This movie provides an alternative (fictional) explanation of why Americans have never returned to the Moon. The back story is that previously top secret video tape footage has been discovered to show what happened to the astronauts of the Apollo 18 mission after they landed on the Moon. Three astronauts went on the mission. They are Commander Nathan Walker (played by Lloyd Owen), Captain Benjamin Anderson (played by Warren Christie), and Lieutenant Colonel John Grey (played by Ryan Robbins).
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Their top secret mission was to land on the Moon in order to place detectors that can monitor the ICBM missiles of the Soviet Union to enhance earth defense systems. Upon reaching the Moon, Lt. Col. Grey stays in orbit while the other two astronauts land on the surface. Anderson and Walker are successful in placing the ICBM defense device on the surface of the moon. They also take rock samples. The rocks are not inanimate objects, instead they move. One is seen on the surface of the Moon moving around by the video surveillance cameras. Another rock sample escapes from the area where the samples were kept in the ship. The astronauts notice it is missing.
They also discover a Russian team has visited the Moon surface. When they get to the landing module of the Russians, they find no one inside, only evidence of a struggle plus a lot of blood. They find a dead Russian cosmonaut in a nearby moon crater. Evidence that they are not alone on the surface of the Moon shows up in the disappearance of the US flag they put on the surface as well as non-human tracks found near the ship. Anderson figures out the devices they brought are meant to discover aliens presence, not for ICBM missile defense systems. Additionally, there is heavy radio interference coming from an unknown source that blocks almost all the communications with earth.
Walker notices something is inside his space suit. It is like a big spider. It crawls across the inside of his helmet in front of his eyes. He collapses outside the spaceship. After he comes around he cannot remember what happened. Anderson tries to help him. Anderson discovers what appears to be a small moon rock stuck in a puncture in Walker's injured chest. Walker gets sick and the sickness increases until in a manic rage he breaks the ship's life support system by accident. The two of them have to use the Soviet ship to survive. But instead, Walker runs off knowing that since he is infected he cannot return to earth. Anderson chases him into the area where they found the Russian cosmonaut. Walker is grabbed by the alien creatures as they come out from the rocks, revealing themselves as rock-like creatures.
Anderson continues to the Russian ship to prepare it for launch. Command Control in USA will not authorize Anderson to return home, knowing he is probably infected. Nevertheless, Anderson convinces Grey who is still in the other ship orbiting the Moon to let him launch, with the plan to meet in near orbit of the Moon and then come aboard. As he prepares for launch, Walker attacks him. But, Walker is defeated when swarms of aliens take over his body. Anderson gets the ship to launch from the surface of the moon but before he can get back to Grey in the other ship he is also infected by the aliens. This causes him to lose the ability to fly the ship which heads out of control to crash into the other one. Because the ships are destroyed and all the astronauts died, the contagion is not brought back to earth.
Best part of story, including ending:
This film is an examination of a hostile alien invasion. It is interesting to note that the threat is not easy to detect.
Best scene in story:
We know the moon rocks have the ability to move on their own when we see one move outside the spaceship, yet it is still suspenseful when one of the smaller rocks from the moon collection samples is suddenly missing.
Opinion about the main character:
He tries his best to return home even though the situation is truly hopeless.
