Supelice Dreadfully Boring

Sienna-Rose Mclaughlin The movie really just wants to entertain people.

Scotty Burke It is interesting even when nothing much happens, which is for most of its 3-hour running time. Read full review

Cassandra Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

classicsoncall Even knowing the outcome, the strength of the movie is in putting you right in the space capsule along side Jim Lovell (Tom Hanks), Fred Haise (Bill Paxton) and Jack Swigert (Kevin Bacon) in what was one of the best nail-biters in history. The world was transfixed at the time wondering how and if these brave astronauts would ever make it back to Earth. What one never thinks about are all the behind the scenes decisions that go with selecting who goes on a particular mission, how their families feel about it, and how important it is to the men themselves to be a part of history. The other element that amazes is how many integrated parts come together to enable such a space mission. One sees the booster rockets fall away shortly after launch and figure that's it, the men are on their way to the moon. But then they have to dock with the lunar module and carry it along for the voyage. When the astronauts suffered their cascading set of problems, the ingenuity required by both the men on the ground and the pilots in the space craft demonstrated just how much teamwork was necessary to bring them back home safely.What's baffling to me is how Ron Howard was overlooked for a best Director nod for this picture. Though the film itself got an Oscar nomination, Howard was eked out by the guy who directed "Babe"??? That's just a travesty, even if one doesn't care much for Howard as an actor or director. I'm not saying he should have won it, but gee, what were they thinking?

merelyaninnuendo Apollo 13It takes too much of the time to set the plots and the characters (almost the first hour is spent on it) but when it hits, it hits hard and fast with gripping screenplay that keeps the audience engaged until the curtain drops (its second act is thrilling). Ron Howard makes it look like easy and effortless through his brilliant execution skills but unfortunately isn't supported well enough on the editing department. Tom Hanks leads the way with another stellar performance from his side and is supported by a great cast like Ed Harris and Kevin Bacon. Apollo 13 isn't as important or nail biting as the makers think but it surely is witty and thought provoking that was just piled upon by the undercooked emotions like it was essential to install.

bjdubo-50477 This was an fantastic movie. As a person who missed out on the actual Apollo 13 mission, this film was an excellent way to gain insight into the time, effort, and life-threatening situations that went into this mission. This film is constantly using cinematic elements to help support the story of this risky mission. Three of NASA's best astronauts, Jim Lovell, Fred Haise, and Jack Swigert, begin the mission with everything going as planned, a surprise after the many failed attempts shown in training. It is not until an oxygen tank fails to work and later explodes that send the audience's heart rate sky high. This movie helped the viewers greatly to gain understanding of the risks involved with being an astronaut at this time in history. A certain scene really grabbed my attention. Jim is in his son's room playing with his children and talking about the mission. The mood becomes much more serious when Jim's son mentions the possibility that he might die. With instances like this being hidden from public attention when the mission first took flight, this scene helped the audience to understand what the astronauts and their families were going through. In short, this movie is an excellent insight into the dangerous space exploration of the 1960's and 1970's. Every camera shot, beat of music, and speaking line was perfectly executed to engage the audience and tell an interesting story. It is no wonder this film won the Academy Award for Best Film Editing and Best Sound Mixing. This film is entirely worthwhile to watch.

zucatemm This movie might have been about space, but it was the human story that made it. The movie skillfully shifted from space to the control center to the families at home without being melodramatic or glib. Every face had deliberate emotion and Tom Hanks clearly led the way. He stole the show without stealing scenes from other actors which moves him out of the group of good actors to great ones. Kevin Bacon also did well with his character's struggle with being a last minute replacement that wasn't necessarily enthusiastically welcomed. The technical talk was at times pushed into weird conversations as it was necessary but not made interesting enough to pay attention to for long periods which they made up for with the three astronauts struggling with their physical movements in the cramped area trying to save themselves. The audience didn't always understand the specifics of the problems but they were still able to feel the tensions of the moments. Something that really kept me going with the movie was how mission control really embraced only being able to use the materials the astronauts had in solving all the problems. The back and forth between mission control and the astronauts as a result livened up the end that is usually just a bunch of men yelling at computers. As a result of the movie being based on a true story, there were very few opportunities for falsities to exist in the movie. The realism added to everything really allowed the drama of the movie to be fully embraced by the audience. Regardless of having the knowledge of how the movie ends, the audience is still able to ride every emotional wave with the character in the story. My main complaint would have to be that the ending was a bit anticlimactic just because after the climax of the story, there was a drop in emotion that never came back up. My heart stopped beating so fast and there was never a moment that tugged at my heart-strings to cap it all off. Overall, it was truly an incredible movie I would easily recommend to anyone. This is a great introduction into the space genre, especially considering how it was based on a true story.