Old fashion epic

Rating: 8/10 (19 September 2014)

The space program is still haunted by Apollo-1 test accident on Jan 27, 1967. Man finally lands on the moon on July 20, 1969. Jim Lovell (Tom Hanks) is the experienced leader. Jack Swigert (Kevin Bacon) is the brash eager young gun. Both Fred Haise (Bill Paxton) and Ken Mattingly (Gary Sinise) are aiming to be on Lovell's crew. Lovell is slated to be on Apollo 14 but gets bumped up to 13. Mattingly gets sidelined for not having had the measles and backup Swigert is put in his place. They are sent up on April 11, 1970. Having already achieved the landing, the world isn't paying attention to this mission. That is until things go wrong. Ed Harris plays the Flight Director Gene Kranz and Kathleen Quinlan plays Marilyn Lovell.
This is a compelling story on its own. On the surface, this is the B-side of the epic man's mission to Mars. However director Ron Howard meticulously retains the details of the mission that makes it all come to life on the screen. That is the greatness of this movie. It is epic in all of its small details and its scope. All the actors are giving sincere performances in an old fashioned movie.