Apollo 13: Do Desastre ao Triunfo

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 .

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.

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 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.