“The moon landing was fake.”
“NASA staged the moon landing.”
“I saw suspended strings on Armstrong’s suit.”
We’ve all heard these conspiracy theories before (some even strongly believe them) and thought nothing of them. But, if this were to actually happen, how would the government organize it? How would they even simulate the environment? Many people have speculated this theory, but Greg Berlanti took all of these questions and turned it into a big, whopping movie that released in theaters on July 12: ‘Fly Me to the Moon’.
Filled with heartwarming scenes, witty characters, and many, many lies, this movie takes everything that’s believed to be fake about the moon landing and shows exactly how it would be executed if it were to actually happen.
Before we get into the actual plot of the movie, I just want to say that I absolutely loved the cinematography in this film. The way each scene was filmed matches the energy of the story and the plot perfectly, with the occasional grainy film, taking us back to the 60s. Throughout the movie, there were snippets of retro scenes that made it colorful and fun to watch.
Now, the actual movie itself was a jumble of different genres, touching on romance, historical fiction (of course), comedy, and much more. The varying tone of the movie added to the excitement of the story.
This movie follows two main characters, Kelly Jones, (Scarlett Johansson) an insanely witty marketing agent hired to ‘sell the moon’, and Cole Davis, (Channing Tatum) the lead manager for the Apollo 11 mission.
Due to the fact that NASA wasn’t popular with the American people at the time, Kelly Jones is hired by the government to bring the people’s attention back to the moon, which is when she meets Cole Davis. Right off the bat they seem to be against each other on almost every decision concerning ‘marketing’ the mission. But as they started working together, these two ended up developing a enemies-to-lovers romance as the movie progressed, which would’ve worked out much better if the two had any chemistry on screen at all. Though their chemistry was lacking, their overall love story was still a heartwarming (and amusing) one.
On the more technical side of the movie, the marketing scheme was a huge success and Jones’ talent and hard work eventually had the entire nation hooked.
Which is why they couldn’t afford to fail. Now, the nation’s eyes were on them, which meant that if the Apollo 11 mission failed, the reputation of NASA would forever be tarnished. This is when Jones received the order to officially begin directing a fake live broadcast of man’s first steps on the moon. After this point in the movie, everything speeds up, Jones is working a double life, helping Davis with the investors for the mission while also facilitating the fake moon landing.
Overall, this movie was a fresh take on the execution of the ‘fake moon landing’ theory, along with bits of romance and adventure along the way and is a great watch. If you’re looking for something fun (and slightly serious) with hints of love, this movie is perfect for you. Although, if you are a strong believer of the fake moon landing theory, this movie may be a tad bit disappointing.
“Fly me to the Moon” is now available to watch on Prime Video and Apple TV.
