It hurts when I urinate

Rating: Null/10 (3 January 2010)

"Let's work the problem, people!" - Gene Kranz
Man builds rocket. Man sends rocket to the moon. Rocket malfunctions. Man forced to bring rocket back down to Earth. Man encounters a series of errors, problems and hurdles, which man must overcome if the rocket's astronauts hope to survive. Man uses his genius, perseverance and ingenuity to solve each problem. Man's rocket lands safely in the ocean. Everyone happy.
What we have here is really a story of mankind triumphing over fate (13 literally being the bad the luck number), chance and human error. It's a simple tale, but it's well told, despite a few moments where director Ron Howard can't resist spreading on thick layers of syrupy Americana. The casting of Hanks here, and the hokey music, would heavily influence Spielberg's "Saving Private Ryan".
8/10 – Ron Howard's best film, "Appolo 13" is filled with some tense moments and a good message. But though it unashamedly salutes NASA and "national heroism", Howard missteps by laying on super-thick melodrama (why is Bill Paxton's character portrayed as a snivelling softy?), mushy sentiment and needless flag-waving. Phillip Kaufman's 1983 astronaut epic, "The Right Stuff" , handled this material in a much more interesting manner, with its ironic look at the US space program and America's obsession with "conquering boundaries".
Worth two viewings.