Review of Apollo 13 (1995) by Alex R — 29 Sep 2010

Along with Backdraft, Apollo 13 is one of Ron Howards ultimate best films. The film chronicles the failed mission to the moon and the ensuing rescue attempt to bring them home. A film that is both spectacular and powerful, Apollo 13 is a superbly crafted drama film.

One of things that Apollo 13 does very well is building up the tension. Obviously we all know that the astronauts came back home safely, but still there always is a feeling of tension going on throughout the film from the point where theres an explosion on board the spacecraft to the safe landing.

Every time I watch Apollo 13, I get that same feeling. Ron Howard's brilliant directing makes this possible, and you always get that same feeling every time you watch it. Ron Howard has assembled a great cast of actors to portray the astronauts.

Tom Hanks plays Jim Lovell, Bill Paxton plays Fred Haise and Kevin Bacon plays Jack Sigert. They play the Apollo 13 astronaut with much respect to the real astronauts who flew the near fatal mission. Gary Sinise plays Ken Mattingly, the original Command module pilot.

Mattingly still plays a vital role in the story as he tries to find a way to get as much power from the crafts battery to restart the craft. Ron Howard strips away the traditional way of telling a story big Hollywood overtones.

Instead, Howard tells the story of Apollo 13 like it was using fact instead of fiction. The film is very technical and rich in detail. Every aspect of the story has been covered with tremendous respect from the real life incident.

Apollo 13 is a well acted, well told and well directed drama film. This is without a doubt Ron Howards best film. A powerful drama film, Apollo 13 tells a story about a failed mission, but also that it was a success due to the fact that they all came back safe.

This is a film that has definitely aged well, and doesn't look dated whatsoever. A fine masterful film, Apollo 13 is a must see film, and what I appreciate the most about the film is that they didn't try to romanticize the story sort of like Titanic, they told it like fact and stayed true to the historical background of the film.

The film is not cliche trite or boring. Apollo 13 remains a solid historical film that tells it like is and doesn't use a made up story to make the film seem emotionally charged. If you must watch one Ron Howard film, make it Apollo 13.