Apollo 13

by Robbo

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Posted on 13 May 2021

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Rating -

Apollo 13 is a 1995 American space docudrama film directed by Ron Howard and starring Tom Hanks, Kevin Bacon, Bill Paxton, Ed Harris and Gary Sinise.

The screenplay by William Broyles Jr. and Al Reinert dramatizes the aborted 1970 Apollo 13 lunar mission and is an adaptation of the 1994 book Lost Moon: The Perilous Voyage of Apollo 13, by astronaut Jim Lovell and Jeffrey Kluger.

Apollo 13 depicts NASA’s fifth crewed mission to the moon which was intended to be the third to land.

America has become bored with space travel with many questioning whether there is anything still to learn by going to the moon, many seeing it as a waste of taxpayers’ money.

Then three days into the mission an explosion on board the spacecraft leaves them losing power and venting oxygen into space.

The crew of Lovell (Hanks), Jack Swigert (Bacon) and Fred Haise (Paxton) have to power down the command module and power up the Lunar Lander which has now become their lifeboat home.

NASA must now come up with a plan to bring the astronauts safely home as each time they manage to solve a problem a new challenge arises.

Attempting to recreate an actual event can be difficult, remaining true to the story whilst keeping the audience entertained and Apollo 13 does not disappoint.

From start to finish the film delivers drama and tension without resorting to histrionics or sentimentality.

Solid performances combined with the remarkable technical detail make for a really tense drama that completely immerses you from beginning to end.

Apollo 13 is a particular favourite of mine and would highly recommend.

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