Apollo 10 1/2 (2022)

Richard Linklater’s name is all over this film, from the animation style that recalls Waking Life (2001) and A Scanner Darkly (2006) to the character study told over a period of time (Boyhood [2014]). Apollo 10 ½ is a tale of sixties idealism, a memory of the American dream told from the point of view of a kid growing up during the space race in Houston; one whose Father was a low level administrator for NASA. Loosely based on the childhood of Linklater, he manages to encapsulate everything he loved about the time into a nostalgic blast of memory, combined with a young boy's imagination running riot (lead character Stan is recruited by NASA to fly on Apollo 10 ½ because the module they built isn’t big enough for an adult- but this must remain a secret even from his family), producing a wonderfully melancholic homage to a time that Linklater does a terrific job of convincing us was gloriously perfect. Apollo 10 ½ is to be enjoyed by all ages; those growing up at the same time will remember all the T.V shows referenced, as well as adverts shown, and indeed the period itself; and for those who weren’t around at the time, you’ll be swept into a different world. One where health and safety was seemingly never an issue, anything was possible, and the world joined together in the almost implausible idea of man landing on the moon. For those, like this reviewer, who weren’t around, the idea that the last person to set foot on the moon did so fifty years ago makes this film even more of an escapist journey into a time that seems so far removed from our own. Linklater’s film is a blast; into space, into the past, and into a truly joyous ninety minutes or so. 8.2/10