Stunning and unforgettable

Rating: 10/10 (2 May 2000)

Those who were not born when the Apollo space program was running, like myself, may often wonder what it was like. How did the astronauts train? What did the inside of the lunar module or command module look like? How big was a Saturn V rocket? "Apollo 13" answers all these questions and more.
Using computer graphics, the infamous "Vomit Comet", and realistic sets, this movie conveys what it was like aboard an Apollo spacecraft. The liftoff is breathtaking, with multiple views of the size and grandeur of the Saturn V rocket. Inside the spacecraft one sees the benefits (and drawbacks) of weightlessness. There's even a simulator in which the astronauts train for maneuvers they must perform during the mission. The movie is a "behind-the-scenes" look at the NASA space program in the 1960's and 1970's, giving all those not present at the time an idea of what it must have been like.
The cast was worthy of such a project. Tom Hanks is Commander Jim Lovell, an experienced space voyager who wishes to land on the moon. Fred Haise (played by Bill Paxton) will accompany Lovell down to the surface as the lunar pilot. Ken Mattingly (played by Gary Sinise) is slated to be the command module pilot, who will orbit the moon as Lovell and Haise land and explore the surface. Other notable cast members are Ed Harris, who plays the military-like Gene Kranz; Kathleen Quinlan (playing Marilyn Lovell, Jim Lovell's wife); and Kevin Bacon (playing Jack Swigert), the backup command module pilot for Ken Mattingly.
The movie is quick, with a lot of technical terms. I highly recommend reading a few books about the Apollo-era beforehand, including "Apollo 13" (previously titled "Lost Moon"), on which the movie was based. The books will give you a better appreciation of what goes on in the movie.
Just a warning: you won't watch this movie unaffected. It will make you wish you could be one of the space voyagers (despite the risks involved) or even just a spectator, watching as the mission events unfold. You may need to see the movie more than once to get everything; for me, it's been about a dozen times and I still see something new each time I watch.
So run, don't walk to your nearest video store, pick up a VHS or DVD copy of "Apollo 13", and watch it as soon as possible! You won't regret it.