NASA must devise a strategy to return Apollo 13 to Earth safely after the spacecraft undergoes massive internal damage putting the lives of the three astronauts on board in jeopardy.NASA must devise a strategy to return Apollo 13 to Earth safely after the spacecraft undergoes massive internal damage putting the lives of the three astronauts on board in jeopardy.NASA must devise a strategy to return Apollo 13 to Earth safely after the spacecraft undergoes massive internal damage putting the lives of the three astronauts on board in jeopardy.
- Won 2 Oscars
- 31 wins & 59 nominations total
Michele Little
- Jane Conrad
- (as Michelle Little)
Summary
Reviewers say 'Apollo 13' is lauded for its accurate mission depiction, strong performances, especially Tom Hanks, and its portrayal of teamwork and ingenuity. Key themes include mission tension, technical accuracy, and overcoming adversity. Criticisms focus on pacing, lack of tension due to the known outcome, and inaccuracies in character portrayals and events. Some find it less engaging and dramatic with underdeveloped characters. Despite these issues, many consider it a compelling and worthwhile watch.
Featured reviews
Astronauts Lovell, Haise and Swigert are on Apollo 13. People aren't worried about this expedition because the people already made it to the moon safely and had came back alive. That's not the point when things go very wrong and the hopes of coming back alive starts to fade.
This is a very good film. It shows human dedication and perseverance that they won't give up, even though hopes from other people seems to increase.
The acting by Tom Hanks, Bill Paxton, Kevin Bacon, and Kathleen Quinlan are all great. This film also delivers some of the best lines in movie history.
This is a true story and has turned into a great movie and has great acting. Although I wouldn't say it's the best film, it's still one of the best films.
This is a very good film. It shows human dedication and perseverance that they won't give up, even though hopes from other people seems to increase.
The acting by Tom Hanks, Bill Paxton, Kevin Bacon, and Kathleen Quinlan are all great. This film also delivers some of the best lines in movie history.
This is a true story and has turned into a great movie and has great acting. Although I wouldn't say it's the best film, it's still one of the best films.
Apollo 13 (1995)
**** (out of 4)
Ron Howard's excellent re-enactment of the Apollo 13 mission, which left three astronauts in space with a damaged ship and not knowing if they'd be able to return to Earth. It's always a wonderful achievement whenever a filmmaker can take a story that everyone knows the outcome to and still manage to make it intense. APOLLO 13 is without question one of the most intense films you're ever going to watch because as soon as the trouble starts in space, you the viewer, are pretty much curled up in a ball worried about every other problem that pops up throughout their situation. It's really amazing when you think how intense it is to just watch a movie so just imagine what it would be like really being up there not knowing your fate or being a family member on the ground not knowing if they are going to see their loved ones again. Director Howard perfectly mixes in these personal dramas with the stuff going on in space and I thought he did a wonderful job at balancing the two. Needless to say, the most amazing stuff happens in space as we see the three men trying to work their way out of the situation. How the film bounces from them to the families to the people in the control center is just remarkable to watch and the level of drama is just so high. Another major plus are the terrific performances. Tom Hanks, Bill Paxton, Gary Sinise, Kevin Bacon, Ed Harris and Kathleen Quinlan are just flawless in their work but so is the rest of the cast even down to the smallest role. APOLLO 13 is great entertainment that works on pretty much all levels and is without question one of the best of its type.
**** (out of 4)
Ron Howard's excellent re-enactment of the Apollo 13 mission, which left three astronauts in space with a damaged ship and not knowing if they'd be able to return to Earth. It's always a wonderful achievement whenever a filmmaker can take a story that everyone knows the outcome to and still manage to make it intense. APOLLO 13 is without question one of the most intense films you're ever going to watch because as soon as the trouble starts in space, you the viewer, are pretty much curled up in a ball worried about every other problem that pops up throughout their situation. It's really amazing when you think how intense it is to just watch a movie so just imagine what it would be like really being up there not knowing your fate or being a family member on the ground not knowing if they are going to see their loved ones again. Director Howard perfectly mixes in these personal dramas with the stuff going on in space and I thought he did a wonderful job at balancing the two. Needless to say, the most amazing stuff happens in space as we see the three men trying to work their way out of the situation. How the film bounces from them to the families to the people in the control center is just remarkable to watch and the level of drama is just so high. Another major plus are the terrific performances. Tom Hanks, Bill Paxton, Gary Sinise, Kevin Bacon, Ed Harris and Kathleen Quinlan are just flawless in their work but so is the rest of the cast even down to the smallest role. APOLLO 13 is great entertainment that works on pretty much all levels and is without question one of the best of its type.
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.
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.
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
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
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.
Did you know
- TriviaBill Paxton, Tom Hanks and Kevin Bacon were all very proud of the fact that they weren't sick on the so-called Vomit Comet - the plane used to simulate zero gravity. The cameramen weren't so lucky.
- GoofsIn the film, Jim Lovell suggests using the cross hairs on the window of the CM and line it up with the terminator line of the earth as a procedure to navigate without the computer. This appears to be an idea "plucked out of the air" by Lovell, and Houston have to confer in order to see if it would work. In reality this procedure was practiced by Lovell on Apollo 8 in preparation for just such a malfunction of the computer and Houston had full procedural guidelines in place. The actual problem was that the explosion had created a cloud of sunlit debris that made it impossible to align the inertial guidance platform by sighting stars. The sun, earth and moon were not normally used for this because of their large sizes, but the debris cloud made them the only usable visual references.
- Quotes
NASA Director: This could be the worst disaster NASA's ever experienced.
Gene Kranz: With all due respect, sir, I believe this is gonna be our finest hour.
- Alternate versionsA digitally remastered IMAX-format version was released in September 2002. It is about 20 minutes shorter in running time than the original theatrical version. Some of the missing scenes are the dinner that the astronauts have aboard the ship that results in Fred Haise being sick into a plastic bag, and Marilyn Lovell telling off the press.
- ConnectionsEdited into Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999)
- SoundtracksWaiting
Written by Carlos Santana, David Brown, Gregg Rolie, Michael Shrieve (as Mike Shrieve), Jose Chepito Areas (as Jose Areas), and Mike Carabello
Performed by Santana
Courtesy of Columbia Records
by arrangement with Sony Music Licensing
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Details
Box office
- Budget
- $52,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $173,837,933
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $25,353,380
- Jul 2, 1995
- Gross worldwide
- $355,237,933
- Runtime
- 2h 20m(140 min)
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 2.39 : 1
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