Apollo 18 is a standard found-footage movie - the conventions of the genre are now firmly in place - but it does have some merits. This is Blair Witch in Space rather than Paranormal Activity on the Moon, as its initially interesting but increasingly daft and unconvincing premise unfolds more as a character piece than shocker. The cast play it admirably straight and performances are generally strong, together with good use of the confines of space vehicles and light/dark on the lunar surface. The technical treatment of the footage is good and direction and editing are generally well-handled, making the found-footage conceit work well, and there are a couple of good shock moments. The fundamental problem with this style of movie is that it inevitably comes across as cheap-looking, there is a lot of non-action and dull scenes, and there is an overall sense that the narrative and the film as a whole simply underwhelm, and whilst Apollo 18 is undoubtedly an above-average example of the genre, it still does not actually do very much over its running time.
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