Sometimes the story is all you need.

Apollo 11 is a 93 minute doco comprising almost entirely of original film with actual-time commentary from NASA officials and technicians, television coverage, and the astronauts themselves.

There are no talking heads, no gratuitous celebrity anecdotes, no retrospective ‘contextual analysis’. All these absences are to be lauded.

The film is very much a celebration of courage, technological advancement and history making. With much unfamiliar film footage, director Todd Douglas Miller simply and deftly tells the story of events over a one week period – the launch, landing, moon exploration and safe return of Apollo 11 and its crew. A brief reference to the Vietnam War is the only external event allowed to seamlessly intrude.

The whole film is absorbing, you live every moment. And within it, nothing quite matches the visceral thrill of the rocket’s launch. With close up camera shots and strong vibrations shaking the whole theatre, it was immersive cinema at its best. A soaring and portentous musical score from Matt Morton adds to the exhilaration.

Given the concept of the film, it’s something of a misnomer to describe Todd Douglas Miller as Director – Editor would seem far more appropriate. But his title is barely relevant. What’s far more important is his capture of the heady excitement and non-jingoistic pride that the Apollo Program brought, especially its eleventh mission. It is these emotions that Damien Chazelle’s moon landing drama, First Man, failed to deliver only last year. His flat film made the climax of Neil Armstrong taking that giant leap for Mankind about as exciting as ironing a nylon shirt. Apollo 11 leaves you in no doubt as to the magnitude of the event.

It was most pleasing to see that in a near sold-out large theatre, there were many young children brought to see this amazing achievement of human confidence. Let’s hope it rubs off on them.

On a final note, I’d recommend strongly that the film is seen on the biggest screen available, preferably an IMAX.