Review of 'Apollo 10 1/2: A Space Age Adventure'

Ahead of the 1969 Apollo 11 mission to the moon NASA has accidently built a prototype Apollo spacecraft too small so recruit fourth-grader Stan (voiced by Milo Coy) to pilot it to the moon on a test flight. The story is interwoven with adult Stan's (voiced by Jack Black) nostalgic childhood memories of life in small-town USA, his training and mission as well as the public enthusiasm surrounding the Apollo 11 mission.

This is a short, charming story of a young boy's fantasy of flying to the moon told using striking rotoscope animation reminiscent of director Richard Linklater's 2006 film “A Scanner Darkly”. It has to be said the animation is quite amazing to watch adding to the nostalgia of the piece. Though the trailer makes it sound all very exciting the film does tend to drag in parts as it focuses more on life in the 1960s. The boredom resulting from media overload that sets in as the Apollo 11 mission drags on over the days and the normal day-to-day life as a child. The mission(s) themselves are really a backdrop for a trip down memory lane, it seems, for Linklater.

A light, fun and stylish piece of ultimately forgettable 1960s nostalgia.

Rating: “It is OK but I have some issues”

Review Date: 2022-06-11

Directed by: Richard Linklater

Studio: Minnow Mountain

Year: 2022

Length: 97 minutes

Genre: Science Fiction

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7978758/