Superstition Conquers Science.

Rating: Null/10 (18 January 2003)

They thumbed their noses at old unlucky number 13, and it cost them. Great movie, I like it better each time I watch it. The "goose bump" chills that come with over sappy dialogue are mitigated with repeated viewings I find. And this film is loaded with sappiness. But once you get desensitized to the Richie Cunningham lines, like `Let's go to the moon, gentlemen,' you'll really enjoy the ride this film takes you on. Cast is great, Hanks flanked by 3 of the most prominent second fiddles in the business, Sinise, Bacon and Paxton. And the shots of mission control are just as I remembered them as a kid. Either the actress wasn't too swift, or the role was poorly written, or maybe its such a guy movie that she didn't stand a chance of holding her own, but...Lovell's wife is really a detractor, and kind of unlikable. I think the movie does a fantastic job of restirring those same emotions of utter awe at what we were accomplishing by walking on the moon. Something we haven't done since, oddly enough. These early missions were carried forth, more on grit than on technology. I'm sure each of you reading this has more processing firepower in your PC than the entire space program had at the time. Mind boggling. Slide rules to do critical calculations while the ship is spinning out of control. Slide Rules!!!!