One of the best dramas around

Rating: 9/10 (20 September 1999)

My Age: 13
Jim Lovell, played by Tom Hanks, is selected, along with Ken Mattingly, played by Gary Sinise and Fred Haise, played by Bill Paxton, to fly to the moon on Apollo 13. Ken Mattingly, however, is pulled out of the mission, when his tests reveal that he could have a case of the measles coming on (they never do) and is replaced by Jack Swigert, played by Kevin Bacon. There isn't much public interest in this flight, as it has been done before, that is until things start to go wrong, among them oxygen venting out into space. The possibilities of a safe return begin to go away.
I don't normally enjoy dramas, but Apollo 13 is one of the select few (others including The Shawshank Redemption, Mr Holland's Opus) that I do like. First of all, the acting is superb in this movie, Tom Hanks, Kevin Bacon, Bill Paxton, Gary Sinise, Ed Harris and Kathleen Quinlan all excelling in their roles. Unlike most dramas, this one was actually moving to me. The science used in the film seems accurate (though I wouldn't really know) and you never get really bored watching this. Overall, Apollo 13 is a compelling drama and one of the best around.
Australian Classification: PG: Low Level Coarse Language
Rating: 74 out of 100