Review of Apollo 13 (1995) by Josh J — 04 Jan 2014

A Ron Howard masterpiece that knows how to make a film about the Apollo 13 mission. The film tells the incredible story about the events surrounding the Apollo 13 mission before, during, and after the launch, including the preparation, conflict, launch, flight, disaster (explosion) on the ship while in space on the way to the moon, and the fight to get the astronauts back to Earth.

The film has an amazing use of visual effects, and sound effects, creating beauty and realism in the film. The film is also brought to life by Ron Howard's incredible direction that never got an Oscar nod (what the hell?!).

The film not only focuses on the problem in NASA's, Jim Lovell's, Fred Haise's, and Jack Swigert's point of view and experience on the incident, but also on the effect of their friends, families, the country, and the entire world as an accident like that never happened before.

The film also has stellar performances, but the one that's more convincing and believable is Ed Harris in his Oscar-nominated portrayal as White team Flight Director Gene Kranz, thanks to his moments of showing confidence and determination to get Lovell, Haise, and Swigert back home.

Another great performance is Kathleen Quinn in her Oscar-nominated portrayal as Marilyn Lovell, Jim's wife, as she always expresses concern and anxiety towards her husband going on the mission, as well as dealing with the incident, the family issues, and facing the truth that it's actually happening.

The film has perfect timing of tension, laughs, and pure drama, making this one of the greatest biographical films of all time. The film also benefits from William Broyles, Jr.'s and Al Reinert's script that was adapted from Jim Lovell's book Lost Moon: The Perilous Voyage of Apollo 13.

The film has perfect scientific accuracy, smart dialogue, and historical inaccuracies that we leave out, such as the reworded quotes that have since become famous like "Houston, we have a problem", and "Failure is not an option", and the timing of the on-board explosion.

The film also has an amazing score, thanks to composer James Horner. A film that should be seen by all as it tells an incredible story that will never be forgotten.