APOLLO 13 (1995)
Starring Tom Hanks, Kevin Bacon, Bill Paxton, Gary Sinise, Ed Harris, Kathleen Quinlan, Mary Kate Schellhardt, Emily Ann Lloyd, Miko Hughes, Max Elliott Slade, Jean Speegle Howard, Tracy Reiner, David Andrews, Michele Little, Chris Ellis, Joe Spano, Xander Berkley, Mark McClure, Ben Marley, Clint Howard, Loren Dean, Brett Cullen, Mark Wheeler, Thom Barry, Herb Jefferson, Jr., Neil Armstrong, Bryce Dallas Howard, Jim Lovell, Marilyn Lovell and Walter Cronkite.
Screenplay by William Broyles, Jr. and Al Reinert.
Directed by Ron Howard.
Distributed by Imagine Entertainment. 140 minutes. Rated PG.
“Houston, we have a problem”…
Celebrating the 35th anniversary of man’s historic walk on the moon comes a new two-disc tenth Anniversary DVD edition of the Ron Howard Film, Apollo 13 (Universal). We’ve always been been fascinated with the unknown, and the wide vast reaches of outer space and the notion of a mysterious galaxy far far away continues to capture and enthrall the imagination of the public at large.
No campy excursion into space like late-Sixties TV fare such as Star Trek and Lost In Space, Apollo 13 presents a moving and faithful look at the day to day lives of astronauts committed to their vocation and willing to press the limits of modern technology at grave personal risk.
Upon its release in 1995, Apollo 13 (which was based on the book Lost Moon by astronaut Jim Lovell and Jeffrey Kluger) was an instant sensation, capturing the world with its dramatic look at the days of real-life astronauts. Starring a great ensemble cast including Tom Hanks, Gary Sinise, (Hanks and Sinise reteamed a year after the mega-celluloid smash, Forrest Gump), Bill Paxton, Kevin Bacon, Ed Harris, and Kathleen Quinlan, the film was nominated for nine Academy Awards including Best Picture.
It was deserved, Apollo 13 delivers on all fronts. The story centers upon the true adventure where the NASA crew made heroic attempts to survive 205,000 miles from Earth aboard a spaceship in need of major repair. A heart-racing life and death countdown is on — will the crew make it or perish?
The tenth anniversary DVD iincludes two versions of the film; the original theatrical presentation and an awesome IMAX experience version. Apollo 13 looks incredible, impressing with a stunning array of breathtaking special effects. It really does make the viewer feel as if they’re alongside the brave astronauts exploring space’s final frontier.
However, what truly makes this film work, the glue that draws you into this engrossing story has nothing to do with space. It is insteadthe fragile human connections that are made between the crew members and the challenges and adversity that face them at every turn. This is a story of a family that joins together, unwilling to be beaten, a unit that stands tall against all odds.
This DVD is packed with a bounty of bonus features including featurettes, “Lost Moon: The Triumph Of Apollo 13,” “Conquering Space: The Moon & Beyond,” “Lucky 13: The Astronauts’ Story” plus revelatory feature commentary by Director Ron Howard.
Catch a trip on Apollo 13, it’s a great ride. (3/05)
Ken Sharp
Copyright ©2005 PopEntertainment.com. All rights reserved. Posted: April 2, 2005.
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