollo 18'' Take Off Or Crash Land |work=Bloody Disgusting |url=https://bloody-disgusting.com/news/27700/blu-ray-review-does-apollo-18-take-off-or-crash-land/ |access-date=2021-03-08 |author=BC }}</ref>

Other deleted scenes have also surfaced that were included in some of the trailers.

==== Deleted scenes ====
A single deleted scene details the fate of the Russian cosmonaut. He is killed when an alien breaks his helmet visor.

Other deleted scenes show two alternate versions of the dead cosmonaut. In the first version, Walker and Anderson find the cosmonaut's helmet but no Soviet lander. They then find the cosmonaut's body dragged many meters away. In the second version, the cosmonaut's body is partially buried.

Another alternate scene shows Anderson leaving a picture of his family on the surface as he swears that he will get home. As he does, the rock aliens begin to stalk him. Anderson spots the Soviet lander in the distance and narrowly makes it inside as the aliens chase after him.

In another deleted scene, Grey survives the ordeal and argues with a DoD official back on Earth, who reveals that the astronauts were sent to the Moon to get infected and return to Earth so the United States could use the alien venom as a [[Biological agent|Bioweapon]] against the Soviet Union, which is conducting human experiments with the venom.

==== Alternate endings ====
In the first ending, Anderson is in the LK after being attacked by Walker. Anderson is surrounded by the aliens as the LK loses oxygen, and he dies from [[Asphyxia|lack of oxygen]]. An alien then leaves the shot.

In the second ending, Anderson is talking with DoD in the LK and sees the veins in his arms turning black, showing he is infected. The infection overtakes him, and he begins to smash the control panel in rage before breaking the camera, leaving his fate unknown.

In the third ending, Anderson is in the LK, with the aliens trying to break in. Suddenly, a large alien breaks the window of the LK and kills Anderson with a pincer.

In the fourth and final ending, an infected Anderson is in the LK. An alarm begins to sound as the lander plummets back to the Moon. The LK impacts with the surface of the Moon.

==Release==
''Apollo 18'' was released on September 2, 2011, in multiple countries. Originally scheduled for February 5, 2010, the film's release date was moved ten times between 2010 and 2011.<ref name="avc">{{cite web|url=https://www.avclub.com/apollo-18-has-its-release-date-moved-for-the-fifth-time-1798225840|title=Apollo 18 has its release date moved for the fifth time |website=[[The A.V. Club]] |date=June 2011 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=McWeeny|first=Drew|title='Apollo 18' game revealing new clues about SF conspiracy thriller|url=http://www.hitfix.com/blogs/motion-captured/posts/apollo-18-game-revealing-new-clues-about-sf-conspiracy-thriller|access-date=Jan 7, 2011|date=Jan 7, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | first=Jen | last=Yamato | date=March 25, 2011 | title=Weinstein Co. Pushes Apollo 18 Release Back to January 2012 | work=Movie Line | url=http://www.movieline.com/2011/03/weinstein-co-pushes-apollo-18-release-back-to-january-2012.php | access-date=June 22, 2011 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110502054812/http://www.movieline.com/2011/03/weinstein-co-pushes-apollo-18-release-back-to-january-2012.php | archive-date=May 2, 2011 | url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.shocktillyoudrop.com/news/topnews.php?id=176663|title=Apollo 18 Lands On Another Release Date}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.slashfilm.com/release-date-news-apollo-18-piranha-3dd-idiot-brother-dont/|title=Release Date News: 'Apollo 18,' 'Piranha 3DD,' 'Our Idiot Brother' and 'I Don't Know How She Does It'|date=March 25, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://bloody-disgusting.com/news/24323|title=A Nice Change Of. Pace: 'Apollo 18' And 'Final Destination 5' Move Up|date=April 28, 2011}}</ref>

===Home media===
The film was released December 27, 2011, on [[DVD]], [[Blu-ray Disc|Blu-ray]], and [[Online distribution|online]]. Special features include an [[audio commentary]] with director López-Gallego and editor Patrick Lussier, [[Deleted scene|deleted and alternate scenes]] and endings, including footage of how the Russian cosmonaut died and 4 alternate deaths of Ben Anderson.<ref name="Bloody Disgusting"/>

==Reception==
''Apollo 18'' received generally negative reviews from critics upon its release. On [[Rotten Tomatoes]], the film holds an approval rating of 24% based on 75 reviews, with an average rating of 4.2 out of 10.<ref>{{cite web |title=Apollo 18 (2011) |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/apollo_18 |access-date=October 10, 2025 |website=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] |publisher=[[Fandango Media|Fandango]]}}</ref> On [[Metacritic]], it has a weighted average score of 24 out of 100, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Apollo 18 critic reviews |url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/apollo-18/critic-reviews/ |access-date=2025-04-07 |website=www.metacritic.com |language=en}}</ref> Audience reception was similarly poor, with the film receiving a D grade on [[CinemaScore]], suggesting weak word of mouth.<ref>{{Cite web |date=September 4, 2011 |title=Box Office Report: 'Apollo 18' and 'Shark Night' Still in a Dead Heat |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/box-office-report-apollo-18-231112/ |website=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]}}</ref>

Critics largely criticized the film's lack of originality, comparing it unfavorably to ''The Blair Witch Project'' and ''Paranormal Activity,'' but failing to capture the same level of suspense.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Anderson |first=Jeffrey |date=7 April 2025 |title=Parents' Guide to Apollo 18 |url=https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/apollo-18 |access-date=7 April 2025 |website=Common Sense Media}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Hale |first=Mike |date=3 September 2011 |title=Pay Attention, Houston: We Have Company |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/03/movies/apollo-18-directed-by-gonzalo-lopez-gallego-review.html?ref=movies |access-date=7 April 2025 |website=The New York Times}}</ref> [[Entertainment Weekly]] critic Keith Staskiewicz wrote that "Apollo 18 fails to stay with you because, like the cratered satellite on which it's set, it has no atmosphere."<ref name=":0" /> [[Los Angeles Times]] film critic Mark Olsen wrote "The film takes a staringly long time to rev up, and even at less than 90 minutes feels thin and at moments like it is playing for time."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Olsen |first=Mark |date=3 September 2011 |title=Movie review: 'Apollo 18' |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-xpm-2011-sep-03-la-et-apollo-18-20110903-story.html |access-date=7 April 2025 |website=Los Angeles Times}}</ref>  Other critics noted the slow pacing and predictable scares, with many reviewers noting that the "found-footage" format, while appropriate for the premise, was not effectively executed.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Scheck |first=Frank |date=2 September 2011 |title=Apollo 18: Film Review |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/apollo-18-film-review-230786/ |access-date=7 April 2025 |website=The Hollywood Reporter}}</ref>  [[Seth Shostak]] and [[Keith Cowing]] both praised the film for its atmospheric tension and its commitment to a realistic 1970s NASA aesthetic.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Cowing |first=Keith |date=2 September 2011 |title=Apollo 18 Review: Good Fun. Go See It. |url=https://nasawatch.com/culture/apollo-18-review-good-fun-go-see-it/ |website=Nasa Watch}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Shostak |first=Seth |date=5 September 2011 |title=Review: 'Apollo 18' — The Moon's Livelier Than You Think |url=https://www.space.com/12832-apollo-18-film-review-nasa-moon-shostak.html |website=Space.com}}</ref>

===Box office===
At the end of its run in 2011, ''Apollo 18'' had earned $17,687,709 domestically, plus $8,548,444 overseas for a worldwide gross of $26,236,153 against a $5 million budget, becoming a financial success.<ref name="mojo" /> In its opening weekend, ''Apollo 18'' screened in 3,328 theaters and opened in number 3, earning $8,704,271, with an average of $2,615 per theater. In its second weekend, the film earned $2,851,349, dropping 62.7%, with an average of $856 per theater, dropping to number 8, but still had a higher total gross at that point over ''[[Shark Night 3D]]'', another horror film opening the same weekend as ''Apollo 18''.

==See also==
* ''[[Moonfall (film)|Moonfall]]'', 2022 movie with a similar plot
* ''[[Europa Report]]'', 2013 movie also featuring an extraterrestrial encounter on a space mission
* ''[[The Case of the Missing Moon Rocks]]'', 2012 nonfiction book about the missing Apollo moon rocks
* [[Lost Cosmonauts]], conspiracy theory involving supposed secret deaths of cosmonauts
* [[Moon landing conspiracy theories in popular culture]]
* [[Moon in fiction]]

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

==External links==
* {{IMDb title|1772240}}
* {{mojo title|apollo18|Apollo 18}}
* {{Rotten Tomatoes|apollo_18|Apollo 18}}
* {{Metacritic film|title=Apollo 18}}

{{Gonzalo López-Gallego}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Apollo 18}}
[[Category:2011 films]]
[[Category:2011 horror films]]
[[Category:Canceled Apollo missions|18 film]]
[[Category:American science fiction horror films]]
[[Category:American alternate history films]]
[[Category:Canadian alternative history films]]
[[Category:Films about astronauts]]
[[Category:Films about space hazards]]
[[Category:Films about the Apollo program]]
[[Category:Monster movies about extraterrestrial life]]
[[Category:Films set in 1974]]
[[Category:Films set on the Moon]]
[[Category:Films shot in Vancouver]]
[[Category:Found footage horror films]]
[[Category:American independent films]]
[[Category:Canadian independent films]]
[[Category:Dimension Films films]]
[[Category:2011 science fiction horror films]]
[[Category:Canadian science fiction horror films]]
[[Category:Bazelevs Company films]]
[[Category:2011 English-language films]]
[[Category:Films directed by Gonzalo López-Gallego]]
[[Category:2011 American films]]
[[Category:2011 Canadian films]]
[[Category:English-language science fiction horror films]]
[[Category:American films about extraterrestrial life]]

{{Wikipedia attribution|original_title=Apollo 18 (film)|access_date=2026-02-25}}