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Apollo 13 (1995) More at IMDbPro »

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235 comments in total

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71 out of 94 people found the following comment useful :-
Forget Armageddon and the laughable Pitch Black. Never mind Lost In Space and Mission to Mars. Even the great Men In Black is dismissable here. THIS is a space movie., 30 January 2001

Author: Michael DeZubiria (miked32@hotmail.com) from Luoyang, China

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.

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57 out of 79 people found the following comment useful :-
Great Movie, 2 August 2004

Author: Bill Campbell from Williamsburg, VA

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!!

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47 out of 62 people found the following comment useful :-
A brief synopsis of a great film., 20 December 1998

Author: Iain Ross (iain.ross2@virgin.net) from Edinburgh, Scotland

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.

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32 out of 38 people found the following comment useful :-
A Great Movie, 15 January 2005

Author: mjw2305 from England

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

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24 out of 32 people found the following comment useful :-
The Right Stuff, 27 February 2003
Author: george.schmidt (george.schmidt@hbo.com) from fairview, nj

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.

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25 out of 34 people found the following comment useful :-
From the moment the problems started I was sitting on the edge of my seat, 12 November 2004

Author: Philip Van der Veken from Tessenderlo, Belgium

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.

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13 out of 14 people found the following comment useful :-
This is really some movie, 11 February 2000

Author: Anders Åslund (anders.aslund@xpress.se) from Karlstad, Sweden

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.

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14 out of 17 people found the following comment useful :-
Made Me Want To Study The Real Apollo 13 Astronauts, 17 February 2008

Author: ccthemovieman-1 from Lockport, NY, United States

This was a very well-done true story of a space mission that came extremely close to being a disaster, but the astronauts miraculously made it home safely. Except for some language problems, it's good storytelling and so interesting that it made me want to study the real Apollo 13 astronauts.

The movie is fairly long at 140 minutes and there is not much "action" but there is a lot of suspense and first-rating acting, both of which should keep anyone's interest. Knowing this was a true story makes one all the more involved with it. You can usually count of Director Ron Howard putting out an interesting and well-photographed film.

What also was interesting to me, too, was to see these actors, most of whom usually play volatile characters- or did prior to this film - act in such low-key roles. I refer to Ed Harris, Gary Sinise, Bill Paxton and Kevin Bacon.

By the way, one of the young Lovell children was played by Miko Hughes, who became a co- star in a film - "Mercury Rising" - several years later.

For such a tense story, with these astronauts lives on the line, none of the astronauts or people at NASA or anyone's family members are ever seeing praying throughout this ordeal! You can bet, in real life, a lot of prayers were answered on this mission.

Overall, this is good movie-making and recommended.

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9 out of 13 people found the following comment useful :-
Totally engrossing, 30 October 2004

Author: agategecko from Australia

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

I could not remember the original event. Probably due to where I was living at the time and the fact we had no live TV. It took a week to get the news.

I was watching this film in the cinema and HAD to ask my friends if they made it back. The reason being that if they didn't I was going to have to walk out of the cinema or burst into tears.

Never before had I been so engrossed in the people in the movie. I sat and watched hunched forward.

BTW I still burst into tears when they made it back. Guess I am just a bit of a softie at heart.

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17 out of 30 people found the following comment useful :-
The greatest movie. A touching yet thrilling action-packed story of hope and beating the odds., 5 November 1999
Author: artemis213 from Illinois

This movie is my all-time favorite. It has every element that makes a movie a classic. It is suspenseful, thrilling, and touching. It has drama, comedy, suspense, and even a little romance. I read the book "The Lost Moon" written by Jim Lovell and was the basis of the movie. The writers, producers, director, and actors did a marvelous job of portraying the events of the perilous flight of Apollo 13. The actors (Tom Hanks, Bill Paxton, Kevin Bacon, Ed Harris, Kathleen Quinland, and Gary Sinise) did a wonderful job as their character. I absolutely love movies where everyone comes together to fight and work toward a certain, unified goal, and I cannot think of a better example of this than what is shown in Apollo 13.

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