Apollo 13

Apollo 13 (1995)

**** (out of 4)

Ron Howard's excellent re-enactment of the Apollo 13 mission, which left three astronauts in space with a damaged ship and not knowing if they'd be able to return to Earth. It's always a wonderful achievement whenever a filmmaker can take a story that everyone knows the outcome to and still manage to make it intense. APOLLO 13 is without question one of the most intense films you're ever going to watch because as soon as the trouble starts in space, you the viewer, are pretty much curled up in a ball worried about every other problem that pops up throughout their situation. It's really amazing when you think how intense it is to just watch a movie so just imagine what it would be like really being up there not knowing your fate or being a family member on the ground not knowing if they are going to see their loved ones again. Director Howard perfectly mixes in these personal dramas with the stuff going on in space and I thought he did a wonderful job at balancing the two. Needless to say, the most amazing stuff happens in space as we see the three men trying to work their way out of the situation. How the film bounces from them to the families to the people in the control center is just remarkable to watch and the level of drama is just so high. Another major plus are the terrific performances. Tom Hanks, Bill Paxton, Gary Sinise, Kevin Bacon, Ed Harris and Kathleen Quinlan are just flawless in their work but so is the rest of the cast even down to the smallest role. APOLLO 13 is great entertainment that works on pretty much all levels and is without question one of the best of its type.

I'm honestly a little blown away by how much I liked this film. I have heard nothing but good things, and I went in expecting it to be good, but I never would've expected to be so captivated by it. Apollo 13 is probably the best space movie I have ever seen, at least as far as ones based on actual events go.

While movies like First Man, Interstellar, or even Gravity, have certain moments that are extremely tense, this film keeps that tension going throughout. Apart from the very beginning, I was on the edge of my seat for the entire 140-minute runtime. Especially once the, now infamous line, 'Houston we have a problem' is said, the tension just keeps on ramping up and never eases until the final credits start rolling. Tension, and especially high tension, is what's crucial for these types of movies to be successful. Space is, after all, uncharted territory for most of us watching and having that tension present, adds to the anxiety of the unknown. Another thing that is very much explored in this film is the idea that once you are in space, no one will come to the rescue. Add all these things together, and you will have a tense environment. Something that this movie captures incredibly well.

Something else that I found fascinating, was the way that the situation in this film was solved. The whole mission was done with basically less computing power than we now have in our pockets. To not only be able to undertake such a mission, but to solve the biggest problem that NASA had ever faced with nothing but human ingenuity, is quite astonishing, especially for someone like me who has lived most of his life used to having computers everywhere. In many ways, this movie celebrates how capable we humans are and how far we can stretch ourselves when needed.

What Apollo 13 is, is an incredible story told very well. It captured me and my attention from the very get-go and held onto it until the very end. It's emotional when it needs to be, and the ending can only be described as spectacularly triumphant. As mentioned, I was surprised by how much I ended up liking this film. It had been on my watchlist for forever, and now I'm wondering why it took me so long to watch it.

My first job as an engineering graduate in 1960 was with NASA. I was fortunate enough to have been a Project Engineer on the Apollo Program, and I am familiar with the technical aspects of the program. But this movie was not as much about the technical aspects of the program as it was about a thrilling, real-life drama that just happened to take place during a glorious time and a once-in-a-lifetime project. Despite all of the little technical errors, Ron Howard and his crew have put together a superb film, one that deserved the 9 Academy Award nominations which it received. I wish that present-day film-makers would concentrate on happy situations, like this one, instead of the constant barrage of drivel to which we, the movie-going public, are made subject. Long live NASA and long live courage!!

I couldn't take my eyes off the screen, i was simply compelled to watch it until the end. I already knew how it ended so i was surprised it commanded my attention so intensely.

The fact is the characters were all so realistically portrayed and the film was so expertly directed that it was almost as if the Apollo 13 disaster was filmed and that is what i was watching.

Now this film is certainly not to everyone's taste, it is quite slow in the build up and the film relies almost entirely on the script and ability of the cast.

If you like your disaster films loud and in your face then this is probably not for you, but if you like them realistic (slightly dramatised) then watch it and be astounded.

9/10

I can watch this film over and over. Not only because I am so terribly interested in the exploration of space and the historical events that have taken place - but because it's a great film with excellent performances and a truth-telling style. Heck, even Lovell's wife dropping the wedding ring in the shower the day of the launch is true!

Just the fact that this film is true makes it even more enjoyable. It's hard to understand how in the hell one can make it back to Earth and survive with a fatally crippled space-craft. It's even harder to appreciate just how close they actually got to dying out there.

The performances are astounding. Ed Harris is just stupendous as Gene Krantz, and Tom Hanks, Kevin Bacon, Garty Sinise and Bill Paxton (who seems to always get the role as the whiner...) are also great.

As Hanks put it: this story is one of the greatest ever. The question is, how do you get home? That question is as old as humanity itself.

You can tell he put his heart and soul into this one. And the fact that this happened to the American space explorers is hardly noticeable. Good job.