By-the-Numbers Movie Is Still One of Ron Howard's Better Efforts

Rating: 8/10 (8 May 2009)

A taut and polished studio film from Ron Howard that manages to be quite suspenseful even though we all know the ending from the start.
The film is a lean recreation of the Apollo 13 space mission that met with disaster and almost didn't make it back home. Tom Hanks gives one of his many appealing performances as leader of the mission, while Ed Harris gives a muscular, intense performance as head of mission control. Kathleen Quinlan was inexplicably nominated for an Oscar for playing Hanks' anxious wife -- her role consists of nothing but sitting around looking worried.
As by-the-numbers and mainstream as they come, but still one of Howard's better efforts.
Grade: A-