Apollo 13

This 1995 film is the story of the the Apollo 13 mission directed by Ron Howard.

The film stars Tom Hanks as Commander Jim Lovell, Bill Paxton as Lunar Module Pilot Fred Haise, Kevin Bacon as Command Module Pilot Jack Swigert, Gary Sinise as original Command Module Pilot Ken Mattingly, and Ed Harris as NASA Flight Director Gene Kranz.

This was a well cast, well filmed, and well written film. The cast, while looking little like their real counterparts, is fantastic. Tom Hanks does a wonderful job as Jim Lovell. The supporting cast of Bill Paxton, Gary Sinise, Ed Harris and Kevin Bacon are wonderful and hit every mark thrown at them. One degree of Kevin Bacon! With my brother “in the Biz” now, I can’t wait to figure out where he falls in that game. But it’s time to get back to the movie. Being a Ron Howard film, it’s only fitting that you play the game of “who is a Howard” while watching the film. His father is cast as well as his brother – who my friend Chad charmingly calls, “the little squirrely guy who is in every one of his films.”

It is an exciting and enthralling film, and it doesn’t even have any real action pieces (though it does have at least one ‘splosion).

The best part of this film is how true to history it stayed. Of course, there is some dramatic license taken. But hey, “historians” came out of the woodwork to bash films like 300 for not being 100% historic. Sure thing “professors”.

This is Ron Howard’s best project he’s been involved in. Sorry Matt, Arrested Development comes a close second.

**** out of *****