Full Movie Reviews
Rating of
3/4
Suspenseful, and Satisfying
JLFM - wrote on 02/24/2013
A downfall to creating a film based off of well known true events is that the conclusion is spoiled, therefore, leaving little in the conclusion that is unexpected. Therefore, these kinds of films tend to rely more on the journey to provide the emotional umph, then the actual conclusion. When the film is made to be suspenseful, this doesn't always work so well. Films like Valkyrie shows us how this can fail. Films like Apollo 13 shows us how it can work.
Three astronauts, named Jim Lovell, Jack Swigert, and Fred Haise, find themselves in a dangerous predicament when after blasting off into space, begin having extreme rocket malfunctions. Problem after problem occurs, and things are seeming really, really bleak. With just about everything going wrong, it's a frantic survival tale, …
Rating of
3.5/4
Not a problem with this movie!
mdtinney - wrote on 08/10/2009
One of the most successful film of the 90s was this stunning recreation of the near-tragic flight of Apollo 13 to the Moon in April 1970. Jim Lovell, Fred Haise, and Jack Swigert were 200,000 miles from Earth at 9:15 PM on April 13, 1970 when an oxygen tank in their service module suffered an electrical short, ruptured, and exploded. Two of their ship's three fuel cells were gone, their entire navigational system was thrown into a tailspin, and their life support was rapidly fading. It was bad enough that their planned moon landing was scrubbed, but it was even worse to consider the strong possibility that they might not get home alive. But with the help of all the brave people at Mission Control, this most perilous flight in the history of manned space travel ended happily with a …
Rating of
4/4
"Houston, we have a problem"
JTurner - wrote on 06/06/2009
When astronauts Jim Lovell, Fred Haise, and Jack Swigert signed up for the Apollo 13 space mission to the moon in 1970, little did all three suspect that their voyage (and lives) would become endangered by a series of technical disasters that occurred three days just after launching from Earth. It took a lot of skillful engineering from the folks at NASA, including one Ken Mattingley, who was jettisoned from the mission due to fear of contacting the measles, to miraculously bring the astronaut trio home alive. Director Ron Howard and a top-flight cast led by Tom Hanks (who gives yet another amazing performance) and Gary Sinise (who, incidentally, co-starred with Tom in the previous year's FORREST GUMP as Lt. Dan) depict the events of this near tragedy as a nail-biting, …
Rating of
3/4
Good movie, but lags frequently
The M.O.W. - wrote on 08/01/2008
I am not a fan of movies about actual events, but this is one of the best movies in my video collection.
The movie is slow at times, especially before the accident. However, the cast makes up for the slow pace this movie has way too frequently. The entire cast is what makes this movie work.
The special effects are done well, especially since none of the special effects were done with a computer.
The cast is unbelievable in this movie. They make you believe in the enormous pressure those they portray were in when these events took place. They all were believable in these roles.
Like in "Forest Gump," Tom Hanks stands out from the rest of the cast. This is one movie he will most surely be remembered for. He certainly deserves all the accolades he received when this movie …
