User reviews

I honestly will recommend anyone to check this film out, it is long but of course you can't rush such an event, make sure you have a good free afternoon or weekend, get some popcorn and enjoy. On technically side this film has aged well, doesn't feel dated .

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.

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

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.

Probably one of the most significant things about Apollo 13 is the fact that it managed to be such a strikingly realistic film despite the abundance of well-known Hollywood actors. Tom Hanks, of course, can convincingly act any part in the world, and his role in Apollo 13 is no exception. All of the actors involved seemed to have been given parts that they were born to play, because they were so successful in the roles. The true events of the historic Apollo 13 mission are amazingly re-created here, and the results are spectacular.

Not only is this film wonderfully acted, it also presents a nearly flawless portrayal of the time period, even down to the slide rulers that were used to do calculations. The audience is literally taken back in time to the 1960's, and all of these universally exciting events are brought back to life, and this is one of the things that makes this movie so special. So many films try to do this, and the vast majority of them fail miserably, so it just feels so good to occasionally see it done right.

Another thing that was used in the perfect amount in Apollo 13 was the special effects. I am entirely against excessive special effects, because if they aren't justified in being in the film, they can sometimes ruin the film by themselves (remember The Perfect Storm?). The special effects in Apollo 13, however, served the film very well. Of course, the most significant special effect in the film, aside from the space scenes, was the zero gravity, which was done flawlessly. I'm just glad that they decided to go up in one of those Zero-G planes for these scenes, rather than have the actors drift lazily around and act as if they are in zero gravity, because that would have taken a lot away from the film.

Apollo 13 has an excellent story made even better by the fact that it is true, it has great acting, skillful direction, and plenty of tasteful humor. It is not only a highly entertaining film, but is also educational, which should please parents (as if they need any more pleasing than seeing their younger years brought back to life on the silver screen). Definite must-see, Apollo 13 is a contemporary classic.

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!!

It's difficult to say what makes Apollo 13 such a great film - perhaps it is the idea that it "really happened", and that someone can look at a history book, then at the film, and see an overall reality. Some might say they love it just for the effects; but I believe that it has a great story, and a perfect selection of actors, perfectly cast. Ed Harris excels, as does Tom Hanks - and Bill Paxton and Kevin Bacon are each superb in their roles.

The most wonderful thing about this movie is that it encompasses so many parts and peoples, and appeals to so many, that by the last reel you feel that if they don't make it through, you have lost some of your closest friends.

In short: a minor masterpiece.

Totally deserving of it's status as a remarkable film. Great portrayal of perseverance and determination. Admittedly, I didn't know this story all that well and was prepared to get annoyed with the movie for it's ending only to find out that's what actually happened! Life is weird.

This would make a really interesting back to back with The Martian, I think. Two movies about "realistic" problem solving in space with rock solid casts.

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.

Apollo 13 is deliberate and specially focused on the events that transpired with the Apollo 13 crew. It has a ln attention to detail that is unparamount in most retellings of true stories. There's no doubt this movie is as entertaining as it is truly informative when it comes to the space missions of the 60's.

This does take a while to get going, but once space-bound, it proves to be quite a compelling tale of three astronauts who find themselves stranded in their spacecraft after an oxygen tank blows up. Ron Howard now presents us with a potently claustrophobic couple of hours and the men - Lovell (Tom Hanks); Haise (Bill Paxton) and Swigert (Kevin Bacon) must work with their ground control colleagues led by Mattingly (Gary Sinese) and Kranz (an excellent Ed Harris) to try to calculate some way of getting them back to safety before their remaining oxygen and fuel runs out. Meantime, we also get a sense of the mortality of these travellers from their partners left on Earth - not least from an on-form Kathleen Quinlan (Marilyn Lovell). The screenplay is based on the book by Lovell, and reeks of authenticity. There is little need to embellish it with special effects; the sets adequately convey the dangers and sense of confinement as the clock ticks down. The dialogue is strong - pithy and lively but also well based in science. That enables Hanks to turn in one of his more convincing, less quirky performances which gels well with his acting co-stars. History tells us the ending, so it is not that the film has jeopardy - it hasn't, really. What is does have is an accumulated sense of peril and it demonstrates well how adaptable and innovative the human brain can be when facing almost certain death. The production is top drawer - understated but effective, and the score from James Horner is one of his lesser known, but none the less effective for that. A really well photographed example of a well directed, strong story with an equally strong cast that is well worth a watch.

I really wanted to love this movie. Unfortunately, perhaps because it is such a well known incident, there is just no tension in this movie - unless you're one of the apparently vast number of young people with no knowledge of the past.

The movie seems to be an accurate account of the events, if somewhat sanitised, but quite frankly you'd be more enlightened by watching a documentary.

Pales in comparison to the excellent 'The Right Stuff'.

I don't know what the real event was like, because I wasn't even born then, but I guess it must have been really shocking to see how these astronauts were fighting for their lives. The movie really has done a good job on showing how inventive people can be in times of need, and on recreating the emotions that the crew, their families and the people in the flight command center had to go through.

If you ask me, the film really was at its best as soon as the crew was actually taking off in their rocket. Before that the movie was a little bit too slow to my taste and it didn't have that much to say. However, from the moment the problems with Apollo 13 started I was sitting on the edge of my seat. It all felt very real and you just have to empathize with the crew and their family.

Tom Hanks, Gary Sinise, Kevin Bacon, Ed Harris, Bill Paxton,... all did a great job showing us the astronauts, their families and the flight crew on this doomed mission. Their performances made "Apollo 13" one of the better movies of the nineties. I reward it with an 8/10.

APOLLO 13 (1995) ***1/2 Tom Hanks, Kevin Bacon, Bill Paxton, Gary Sinise, Kathleen Quinlan, Ed Harris, Loren Dean, Clint Howard. Exhilarating and absorbing true life account of the 1970 mishap of the American space program's Apollo 13 that nearly became a tragic catastrophe based on astronaut and team leader Jim Lovell's novel "Lost Moon". Hanks is excellent as Lovell, grace under pressure realized, as is the rest of the fine ensemble and perfect visual effects of space travel and ingenuity. Harris won a nomination for Best Supporting Actor as Mission control's chief. Noteworthy: that's director Ron Howard's real life mother as Lovell's mom and look sharp for Lovell himself at the film's conclusion. Oscar winner for Best Editing and Best Sound.

This movie in 50 years will be viewed as a semi documentary of the Apollo 13 mission. Pity, because as a piece that claims to be accurate from a historic point of view it misses the mark by a wide margin. My main problem with the film is how the story and characters were changed for dramatic effect. The best example of this is Jack Swigert. In the film he was shown as an inexperienced rookie who had to constantly prove his worth. Meanwhile Ken Mattingly is shown to be the great hero and the only one who knows the command module well enough to save it. The truth is Jack Swigert wrote the emergency procedures for the command module, the very ones the crew used when the emergency happened. It was said they were lucky Swagert was on the flight as he was one of the best to handle the situation. Mattingly meanwhile was also a rookie astronaut and it was in fact Gene Cernan and other veteran astronauts who worked out the problems in the simulators. A good film that tries to be very accurate in the look and feel but fails to be accurate in it's script as it goes for old Hollywood dramatics instead.

Just purchased the Collector's Edition DVD, and I'm somewhat ashamed of myself for a) waiting this long and b) buying it used.

This was my first time viewing the film digitally (after seeing it once in the theater and countless times on VHS) and I must say that, with the DVD format's perfect picture & sound quality, I felt like I was seeing this perfect film for the very first time!

As someone who has followed the Space Program closely all his life, I consider this to be the most accurate depiction of manned spaceflight ever committed to film, and feel it should be considered an historical document, rather than "just a movie".

It breaks my heart when I see comments from uninformed & uninspired individuals, who come out of the woodwork for the sole purpose of spitting bile on this masterpiece, inventing flaws where none exist.

I know how NASA personnel behave and communicate, and these performances were absolutely flawless. The recreation of all the hardware and locations was perfect in every detail, which had never been attempted before, nor had the concept of generating ACTUAL weightlessness inside a KC-135 flying a parabolic trajectory!

People complain that... ...the dialog was too technical, when in fact it was "dumbed down" quite a bit! If you're having trouble understanding what's being said... READ A BOOK! ...the ending was known! Ah, but the tale was not! It was a true Odyssey: "a long journey marked by many changes in fortune."

The sheer magnitude of effort pumped into this film, and the obvious love and care displayed by each and every member of the cast and crew for the subject at hand, deserves much better than the merciless apathy it's been getting here.

In an age of filmmaking before everything was done with CGI, the most bankable actor on the planet was 8km above sea level in 20 second intervals shooting hundreds of scenes with the cast and crew. That's dedication enough for me. The performances are amazing. I'm not overly keen on Bill Paxton generally but he played his part. This movie is very close to the truth and actual events. Its cinematography is next level and Ron Howard gets the best out of everyone. It manages to capture everything great about the movies. It set the standard for technology and took risks. Something many movies don't do today. It is an absolute masterpiece of cinema.

First off – I have to confess I am an avowed space junkie and this tends to raise the bar in terms of my expectations of this movie, being familiar with the true life events that form the background of this movie. In summary, the movie surrounds the near-disaster which surrounded NASA's Ill-fated 3rd Mission to the moon. After two landings on the moon the missions had become almost commonplace and public interest in the space program was beginning to wane. This changed at 03:06 UT on 14 April 1970 when a malfunction in a heating coil caused an oxygen tank to explode, severely damaging the service module. The damage was so extensive that it forced the abandonment of the moon-landing and the severely compromised the ability of Astronauts Cpt James Lovell, John L Swigert and Fred Haise jnr to return home, a task they were able to accomplish only by jury-rigging their available equipment under the direction of Houston and suffering cold temperatures before they were able to successfully renter the Earths atmosphere in their spacecraft.

Tom Hanks, Bill Paxton and Kevin Bacon are eerily convincing as the astronauts and excellently manage to convey the tension of being in mortal danger in a malfunctioning tin can a quarter of a million miles from home, facing not only the bitter disappointment at not completing the mission of landing on the moon but the prospect of losing their lives in such an inhospitable and lonely environment. Of course nobody except the original astronauts knows what was going through their minds but Hanks et al allow the audience to appreciate the state of disciplined tension and terror that the voyagers were subjected to.

Other performances worthy of note include a determined and gritty portrayal of Charismatic and forceful Nasa Flight Director Gene Kranz by Ed Harris.

The film is well directed and the pace does not lack, despite the difficulty of portraying events in a tense fashion in a space not much larger than a large caravan, and the long periods of inactivity that form a large part of manned space flight.

Summary : An excellent `true life' movie, successful in portraying events both in space and the reaction of those left on the ground.

Rating : 90%

For anyone watching this film who has not seen interviews or read non fiction accounts of this incident, do not think this is factual, particularly the portrayal of the astronauts. It is most certainly not. They were not petulant schoolboys blaming each other for a technical fault that existed long before the flight. They were all professionals who knew what they were doing. The calm determination and skills of all involved got the astronauts home safely. This film dishonours that effort. Reality beats dramatic interpretation here, no question.