Apollo 13 (1995)

NASA must devise a strategy to return Apollo 13 to Earth safely after the spacecraft undergoes massive internal damage putting the lives of the three astronauts on board in jeopardy.

Director:

Ron Howard

Writers:

Jim Lovell (book), Jeffrey Kluger (book)

Stars:

Tom Hanks, Bill Paxton, Kevin Bacon

Won 2 Oscars. Another 24 wins & 49 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Tom Hanks	...	Jim Lovell
Bill Paxton	...	Fred Haise
Kevin Bacon	...	Jack Swigert
Gary Sinise	...	Ken Mattingly
Ed Harris	...	Gene Kranz
Kathleen Quinlan	...	Marilyn Lovell
Mary Kate Schellhardt	...	Barbara Lovell
Emily Ann Lloyd	...	Susan Lovell
Miko Hughes	...	Jeffrey Lovell
Max Elliott Slade	...	Jay Lovell
Jean Speegle Howard	...	Blanch Lovell
Tracy Reiner	...	Mary Haise
David Andrews	...	Pete Conrad
Michele Little	...	Jane Conrad (as Michelle Little)
Chris Ellis	...	Deke Slayton

Storyline

Based on the true story of the ill-fated 13th Apollo mission bound for the moon. Astronauts Lovell, Haise and Swigert were scheduled to fly Apollo 14, but are moved up to 13. It's 1970, and America have already achieved their lunar landing goal, so there's little interest in this "routine" flight.. until that is, things go very wrong, and prospects of a safe return fade.

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Plot Keywords:

trapped in space | cape kennedy | reference to christopher columbus | news footage | rocket | 

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Taglines:

Houston, we have a problem.

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama | History

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for language and emotional intensity

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

30 June 1995 (USA)

Also Known As:

Apollo 13: The IMAX Experience

Filming Locations:

Lankershim Boulevard & Hesby Street - North Hollywood, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$52,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$200,645 (USA) (20 September 2002)

Gross:

$172,071,312 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures, Imagine Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

140 min

Sound Mix:

DTS-Stereo DTS IMAX 6-Track (IMAX version) Dolby SR

Color:

Color (DeLuxe)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

At the end of the sequence where a method is devised to fit "a square peg into a round hole" to fix the CO2 scrubbers, a technician is heard saying to the leader of the team that created the makeshift solution (credited simply as "Technician", though it might be assumed that it's Ed Smylie, who was the real guy in charge of that team) "you, sir, are one steely-eyed missile man!" - this colloquial NASA title of honor was perhaps most famously bestowed upon John Aaron after he, serving as EECOM, saved the Apollo 12 mission 4 months earlier when that craft was struck by lightning during launch and had its telemetry signal scrambled. John Aaron was prominently present during the events of this mission as well; he is the tech played by Loren Dean who, along with Ken Mattingly (Gary Sinise ), figures out how to power up the craft for reentry.

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Goofs

Mattingly appears to be using a Maglite, introduced in 1979 in the simulator.

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Quotes

Fred Haise, Sr.: I know why my numbers were wrong. I only figured it for two people.
Jack Swigert: Maybe I should just hold my breath.

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Connections

Referenced in Family Guy: Back to the Pilot (2011)

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Soundtracks

Groovin'
Written by Felix Cavaliere and Edward Brigati (as Eddie Brigati)
Performed by The Rascals
Courtesy of Atlantic Recording Corp.
by arrangement with Warner Special Products

User Reviews

Forget Armageddon and the laughable Pitch Black. Never mind Lost In Space and Mission to Mars. Even the great Men In Black is dismissable here. THIS is a space movie.

Probably one of the most significant things about Apollo 13 is the fact that it managed to be such a strikingly realistic film despite the abundance of well-known Hollywood actors. Tom Hanks, of course, can convincingly act any part in the world, and his role in Apollo 13 is no exception. All of the actors involved seemed to have been given parts that they were born to play, because they were so successful in the roles. The true events of the historic Apollo 13 mission are amazingly re-created here, and the results are spectacular.

Not only is this film wonderfully acted, it also presents a nearly flawless portrayal of the time period, even down to the slide rulers that were used to do calculations. The audience is literally taken back in time to the 1960's, and all of these universally exciting events are brought back to life, and this is one of the things that makes this movie so special. So many films try to do this, and the vast majority of them fail miserably, so it just feels so good to occasionally see it done right.

Another thing that was used in the perfect amount in Apollo 13 was the special effects. I am entirely against excessive special effects, because if they aren't justified in being in the film, they can sometimes ruin the film by themselves (remember The Perfect Storm?). The special effects in Apollo 13, however, served the film very well. Of course, the most significant special effect in the film, aside from the space scenes, was the zero gravity, which was done flawlessly. I'm just glad that they decided to go up in one of those Zero-G planes for these scenes, rather than have the actors drift lazily around and act as if they are in zero gravity, because that would have taken a lot away from the film.

Apollo 13 has an excellent story made even better by the fact that it is true, it has great acting, skillful direction, and plenty of tasteful humor. It is not only a highly entertaining film, but is also educational, which should please parents (as if they need any more pleasing than seeing their younger years brought back to life on the silver screen). Definite must-see, Apollo 13 is a contemporary classic.