Apollo 13 on DVD (1995)

Welshslider from Cwmbran [Highly rated reviewer] , 21/05/2007

Apollo 13 directed by Ron Howard and starring Tom Hanks is quite simply a classic film. Some of the footage was actually filmed with the actors aboard the 'vomet comet' so the actors are actually experiencing weightlessness. The film accurately depicts the story of the dramatic story of the Apollo astronauts aboard Apollo 13 including Jim Lovell. Often during the film ground control will use techno babble like 'we have a main bus undervault', Its highly unlikely that anyone will know what this means unless you work for NASA but its done in such a way that you know that this is tense and you want to know how these problems are going to get resolved. Great film which even though you know the ending will still give you goose bumps. Essential viewing.

  9 out of 10 people found this review helpful

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Ken from Haywards Heath , 10/02/2004

Like the previous reviewer I watched the moon landings when I was a kid on an old black and white TV with my parents.

Tom Hanks and the rest of the cast are on form in this adventure movie about the disaster that befell the Apollo 13 crew on their way to the moon.

If you have a surround sound system then listen out for the great sound effects as the Saturn 5 rocket blasts off from the pad. The special visual effects are excellent.

You will be amazed at the sheer ingenuity of the entire Apollo team at NASA as they work tirelessly to bring the crippled space ship back to earth.

The final minutes of the film are gripping and I just bet you have a real lump in your throat as the whole world waits to see if they come back alive.

Loses nothing in the re-viewing either.

  8 out of 8 people found this review helpful

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A customer from London , 09/05/2005

To me, the most significant thing 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, can convincingly carry off any characters shoes he is put in, and his role in Apollo 13 is no exception. The true events of the historic Apollo 13 mission are amazingly re-created here, and the results are spectacular.

  5 out of 5 people found this review helpful

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steve roberts from Manchester , England , 30/08/2004

I've watched it numerous times and although I know every part of the film off by heart, I still hold my breath at the end. One of the best films ever based on real events. A must see

  4 out of 4 people found this review helpful

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IanStewart from Melton Mowbray [Highly rated reviewer] , 30/08/2008

I first saw this film soon after it came out (seems longer ago than 1995!). I'm sure that if I'd been asked to rate it at that time, I'd have given it 5 stars without hesitation. Seeing it again now, I reckon I'd give it three or maybe just 4 - so, I'll split the difference and say 4 stars.

The five stars on first viewing would be for the amazing effects - both the 'special effects' in the usual sense, and the many scenes where actual zero-gravity effects were produced by shooting in the 'vomit comet'. Full marks for effort, both to the SFX people and to the actors (and crew) who vomited so that we could enjoy their film.

Full credit also to the acting - and here I'd especially pick out Ed Harris, who well deserved his Best Supporting Actor award. He was Flight Control to the life, and how much he could convey with just a nod, a facial expression or a hand movement.

So why the 'three or maybe four' stars now? Partly, I think, it's because of an change in viewpoint that's actually mentioned in the film - namely, that space travel has become commonplace - it's no big deal now. (And this effect must be amplified in a film where, as here, we already know what the ending of the story was). More than that, though, is a heightened awareness of the whole space-machismo ethos that the screenplay is based on. Red-blooded US patriotism rules (and martial music underlines that). At several points, the dialogue makes clear that the whole point of the NASA programme - the huge expense and even the death of astronauts - is seen as justified because 'Otherwise, the Russians might beat us in the space race.' In a post-Iraq, post-Reagan-and-Thatcher world, that viewpoint seems a bit tired.

  1 out of 1 person found this review helpful

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GeoffHammer from Leicester , 01/12/2004

Even though the history of Apollo13 is well known, and we already know they get home safely before we press play on the DVD, this film still manages to give you sweaty palms.

Very realistic, excellent zero-G footage, and good performances.

  2 out of 2 people found this review helpful

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