Apollo 13

Date watched 6th March 2011
Genre- Drama, Action, Adventure, Historical events
Year- 1995
Running Time- 2hrs 15mins
Directed By- Ron Howard
Written By- Jim Lovell (book), Jeffrey Kluger (book) William Broyles Jr (screenplay) & Al Reinert (screenplay).
Actors- Tom Hanks, Bill Paxton, Kevin Bacon, Gary Sinise, Ed Harris et al.

Acting-4 ½/5
Keeping my attention- 4/4
Visuals/Direction- 4 ½/5
Story/Plot- 5 ½/6
Total 18 ½ /20

“Houston we have a problem”

Plot

This movie looks at the events before and during the Apollo 13 mission run by the USA to land on the Moon.
Following the successful moon landing of Apollo 11 the ambition of Jim Lovell (Hanks) and his team is to land on the moon and make history all over again. But when they are called up to go on the mission of Apollo 13 they have no idea of the events that will unfold during their quest; events that might cost them not only their dreams but their lives as well.

My Personal Views

Well I think this whole movie is exceptional, everything and everyone seems to work so well together to produce a movie that gives everyone something to enjoy.

I watched it many years ago and didn’t know much about the moon landings and this mission (other than the obvious of course) so I thought it was great back then and it gave me the opportunity, through my parents and books, to find out more about NASA and everything that goes with it; my parents being of the generation to remember being up late to watch the Apollo 11 moon landing.

I don’t know how accurate this film is of the events that happened but this is a stunning film none the less.

All of the characters are believable and Tom Hanks is as usual a shining light in the whole production, imagine my surprise when I found out he hadn’t even been nominated for an Oscar for this role. Shocked doesn’t cover it but then who am I to judge the opinions of the Academy Awards.
I was absolutely glued to my seat throughout this movie and even if you know what happened with the Apollo 13 mission or you’ve seen this movie before you still worry, wonder and gasp at the same moments you did the first time.

The direction of this movie; there is only one word for it, phenomenal. To be honest its style hasn’t really dated, which considering that we now have the modern 21st Century special effects and creations such as Avatar this still looks stunning and well crafted.

I’ve never been a big fan of Kevin Bacon (don’t ask me why because it’s just one of those gut things that you can’t explain) but in this he is great and I forget all of my pre-conceived ideas of him and actually like him in this. Gary Sinese, who I now know from the CSI franchise, also gives a great performance as does Bill Paxton. Ed Harris as the control centre commander is electrifying and so believable in his ways throughout.
The music amazing, I’ve always been a fan of film music, in particular the music of John Barry, John Williams and the other greats, but this music is superb and really adds depth the story being told.

I’m a girl so I have no qualms in saying this, this movie made me well up at the end. Well about half an hour from the end to begin with carry on until the end!

Would I watch this again? Yes. Is this a great movie? Most defiantly. I would recommend it to anyone; because this isn’t a sci-fi adventure this is real life, something that actually happened that everyone should know about if you ask me and the movie is a great way of showing this and is excellent in its execution as a movie of that event.

In conclusion- amazing.

Outcome

Staying put where it is in the house.