Apollo 18 - In space, no one can hear you yawn  

Apollo 18 - a good idea and well made, sadly it's just dull. According to the film, after Apollo 17 (the last manned mission to the moon) Apollo 18 was launched and this film is made up of the `actual' footage.

So begins a film that is a sort of cross between Alien and The Blair Witch Project. You have a very atmospheric, realistic (in both acting and 1970s period set design) film, shot constantly in the first person. And that's where it starts to unravel... filming anything for ninety minutes in the first person is limiting. You only get one perspective and only see what they see and, if they're filming, they move the camera all over the place, making viewing what's happening difficult.

The first half hour is all `scene-setting' and, to be honest, it's pretty boring - you could just listen to it and you'd get the general idea. Then the next forty-five minutes is made up of the `drama.' Unfortunately, it's not that dramatic. The astronauts encounter some alien nasties and get into all kinds of trouble. It doesn't have the freshness (or the scares) of The Blair Witch Project and it doesn't even come close to anything Alien has to offer.

It's a shame really, as it does have its plus points, i.e. the footage looks realistic and the actors do the best with what's been provided for them; not to mention the general feeling of desperation and isolation at being stranded on the moon amidst hostile aliens.

Bottom line though - `Alien Space Crabs' will never be scary.  

3/10 Jabba the Hutt wipes himself down with this film