- Alternate Character Interpretation: While it is stated the NASA heads knew the Russians put a man on the Moon whom they lost contact with, how much they knew about the alien lifeforms and their hostile behavior is less clear. Was the Apollo 18 mission unwittingly meant to gather information and then die there in order not to bring contamination? Or did the command honestly underestimate the creatures' aggression and just hope the astronauts would be able plant the devices and return quickly?
- Critic-Proof: Despite being ripped apart by critics (5.2 on IMDB, 24% critic score and 23% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes), the movie made $26 million on a budget of $5 million, turning in a nice profit.
- Cult Classic: Probably owing to its surprisingly novel premise, it lingers on in memory. Especially among those who are fans of the Apollo program or spaceflight in general.
- Paranoia Fuel: The movie ends with a note on how many moon rocks were given to foreign diplomats as gifts, and are now either stolen or missing. And since we know that any moon rock could be one of the alien parasites...
- Special Effects Failure: The lunar landscape, landing module and suits all look fairly good... right up until the astronauts start moving, at which point it is very obvious they're on a soundstage.
- Tear Jerker: Ben desperately pleading with Houston to bring him home.
- Visual Effects of Awesome: Whenever the astronauts aren't on camera on the Moon, the insides of the spacecrafts and the space travels are really polished.
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/YMMV/Apollo182011
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