Review of Apollo 13 (1995) by Matthew D — 07 Jul 2018

Space has never felt so claustrophobic.

Ron Howard directed another masterpiece of suspense thriller, but this time in space. Howard recounts the true story of the Apollo 13 spacecraft and its crew's miraculous return to Earth. You will still be stunned by the realistic special effects and the enclosed environment. You feel like you are in the ship with these astronauts. Howard also lets you understand how hard it is for the families of NASA's team members to endure these flights. Apollo 13 is a phenomenal historical drama that plays out more like an epic disaster film.

Apollo 13's cast is filled with excellent character actors that all deliver heartfelt performances. Tom Hanks, Kathleen Quinlan, Gary Sinese, Kevin Bacon, Bill Paxton, and Ed Harris are particularly wonderful to behold in Apollo 13. These actors bring these incredible real events to life with a genuine quality that comes across the screen. Their emotions and desires are felt by you through these highly expressive depictions. I think Apollo 13 is as much a display of believable acting as it is a recreation of historical moments.

James Horner delivers an emotive score that grips your heartstrings with each tender note. The scary sequences are elevated by Horner's tense score as well as the intimate familial scenes are grounded by his gentle sounds. Apollo 13 keeps you in the moment with its tense scenes in addition to Horner's classical music.

In short, Apollo 13 is a must see American classic. It may have been released in 1995, but it looks like it could have been made currently. The effects, story, acting, and direction all hold water to date. I think you could play Apollo 13 in a classroom as a time piece of the late 1960's and early 1970's. It is that good.