Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- witty
- paranoid
- improvisational
- conspiracy movie night
- independent thriller night
What critics said
Critics generally found the film inventive, likable, and strikingly committed to its period mockumentary premise, while noting that its loose narrative is not always convincing.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Matt and Owen pose as documentary filmmakers while their footage records an undercover CIA investigation.
The Apollo moon race is reimagined as the setting for a hidden government secret rather than merely a historical backdrop.
The film relies on handheld camera work and found-footage aesthetics to imitate covert documentary material.
The CIA mission begins with suspected Russian infiltration but turns toward possible deception within the American government.
Films like Operation Avalanche, and why
The Dirties
found-footage thriller built around conspiratorial filmmaking, uneasy friendship, and amateur investigators
Capricorn One
paranoid conspiracy thriller involving a hidden space-program secret and government suppression
The Parallax View
period conspiracy film using documentary textures, handheld camerawork, and institutional paranoia
The Truman Show
inventive mockumentary blending comic awkwardness with escalating political and technological conspiracy
Movie Details
- Director
- Matt Johnson
- Release Date
- 2016-09-16
- Runtime
- 94 min
- Rating
- 6.1 / 10 (234)
Cast
- Matt Johnson
- Owen Williams
- Jared Raab
- Josh Boles
- Krista Madison
- Andrew Appelle
- Ray James
- Sharon Belle
- Joe J. Thomas
- John Henry Robson
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Lionsgate+ Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Operation Avalanche about?
- Two young CIA agents infiltrate NASA as documentary filmmakers and uncover a moon-race conspiracy more dangerous than the Russian mole they were sent to find.
- What is Operation Avalanche like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Operation Avalanche as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Operation Avalanche violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Operation Avalanche as mild.
- What did critics think of Operation Avalanche?
- Critics generally found the film inventive, likable, and strikingly committed to its period mockumentary premise, while noting that its loose narrative is not always convincing.
- Which films are like Operation Avalanche?
- Films with a similar feel include The Dirties, Capricorn One, The Parallax View, and The Truman Show.
- How long is Operation Avalanche?
- Operation Avalanche runs 94 minutes.
- Where can I watch Operation Avalanche?
- In United States, Operation Avalanche streams on Lionsgate+ Amazon Channel.
