"We just lost the moon."

Rating: 9/10 (29 May 2018)

Even knowing the outcome, the strength of the movie is in putting you right in the space capsule along side Jim Lovell (Tom Hanks), Fred Haise (Bill Paxton) and Jack Swigert (Kevin Bacon) in what was one of the best nail-biters in history. The world was transfixed at the time wondering how and if these brave astronauts would ever make it back to Earth. What one never thinks about are all the behind the scenes decisions that go with selecting who goes on a particular mission, how their families feel about it, and how important it is to the men themselves to be a part of history.
The other element that amazes is how many integrated parts come together to enable such a space mission. One sees the booster rockets fall away shortly after launch and figure that's it, the men are on their way to the moon. But then they have to dock with the lunar module and carry it along for the voyage. When the astronauts suffered their cascading set of problems, the ingenuity required by both the men on the ground and the pilots in the space craft demonstrated just how much teamwork was necessary to bring them back home safely.
What's baffling to me is how Ron Howard was overlooked for a best Director nod for this picture. Though the film itself got an Oscar nomination, Howard was eked out by the guy who directed "Babe"??? That's just a travesty, even if one doesn't care much for Howard as an actor or director. I'm not saying he should have won it, but gee, what were they thinking?