Review of Apollo 13 (1995) by Alex H — 31 Dec 2012

It seems the easy way out to view "Apollo 13" as an allegory for verifiable American suspension, but it's hard to ignore when the entire movie so clearly emphasizes the pursuit of happiness being found in a space journey that stood for so much more. Then again, that's pretty much what Howard is going for, and you can't strike him down for it. Imagine the huge task it must have been to capture the 1970 U.S. lunar mission, and the added bonus of that flight taking place during a series of historical comeuppances which wherein held the peak of nationwide positivity.

Tom Hanks plays Jim Lovell, a loving husband and father who's truly psyched to have his kid get the chance to watch him wave from the stars. Kevin Bacon is Jack Swigert and Bill Paxton Fred Haise, guys without a ball and chain to question their accompaniment on the Apollo 13 commission. The doll with strings holding him back comes in the shape of Gary Sinise as Ken Mattingly, whose measles scare keeps him grounded like a growly Vietnam vet without the use of his legs or something. There isn't much depth to any of these characters, which explains my hesitation to name names of the central protagonist whom we the audience are meant to attach to. The real swoon of "Apollo 13" is the importance of the undertaking, and Lovell, Haise, and Swigert's persistence to get back home when their ship loses steam mid-air. They radio Houston, Texas for comfort and support from the likes of NASA flight commander Gene Kranz (a bored Ed Harris), concerned mostly with protecting his stellar rep.

Again, the united allegory is obscure enough, because "Apollo 13" is a pretty simple movie. That doesn't mean that when our boys swim gravity afresh it's any less of a genuine inspiration, though. And for all its novelty Howard's film doesn't make a referential chuckle at Apollo's one-liner of oncoming disaster (and even the eventual Beatles break-up, which is dismissively mentioned early in the film.) Incredibly entertaining, the movie might best be read as three men pressured to finish what they started and act calm while doing it, not so much because of their legitimate friendship but because they feel a moral obligation to. The later responsibility of the Apollo 13 operation didn't involve hyper-kinetic wizardry, but it couldn't have been completed without the cooperation of planetary parallels that with revolving drinks of coffee were asked to try, try again.