Apollo 13

Great product and movie.

I've seen this video a number of times since it was released and each time enjoy it as much as the first time. It is truly a masterpiece but I was first infuriated when I read some of the critic reviews renewing my utter contempt for them who have become so jaded they cannot recognize a thing of sheer beauty, and second infuriated when I discovered the lack of Academy Awards for Hanks, other lead and supporting actors and the movie itself.

We really enjoyed this DVD... it's one of our "keepers" and definitely worth owning and viewing regularly -- it will remind you (as it has our family) that is is so very good to be born/raised/live in this country.It begins with a voiceover by Walter Cronkite (and yes, our announcer is the real thing!) which introduces us to the heroes as they walk across the gantry, and pays tribute to the three we lost in that disastrous fire on the launch-pad....The movie follows those fateful days (beginning in pre-launch) and then in orbit, and it focuses on the united effort in bringing our boys home. These men are so smart -- all of them (not just in space but at Mission Control) and is a realistic view of the times. You'll see the old Izod shirts (remember the Alligators?) and Corvettes, Mission Control (hey, they smoke -- this was not a purified/Politically Corrected re-enactment/revision of truth)... I appreciated that.Oh, and it's not all drama. There are moments of smiles, and it's not too intense excluding the JOYOUS moment when we hear them respond after four minutes coming through the atmosphere.... Still, I wouldn't suggest youngsters under age eight view it alone.[Note: our family is protective of our children and they have not been raised on a diet of broadcast television. Yours may be used to intense programming -- please use your own judgment. There is nothing bloody-gruesome in the movie, nor in the commentary. That said, you will CARE DEEPLY about all the people you see.]One more little (out of sequence) note: The end has Tom Hanks (who plays Jim Lovell) narrating a mini catch-up to present of the whole story. We learn what happens to the individuals in the movie. It's a wonderful "wrap" to an amazing six days in space.If we are going to do a docu-drama, one might also suggest that future writers/directors view this one to get an idea that they public will spend perfectly good money on QUALITY shows that are truthful, accurate and not hack-jobs. (End mini-rant!)I found the scenes compelling and recall the "lump in throat" of those days. To me though, seeing the families perspective broadened the effect. Oh, and Mrs. Lovell is a force to be reckoned with -- I liked her a lot! She's a classy lady.Minor Quibbles: In two places there are swear words (Mrs. Lovell -- who in the commentary states she doesn't "talk like that" -- when discovering the magnitude of Jim's problems swears... I thought that extraneous. Also, in another section one of the astronauts uses a bad word (appropriate maybe, but basically, unnecessary).The Best Stuff: After the movie we are provided with a mini-movie on how they filmed it all. NASA cooperated and many of the scenes were filmed in those planes that "deliberately plunge toward the earth" so the actors/film-makers/lighting guys et al were weightless. One of the brave actors in particular didn't want his testosterone questioned but... ;)I particularly enjoyed the interviews... you could really see how much the whole crew wanted this to be an *excellent* movie, one to last through the ages. It's brought out that the movie will be (at some point in history) a look back on the whole era. We (the USofA) have some incredible individuals to be proud of... this is perhaps one of the best patriotic movies I have ever seen -- notwithstanding war epics. It makes me glad to be an American.Okay, so you also see the real gents appearing on the Johnny Carson Show too. One more thing -- at the very end of the movie you see Jim Lovell -- he's the Captain of the ship that picks up the astronaut. His wife appears once too, but don't blink! (grin)Also, the Bonus Materials include two voice-over commentaries. The first is made by Director Ron Howard (you know, he's good -- very good!) and tells inside things about the creation of this movie. I enjoyed it.The best Commentary though was done by Mr. and Mrs. Lovell -- ah, and Ron -- that con-trail isn't supposed to be there. (winks)All in all, this is one of our favorites... I'd go so far as to suggest you Pay Retail, and maybe even opt for First Class shipping so you won't have to wait. It is that good!

Awsome

This movie is a dramatization of the very real events of the ill-fated Apollo 13 mission that was supposed to land astronauts on the moon for the third time. Of course, on the way to the moon, there was an explosion that caused the oxygen tanks to leak out into space, endangering the life of the crew, at which point the mission became a scramble to get the crew back to Earth safely.The movie was directed by Ron Howard and stars Tom Hanks as Jim Lovell, the mission commander of Apollo 13. The movie also starred Kevin Bacon as Apollo 13 backup Command Module Pilot Jack Swigert, Bill Paxton as Apollo 13 Lunar Module Pilot Fred Haise, Ed Harris as White Team Flight Director Gene Kranz, and Gary Sinise as Apollo 13 prime Command Module Pilot Ken Mattingly who was supposed to be the pilot on the mission but was scrubbed and replaced with Swigert. The movie is a pretty standard docudrama. Howard, who is a big space enthusiast, was a stickler for getting the technical details correct. While he did change some things for dramatic effect, including the most famous line from the movie, "Houston, we have a problem" (Lovell really said "Houston, we've had a problem"), much of what was shown in the movie happened the way it did in real life. The movie was adapted from Lovell's book Lost Moon: The Perilous Voyage of Apollo 13, and he served as a consultant on the movie.For those who get the Blu-Ray, the movie looks and sounds great in HD. The extras include two different commentary tracks, one by Ron Howard, and one with Jim and Marilyn Lovell. There is also a one-hour making-of documentary, a 48 minute TV special that discussed the space race between the USA and the Soviet Union, and a twelve-minute segment from the show Dateline about the movie. So, a lot of bonus material for those who like going through the extras.Overall, the movie is wonderful. It is well written and very well acted, with Hanks and Sinise as the standouts (but the entire cast does a great job). While it is a period piece, and it is made to look as much as possible as things looked at the time of the mission, the movie is timeless and holds up even twenty-plus years after it was made. Whether you are interested in the movie because you are a fan of Ron Howard or one or more of the actors, are into the history of the space program, or are just looking for a good drama to watch, I highly recommend this.