Apollo 13 (1995)

My Review

“Apollo 13” is a docudrama depicting NASA’s 1970 lunar mission which was aborted due to an oxygen tank explosion, crippling the spacecraft. The trip to the moon was canceled, and the three astronauts battled extreme conditions just to return to the earth. Director Ron Howard (“Splash” 1984) put together a remarkable film with excellent production values, memorable performances, and good pacing (for the 140 minute running time) from a screenplay by William Broyles Jr. and Al Reinert. It was adapted from the 1994 autobiography by Jim Lovell and Jeffrey Kluger.

The cast is headed by Tom Hanks as Commander Jim Lovell, Bill Paxton as the lunar module pilot Fred Haise, and Kevin Bacon as backup pilot Jack Swigert. They dominated the screentime as they were packed into the errant spacecraft for stretches of the film. Co-stars include Gary Sinise, Brett Cullen, Ed Harris, Joe Spano, Kathleen Quinlan, Xander Berkeley, Clint Howard, Jean Speegle Howard, Rance Howard, Bryce Dallas Howard, Tracy Reiner, Jim Lovell, Roger Corman, and Walter Cronkite in CBS News archive footage.

The very watchable “Apollo 13” was the third highest grossing movie of 1995 for producer Brian Grazer, Imagine Entertainment, and Universal Pictures. It filmed primarily at Universal City, California. The movie was nominated for nine Academy Awards, winning two – Best Film Editing and Best Sound. Non-winners include Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor (Harris), Best Supporting Actress (Quinlan), Best Screeplay, Best Art Direction, Best Musical Score (James Horner), and Best Visual Effects.