Directed by: Gonzalo López-Gallego
Starring: Warren Christie, Lloyd Owen, Ryan Robbins
Rating: PG-13
88 minutes

A scene from "Apollo 18." (Courtesy photo)

I'm never sure what to think about conspiracy theory movies. I can't tell if they're trying to put forth a legitimate version of history or if they're mocking the zealots who put forth their "legitimate" versions of history. Not that it matters much; whatever the type, conspiracy theory movies are hard to pull off, given how they require overusing the "everything you know is false" cliché. "Apollo 18" is no exception.

Right out of the gate, "Apollo 18" tries to assert its authenticity by telling us we're watching long-lost footage. Through handheld cameras and surveillance videos, we then watch the tale of the last American manned shuttle to the moon. Astronauts Ben and Nate (relative unknowns Warren Christie and Lloyd Owen) land on the moon, while a third crew member, Johnny (similarly unknown Ryan Robbins), stays behind on the shuttle. Ben and Nate begin taking rock samples. All seems perfectly normal, until they discover a Soviet ship nearby and a cosmonaut's body in a crater. They begin to suspect the Department of Defense is keeping vital information from them. They hardly have time to worry about that, though, since the very moon rocks they've been collecting turn out to be—get this—aliens! And vicious ones, at that. The real kicker comes when Ben and Nate lose contact with Johnny and with Houston, thus becoming stranded alone with their newfound enemies and a limited supply of oxygen.

The concept here is a good one, or at least one that can provide a basis for a good movie. Where "Apollo 18" falls down is in the story development. Brian Miller's screenplay moves at a chillingly slow pace, building up to something explosive, but rewards us with very little at the end, as if he was never sure what to do after all the buildup. Luckily, the molasses pace of "Apollo 18" isn't the kind that bores us; instead, it aims to scare us and build anticipation for what we know is coming. It works well as a horror movie in that way, although director Gonzalo López-Gallego ("El rey de la montaña") focuses too much on getting the tone right, letting things like a distinct villain, an objective, and a point become secondary concerns. Even the conspiracy theory is a weak one—the government is trying to hide moon rocks from the public? The only point there seems to be is that three guys get scared out of their pants.

Those three guys, by the way, do a pretty good job of freaking out. These aren't performances that will set the world on fire (or, should I say, set the moon on fire), but they are better than your average horror flick bloodcurdling screamers. Warren Christie and Lloyd Owen, our leads, play their parts realistically (at least, up until the alien attacks); the problem is that we have no background or character distinction between them, meaning there is less for the actors to do. This is entirely the script's fault. Mentioning that one character has a wife and kids, for example, doesn't make him the "family man."

So yes, the actors give perfectly good performances, but there isn't enough substance to either of the characters for us to care. The same goes for Robbins, if not more so, as he is quickly sidelined in favor of aliens and the disembodied voice of the Department of Defense official.

"Apollo 18" leaves us feeling, above all, confused. What's the point of a movie where you never get a good glimpse of the villain, the characters are dry, the action is slow, and an overarching message is almost impossible to find? Part of me is worried that some viewers out there will take the film's pseudo-conspiracy theory seriously. The more optimistic part of me wants to think the movie is just an experiment with technique, an 88 minute-long lesson in building tension, and "Apollo 18" could definitely serve as such a lesson. But it can't even complete the payoff for building suspense, let alone develop characters and plot. That inability to see all the movie's aspects through to their full potential—or even a fraction of it—is what's going to keep "Apollo 18" in anonymity.

Danny Eisenberg is a 2010 graduate of the Bromfield School
and is currently a student at the University of Pennsylvania.