Ron Howard's best movie to date

Rating: 9/10 (13 April 2009)

Ron Howard recreates the Apollo 13 mission on the screen and transports the viewer back in time. The music, sets, hairstyles, clothing, etc. all contribute to the recreation of the early 1970's, but it never overwhelms the viewer. A less skillful director might have had a few scenes that just screamed "YOU"RE IN THE 70's! GET IT?" An explosion on the Apollo 13 rocks the ship off course and causes an oxygen leak. They have to get the leak under control, turn around, and get back to Earth, in the midst of solving a seemingly endless number of problems that crop up. Apollo 13 is a drama that takes place in space, and winds up being more suspenseful than many of the science fiction/action movies today. Just the sound of the alarms and the sight of Oxygen levels dropping are enough to keep the viewer on the edge of their seat. It keeps you rooting for the good guys to come home safely even though we know how the film will end.
I must compliment how educational the film really is. By all accounts the film is pretty accurate, and one can learn a lot about space travel in the 70's from Apollo 13. This film proves historical films can be accurate and entertaining at the same time. The film's greatest strength however is a stellar cast. Tom Hanks, Gary Sinise, Ed Harris are all likable and easy to relate to. We sympathize with Hanks, who plays Jim Lovell, because he will never realize his dream of walking on the moon. Fred Haise (Bill Paxton) falls ill and has kids on the way. We feel sorry for Jack Swigert (Kevin Bacon) because we can't help but feel there is an unnecessary antagonism toward him because he was not originally assigned to the mission. Ken Mattingly (Gary Sinise) is kicked off the mission because he is exposed to the measles. He never gets the measles, and he has a great "I told you so" moment. We all sympathize with Gene Kranz (Ed Harris) and the rest of mission control, who work day and night to get Apollo 13 home. Finally, there is Marilyn Lovell (Kathleen Quinlan), who can only wait helplessly and pray her husband will come back. The scene where her wedding ring falls down the drain gives a strong sense of foreboding.
Apollo 13 was a much better film than Braveheart and should have won the Oscar, if not Babe.