Apollo 11: First Steps on the Moon (1996): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 1996, Apollo 11: First Steps on the Moon is a drama film directed by Norberto Barba, running about 93 minutes. “On July 20, 1969, the whole world stopped. Where were you?” — that tagline sets the tone.

What it’s about. Fearful that the Russians would continue their lead in the space race and be the first to put a man on the moon, NASA felt an enormous pressure to push the Apollo Program forward as quickly as possible, though they knew that pushing too hard could lead to the ultimate disaster. This film recreates the tensions that were felt not only by the three astronauts, Armstrong, Aldrin and Collins, but also by their families and by the teams of technicians training to deal with anything that could go wrong.

Who’s in it. Apollo 11: First Steps on the Moon stars Carmen Argenziano as Tom Paine, Tuck Milligan as Martin Wells, Dennis Lipscomb as George Low and William Mesnik as Bob Gilruth, among others.

How it landed. With an audience score of 6.4/10, Apollo 11: First Steps on the Moon has drawn a solid, mixed-to-positive response.

Where to watch. Streaming options change often. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch Apollo 11: First Steps on the Moon page.

If you liked it. Fans of Apollo 11: First Steps on the Moon tend to enjoy The Shawshank Redemption, The Godfather, Schindler's List and The Godfather Part II.