Incredibly entertaining

Rating: 8/10 (13 December 2011)

When I was little I always dreamed of being an astronaut so a film like Apollo 13 was a dream come true. I vaguely remember watching this film as a kid, only being able to recollect small details. Now, I've revisited this film and realized how much better it is from an older and more knowledgeable perspective. I no longer have desires to be an astronaut, but Apollo 13 is still a great movie. It's the true story of Jim Lovell, Fred Haise, and Jack Swigert and their disastrous Apollo 13 mission where everything went wrong, yet through courage and determination the men made it back to Earth safely. It's emotional, it's daunting, and it's powerful. Apollo 13 is a truly thrilling film from start to finish as we watch the wonders as well as the risks of outer space come alive.
Apollo 13 is a prime example of the Hollywood machine at work, but this time it produces fantastic results. Ron Howard directs this picture with the utmost care, as well as an obvious passion for the subject matter. Sure the events are probably glorified, but that's what this kind of melodramatic big budget Hollywood production is all about. Meanwhile, the film rounds up an all star cast with Tom Hanks, Bill Paxton, Kevin Bacon, Gary Sinse, Ed Harris, Kathleen Quinlan, and many more. This fine collection of actors come together in such a brilliant way as they all pull off fantastic performances that make Apollo 13 a melodramatic, yet still believable film. Then you throw in an almighty score from James Horner and you've got yourself a surefire win. Everyone involved with this film deserves credit because it really and truly comes together to be a wildly engaging film.
You don't even have to necessarily have an interest in space or astronautics to enjoy this film. You can enjoy it as an engaging dramatic piece full of tension, suspense, and emotion. However, if you come into this film not caring at all about space you will likely leave with some sort of newfound interest in the wonders it beholds. There's something incredibly fun and fascinating about the way these characters speak. Their space jargon rolls off the tongue and allows the dialogue to flow so graciously and poignantly as mission control quickly streamlines commands to the men in the ship. The whole film has a great flow that keeps you engaged and thrilled, never losing focus on the film, always wanting to know what will happen next.
It's actually incredibly ironic that a film like this can keep you so hooked and so boiled with emotion and suspense because we already know what happens. We know the story behind Apollo 13 and it's general knowledge that it was a disastrous mission to the moon yet the crew made it back safe and sound. Yet, amazingly enough, the suspense is so vigorous and the tension that builds is so captivating it's as if you had no idea what would happen. It takes true skill in acting and directing to pull this off, and it's the major challenge to overcome when making a film out of true events. But this is the task that Apollo 13 overcomes, and it helps it to become a really great film.