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Member since:03.10.2000
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Ok, here comes the admission: I missed Apollo 13. Admittedly so did much of America (such was the American lack of interest to begin with) but I missed it spectacularly. Not only could I not be bothered to show any interest, I couldn't even be bothered to be born for another 4 years. But now it's the 90's and it's not only America that doesn't care for space...no-one does. How would the world react to the resurrection of a story that was getting on for 30 years old? Who would care for a tale that seemed to emanate from a stale and stodgy industry (be honest, space travel has become old hat - since when did see an actual rocket launch on TV? Outside of the NASA channel and when things go BOOM of course). Ok then Mr Howard, wheel in the old gal...
With America having safely won the race to the moon with Apollo 11, NASA has tried to push the envelope further with longer and more detailed missions. With the goal achieved though it seems America has become almost blase about going to the moon. Apollo 11 was a success, Apollo 12 was a success, so Apollo 13 is just routine. Or is it? A routine maintenance check results in the three astronauts (Jim Lovell, Fred Haise, and Jack Swigert) staring death in the face. With their spacecraft damaged beyond repair, the fate of the crew of Apollo 13 rests firmly in the hands of the Gods. With the NASA technicians rewriting the flight manual as they go, can Apollo 13 travel the 100s of thousands of miles around the moon and back to Earth? With such a complex beast as a spacecraft damaged beyond imagination, death could come at any moment. And all of a sudden, the fate of three astronauts a quarter of a million miles away makes the world hold it's breath...
If you didn't know any better you could swear that Apollo 13 was the work of fiction. What makes it immeasurably more impressive is that it's actually real. Now fact based films can cause problems for film makers. We all know what the ending is as it's recorded in the history books, but Apollo 13 manages to achieve the seemingly impossible.
Based on the novel
of his own experiences, Jim Lovell's story conveys the tension and drama of the situation from the inside. Despite a few brief shots from inside the capsule, the ground controllers were pretty much blind for the duration of the emergency and while this could give the impression of a somewhat skewed perspective, it does also do away with many conflicting accounts. We have to rely (mainly) on the accounts of the three men in the capsule and that can surely only sharpen the image.
In fact the level of detail in the film is quite staggering and Apollo 13 manages to take a highly emotional period and re-create it with crystal clarity. Yes it's (relatively) easy to get the technical details correct (NASA does keep records you know) but the film goes beyond that. It introduces the human side of things as we share in the drama that the families go through. No longer just an exercise in the mechanics of space travel, Apollo 13 becomes a human drama.
That's not to say that it doesn't have more than enough technical detail to keep the die hard fanatic happy as the recreation is magnificent. When compared with the original space craft and equipment, the film is staggering faithful.
But what of the story itself? Well it's an incredibly tense tale (naturally) that starts gently enough, sets out it's stall and then hits you just as hard the explosion that shook the astronauts. From then on it's a seemingly never ending series of set backs and disasters. No film can keep hitting us time and time again and Apollo 13 uses the divide between space and earth well. To sit through two hours of tension inside a tin can would be too cold and clinical. Likewise if we spent two hours in the Lovell house we'd miss the tension and seriousness of the situation. The combination of the two though works well. On the one hand we have three astronauts who are highly trained, dealing with a problem in a logical and controlled fashion, while on the other hand we have the emotional strain and impact such a disaster has on non-technical people.
The thought of Tom Hanks taking yet another important role may not sound the most thrilling in the world (surely we were all sick of him by then) but Hanks is the right man for the job. Jim Lovell becomes a complete person in Hanks' hands. He's the cool dependable astronaut that we envisage but he's also the family man and it's this balancing act that Hanks get so right. Bill Paxton may be a little loud and brash for us but we see his Fred Haise with the outer layer removed and we like him. No longer the loud and cocky space jock but just as terrified and fragile as the rest of the crew (even more so given his illness). It's a good performance and one that does great justice to the film. Likewise Kevin Bacon is well cast as late replacement Jack Swigert (Swigert replaced original astronaut Ken Mattingly just prior to the launch).
On the ground things are just as well handled. Gary Sinise is excellent as the grounded Ken Mattingly but he's is but one of many. The near legendary Gene Kranz has life breathed into him by the excellent Ed Harris and scholars of the era will instantly feel as though this is right (the fact that Harris and indeed many of the cast actually look like their real life characters is a bonus). In fact there are few places to pick fault and NOT use the word excellent. Kathleen Quinlan does a great job on the emotional front as Marilyn Lovell and she very much forms the crux of the family side of the film. Yes there are other families and family members but it's Quinlan which the story focuses on and luckily she's up to the job.
Familiar names are brought to life but arguable how many people would realise the significance of characters such as Deke Slayton, Pete Conrad etc. Consider this a bonus for the fanatic and don't let it spoil your day.
It's no doubt been said before but Happy Days' Ron Howard casts aside good old Richie Cunningham and leaps into the director's chair. You might not expect perfection from the ginger one (I kept expecting his dad, Tom Bosley, to come along and rescue him) but he turns in a great film. And when I say great I don't just mean solid but GOOD. Howard manages to recapture the atmosphere of the time excellently. The ambivalence of America to the space programme gives way to tension and then the whole world with their eyes turned skywards.
The direction allows the tension of the situation to seep into every pore and although we know the ending (well I do) you still get goosebumps and still wonder if they'll make it home. Howard takes us on an adventure that transcends the machinery and mechanics of the space race and makes mankind emerge victorious. This is as uplifting as it is accurate and all credit to it. We feel as though we're part of the time and that's no mean feat. We share the highs and lows and that's a very clever trick to pull off.
The effects are good and the scenes of the three leads in zero gravity are excellent. As a fan I was a little disappointed by the Saturn 5 take-off but then again I wanted the sound system to blow my head of at that point so what can you do. The effects do pay close regard to detail though and they work very well in the final piece.
While some films try that little bit too hard to cram in as much accuracy and 'fact' as possible, Apollo 13 strikes the balance just right. We never feel as though we're being lectured to but at the same time we never feel as though we've been sold short (did you know that following the discovery of the correct flight plan, the big worry was that the crew would run out of bits of paper to write it down on? Nice fact, missed by the film, but doesn't spoil things in the slightest). This extends to the production that gets it right but never goes too far and certainly does wave it's achievements in our faces (oo-er). It's simply as it was and that's all there is to it. The characters make no song and dance about it and this gives the film a very authentic feel.
As a space fan (especially the earlier stuff) I was dubious of Apollo 13 but it's a magnificent film and for so many reasons. On a technical side of things it's perfect and for the space buff it throws in many little bits and pieces that add to the authenticity. To a non-space fanatic this doesn't matter. Yes it might superficially appear to make a richer film (and it does) but the fact that it's spot on is irrelevant. Accuracy aside it's STILL a magnificent film. The tension and drama of the piece is captured beautifully and the cast really do get their performances spot-on.
From every disaster to every success, Apollo 13 holds us entranced. Space fans will naturally enjoy it, as indeed everyone should. It's a great film that has very wide ranging appeal and even those people who do consider space travel to be old hat should still give it a go.
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Hurrah! A review of a film I HAVE seen! I'm something of a Tom Hanks fan so I had no problem with his casting. In fact the only time I was annoyed with Hanks was when he had the gall to be in "Philadelphia" thus taking away the Best Actor Oscar from Anthony Hopkins for "Remains of the Day" with a right-on issue film. But I digress. Very good film, very good review. TT.
Elainebaba 06.03.2002 16:50
a supherb op.
avril
Psychgirl 06.03.2002 15:57
Great op. Like you I didn't see this film until long after it was out. I thought the plot sounded boring and lame - when in reality, as you say, its an excellent movie.
NASA's worst nightmare turned into one of the space agency's most heroic moments in 1970, ... more
when theApollo 13crew was forced to hobble home in a disabled capsule after an explosion seriously damaged the moon-bound spacecraft. Tom Hanks, Kevin Bacon and B...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
It had been less than a year since man first walked on the moon, but as far as the ... more
American public were concerned, Apollo 13 was just another 'routine' space flight - until these word pierced the immense voice of space: 'Houston, we have a problem'. St...
Advantages: Ron Howard has done his homework to bring us a realistic film showing the true events of this sad Apollo mission. Disadvantages: I cannot see any. This film contains great actors acting at their best!
carolinesite 17.02.2001 ·
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Apollo 13 (DVD)
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