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In the Shadow of the Moon

Play trailer Poster for In the Shadow of the Moon PG 2007 1h 40m Documentary Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
95% Tomatometer 111 Reviews 91% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
In 1961, NASA started its Apollo program to realize President John F. Kennedy's dream of putting a man on the moon. This documentary retells the story of the program's mission through archival footage and interviews with all the surviving astronauts, except Neil Armstrong. With the U.S. racing to beat the Soviet Union into space, NASA began a series of test flights, culminating in Armstrong's 1969 walk on the moon and briefly uniting the world in awe of the United States' accomplishment.
In the Shadow of the Moon

What to Know

Critics Consensus

Director David Sington poetically interwove 20th Century's cosmonautic history with its effect on the public's view of their country, their heroes and their future.

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Critics Reviews

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Amy Nicholson I.E. Weekly Feb 22, 2008
B
The crowd-pleaser has enough ambition to pitch a one-size-fits-all philosophy based on the Apollo crew's revelation that looking down from space, our problems seem trivial. Go to Full Review Anthony Quinn Independent (UK) Nov 2, 2007
2/5
Respectful, enthusiastic and occasionally rather touching as the men, now in their seventies, recall how it felt up there. Yet the really important question never gets asked: what was it all for? Go to Full Review Sukhdev Sandhu Daily Telegraph (UK) Nov 2, 2007
The shots of the Moon, even after so many effects-heavy studio films have tried to recreate the look, are uncanny. Go to Full Review Leigh Paatsch Herald Sun (Australia) Nov 9, 2018
5/5
A captivating and revelatory experience from beginning to end. Go to Full Review Charles Cassady Common Sense Media Dec 15, 2010
4/5
Lofty recap of the Apollo moon program. Go to Full Review Gary Arnold Washington Times Oct 18, 2008
The single most stirring and satisfying feature of 2007. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Howard F @LaurelOak Sep 10, 2025 Great story of the Apollo program, told by some of the astronauts that went to the Moon. A great companion piece for "From the Earth to the Moon". Very well put together. See more Jan 5, 2020 This is for a different movie with the same name....I don't know how to delete this review? See more Sep 30, 2019 Netflix took me on a journey with this film: they slipped into my DMs, took me on an enjoyable date, got a bit drunk and rambled on about nonsense and then brutally molested me with a patronizing plot twist that took a sharp triggering political turn. #DeportPoliticsOutOfMyMovies See more David B @RT87165717 Dec 30, 2018 A true gem,please,please,do watch this,the music is fantastic,the film puts goose bubs on your arm.AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA See more Aug 8, 2017 An amazing subject, the documentary is a bit too Hollywood. More details and less schmaltz would have helped. Worth seeing for the footage alone. See more Jun 18, 2016 A real candid look into the minds of a few extraordinary men who have travelled further than anyone other human being who have ever lived on this planet. Hopefully, since journeying to the moon, this is a wake up call for planet Earth for humans to realize how lucky we our to live on this great planet called Earth, but also we must continue exploring the vastness of Space including Mars and other bodies in our Universe as soon as possible. See more Read all reviews
In the Shadow of the Moon

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Cast & Crew

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David Sington

Director

Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin

Self

Alan Bean

Self

Eugene Cernan

Self

Michael Collins

Self

Charles Duke

Self

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In the Shadow of the Moon

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Movie Info

Synopsis In 1961, NASA started its Apollo program to realize President John F. Kennedy's dream of putting a man on the moon. This documentary retells the story of the program's mission through archival footage and interviews with all the surviving astronauts, except Neil Armstrong. With the U.S. racing to beat the Soviet Union into space, NASA began a series of test flights, culminating in Armstrong's 1969 walk on the moon and briefly uniting the world in awe of the United States' accomplishment.
Director
David Sington
Producer
Duncan Copp
Distributor
ThinkFilm
Production Co
Discovery Films, Film4
Rating
PG (Mild Language|Incidental Smoking|Brief Violent Images)
Genre
Documentary
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Sep 7, 2007, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
May 4, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA)
$1.1M
Runtime
1h 40m
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