Review of Apollo 13 (1995) by Abdulmalik A — 19 Aug 2014

There's so much to like about this tale of the nearly disastrous space flight of Apollo 13. What has always amazed me is that, even when you know the outcome of the mission it is still tense and exciting. They have compiled a number of moments that will get your heart pounding and have you worrying about the well-being of the 3 astronauts. I'm always impressed when a movie is able to keep me emotionally invested even when I've seen it dozens of times. But my absolute favorite scenes don't even take place in space. The way that the technicians at mission control have to troubleshoot so many different problems is fascinating to me. It's like a series of little puzzles that they must work together to solve. It doesn't hurt that I love Ed Harris' acting.

The rest of the cast is amazing too. Most notable are the performances of the 3 astronauts. Tom Hanks, Kevin Bacon, and Bill Paxton play off each other perfectly. There are so many moments when you can read exactly what they're thinking without them saying a word. I think what holds me back from calling Apollo 13 one of my all-time favorite films is the length. It feels like they have filled the movie with a bit too much material and every time I watch I can't help thinking "Well, that scene was unnecessary." Almost everything with the Lovell family feels very forced as if they're trying to coerce the audience into an emotional reaction instead of letting it happen naturally. Then there are the numerous times when they cut to news reports to reiterate the stakes for us. There comes a point where it starts to feel condescending that they keep telling us and then retelling us what is happening. Once or twice is enough, thank you. Apollo 13 is still a great film that did some truly remarkable things. If they could have trimmed it down it could have been one of the best movies of all time.