The film is framed as a compilation of “found footage” from a secret Apollo mission, Apollo 18, which allegedly took place in December 1974. The footage was supposedly classified and hidden from the public.
The story begins with astronauts Nathan Walker (Lloyd Owen), Benjamin Anderson (Warren Christie), and John Grey (Ryan Robbins) being informed about their classified mission. Their objective is to deploy military equipment on the moon, ostensibly for national security reasons during the Cold War.
Upon reaching the moon, the astronauts discover a Soviet lunar lander nearby. Investigating the abandoned Soviet mission, they find the cosmonauts dead and evidence of a potential alien presence. As they set up the equipment, strange occurrences start happening, and the astronauts encounter rock samples that seem to move on their own.
The climax of the film occurs when the astronauts realize they are not alone on the moon. Mysterious and deadly creatures, resembling moon rocks, attack the astronauts, leading to a fight for survival. The found footage captures the escalating horror as the astronauts try to understand and escape the lunar threat.
The movie concludes with the suggestion that the astronauts did not survive the encounter, and the footage was discovered years later. The film plays on conspiracy theories surrounding the Apollo missions and the idea that the U.S. government covered up evidence of extraterrestrial life.
“Apollo 18” received mixed reviews, with praise for its suspenseful atmosphere and criticism for its found footage format and lack of a cohesive narrative. While it played on the mystery and intrigue surrounding the Apollo missions, it was ultimately a fictionalized horror story rather than a documentary.