A most thrilling ride

Rating: 9/10 (14 October 2005)

If you have even the remotest knowledge of history you know how Apollo 13, based as it is on a true story, will turn out. And yet the film is filled with a tremendous sense of drama, placing you on the edge of your seat the whole way through. Being able to wring that much drama out a of a film which you might expect to have a sense of inevitability about it is a tremendous achievement. Full credit to director Ron Howard and his brilliant ensemble cast of wonderfully talented performers.
Apollo 13 tells the story of a 1970 American space mission gone terribly wrong. The crew of Apollo 13 was headed to the moon which sounds exciting but at the time nobody in America seemed to really care. The general public now saw space travel as routine and the sense of wonder had been lost. A successful mission would have been barely noted by the American people. It took a potential disaster to capture their interest and the story as it is told here will certainly grab hold of you as well.
When their spaceship is crippled by a potentially catastrophic failure the crew of Apollo 13 is facing seemingly insurmountable odds in its quest to safely return home to Earth. This film brilliantly captures the hardships the crew had to endure and the bravery and grace under pressure they exhibited. The film also shows the heroic efforts of the men on the ground who attempted to devise a way to bring the crippled ship home. All of the key roles are performed wonderfully. As the central figure in the drama, spaceship commander Jim Lovell, Tom Hanks is reliably brilliant. Lovell had to be a real leader and it's a role which fits Hanks perfectly. Kevin Bacon and Bill Paxton portray the other two astronauts aboard the ship and each has his moments of brilliance as well. Gary Sinise has a key role as Ken Mattingly, an astronaut originally scheduled to be on the fateful mission who now does all he can from his spot on the ground to help bring his comrades home. Aside from Hanks probably the best performance is by Ed Harris as the man in charge on the ground, the resolute, confident, unwavering Flight Director Gene Kranz. Harris does a great job of bringing this character to life, inspiring you to believe that the seemingly impossible is possible after all.
While the film, quite literally, takes a little while to get off the ground, once the spacecraft takes off Apollo 13 is an absolutely thrilling journey. It is wonderfully acted, beautifully photographed and packed with drama. Even if you know what's coming you can't help but be swept up by an immense wave of emotion. Given the benefit of a great story to work with Ron Howard delivers a masterpiece. Brilliantly done.