Apollo 13
Academy Award × 2·National Film Registry
Rent/Purchase
The true story of technical troubles that scuttle the Apollo 13 lunar mission in 1970, risking the lives of astronaut Jim Lovell and his crew, with the failed journey turning into a thrilling saga of heroism. Drifting more than 200,000 miles from Earth, the astronauts work furiously with the ground crew to avert tragedy.
What critics thought
Ron Howard's recreation of the ill-fated 1970 mission won over most critics as a technically meticulous, suspenseful piece of mainstream filmmaking that largely avoids the chest-thumping of lesser Hollywood epics. The main fault line was whether Howard fully escapes his instinct for sentiment — most critics found he did, while a few felt the film's softer edges undercut its otherwise sharp storytelling.
“This is a powerful story, one of the year's best films, told with great clarity and remarkable technical detail, and acted without pumped-up histrionics”
Roger Ebert·Chicago Sun-Times
“I just wish that Apollo 13 worked better as a movie, and that Howard's threshold for corn, mush and twinkly sentiment weren't so darn wide”
Edward Guthmann·San Francisco Chronicle
“Howard lays off the manipulation to tell the true story of the near-fatal 1970 Apollo 13 mission in painstaking and lively detail. It's easily Howard's best film”
Peter Travers·Rolling Stone
“like Quiz Show, Apollo 13 beautifully evokes recent history in ways that resonate strongly today. Cleverly nostalgic in its visual style (Rita Ryack's costumes are especially right), it harks back to movie making without phony heroics and to the strong spirit of community that enveloped the astronauts and their families.”
Janet Maslin·The New York Times
Genres
Adventure, Drama, History
Cast & Crew
DirectorRon Howard
StarringTom Hanks, Bill Paxton, Kevin Bacon, Gary Sinise, Ed Harris
ComposerJames Horner
Apollo 13
Academy Award × 2·National Film Registry
The true story of technical troubles that scuttle the Apollo 13 lunar mission in 1970, risking the lives of astronaut Jim Lovell and his crew, with the failed journey turning into a thrilling saga of heroism. Drifting more than 200,000 miles from Earth, the astronauts work furiously with the ground crew to avert tragedy.
What critics thought
Ron Howard's recreation of the ill-fated 1970 mission won over most critics as a technically meticulous, suspenseful piece of mainstream filmmaking that largely avoids the chest-thumping of lesser Hollywood epics. The main fault line was whether Howard fully escapes his instinct for sentiment — most critics found he did, while a few felt the film's softer edges undercut its otherwise sharp storytelling.
“This is a powerful story, one of the year's best films, told with great clarity and remarkable technical detail, and acted without pumped-up histrionics”
Roger Ebert·Chicago Sun-Times
“I just wish that Apollo 13 worked better as a movie, and that Howard's threshold for corn, mush and twinkly sentiment weren't so darn wide”
Edward Guthmann·San Francisco Chronicle
“Howard lays off the manipulation to tell the true story of the near-fatal 1970 Apollo 13 mission in painstaking and lively detail. It's easily Howard's best film”
Peter Travers·Rolling Stone
“like Quiz Show, Apollo 13 beautifully evokes recent history in ways that resonate strongly today. Cleverly nostalgic in its visual style (Rita Ryack's costumes are especially right), it harks back to movie making without phony heroics and to the strong spirit of community that enveloped the astronauts and their families.”
Janet Maslin·The New York Times
Genres
Adventure, Drama, History
Cast & Crew
DirectorRon Howard
StarringTom Hanks, Bill Paxton, Kevin Bacon, Gary Sinise, Ed Harris
ComposerJames Horner
Rent/Purchase