In the late 1970s, there was a cheesy sci-fi adventure show on T.V. called "Space: 1999." The best thing about this series was its title — the idea that some 20 years in the future we'd be colonizing space. It seemed almost plausible at the time, and for that we can thank NASA and their Apollo missions to the moon: In the space of a few years, man decided to leave the planet and travel through space — and actually did so.
It's all quite hard to believe, nowadays, when the only thing we have to look forward to 20 years from now is virtual sex and explosive-sniffing sensors on every street corner. Hence the title of director David Sington's new documentary on the Apollo missions, "In the Shadow of the Moon" — in some very real sense, all the progress and potential displayed in the decades since seems rather small by comparison. Dreams of colonizing other planets, of exploring the final frontier, have been replaced by dreams of cross-platform portability for the endless data stream our lives are becoming.
Based mostly on well-restored archival footage and recent interviews with many of the astronauts involved, Sington's film is a reverent look at the mission to put a man on the moon. (Neil Armstrong is notably absent.) As much as the achievement itself, it's clear that Sington is nostalgic for that can-do spirit which made it possible, an optimism and dedication to progress which America seems to have lost somewhere down the line. (Though President-elect Barak Obama might be up for restoring it.)