Plot Details: This opinion reveals minor details about the movie's plot.

The 1995 Ron Howard-directed film "Apollo 13" is a thrilling recounting of the near-tragic Apollo moon-mission from 1970. Ron Howard impressively directed a group of some of Hollywood's finest actors into a tightly-woven, highly dramatic, and gripping film.

Personally, I didn't know much about this story until shortly before I saw the film. "Apollo 13" helped me to appreciate how truly critical and dire the situation was during those days for both the three astronauts on the mission (Jim Lovell, Jack Swaggert, and Fred Haise) as well as for NASA's mission control personnel. Thanks to the superb performances by Tom Hanks (as Jim Lovell), Bill Paxton (as Fred Haise), Kevin Bacon (as Jack Swaggert), Gary Sinise (as Ken Mattingly), Ed Harris (as Gene Krantz), and Kathleen Quinlan (as Marilyn Lovell), the film grabbed me from the start and kept me spellbound until the closing credits rolled. Howard crafted a film that truly drove up the white-knuckle suspense and tension to nearly unbearable (though highly realistic) levels as the crew and NASA fought to keep them alive and brought home safely.

The film, as mentioned, revolves around the events of the mission itself but also discusses what happened shortly before the near-tragedy occurred. Basically it sets up the situation as to how through seemingly fortunate circumstances, Lovell was bumped up to join the prime crew of Apollo 13. We're shown how this had given his wife, Marilyn, a rather ominous feeling towards it, given the deaths of three astronauts not too long prior to Apollo 13 when they were trapped inside a burning module during a simple training exercise. Circumstances are discussed by which astronaut Ken Mattingly had to be scrubbed from the mission at the last minute and replaced. Then, after the initial explosion takes place aboard the spacecraft, the panic and confusion that takes hold not only of the astronauts but of mission control back on Earth is particularly well demonstrated. The tension is kicked up a few notches as you're transfixed on the screen not wanting to miss a minute as the events unfold.

It was interesting to note just how mundane the American public viewed NASA's space flight missions since the first moon landing. They were described as "routine" and even the news stations wouldn't cover the astronaut's reports from space. Suddenly when it appears the men are going to die, THEN it becomes frontpage news and the whole world is caught up in it. While this was mainly a dramatic film recapturing the events of those harrowing days, it wasn't without its bits of humor and levity added in at the appropriate times. But when the situation became more and more critical, and as one thing went wrong after another, the drama kicked into high-gear. It was then that you become transfixed on the situation, thinking "how in the world could it get any worse" and then *bam!* one more thing happens.

The biggest name in the film is Tom Hanks and, as usual, he delivers a very convincing, passionate, and thoughtful performance. He's yet again the sort of guy we all root for and hope makes it through ok. It's this "everyman" sort of quality that's just one of the things that makes him such a great actor. The other most noteworthy performance was by Ed Harris as NASA Mission Controller Gene Krantz. His gritty determination to bring those men back safely and his refusal to accept defeat was superb.

The visual effects were highly impressive, particularly during the initial takeoff sequence from earth as well as basically any scene in space showing the precarious situation of their craft as they tried to return home. Also, the score was excellent and really added to the drama of the film. It soared with the pride that was felt all-around during the flight's take off as well as with the fortunate results of the mission. It also slowed down and helped drive up the tension when needed.

"Apollo 13" is a very impressive film in the most important ways. It had a great script, great direction, great acting, great effects, and really had no flaws that I personally could find. It's a gripping true-story brought convincingly to life. I highly recommend it to anyone who hasn't had the good fortune to see it or purchase it. Don't miss this film, it's great.

Recommended: Yes

Viewing Format: DVD