Apollo 13

This was an extremely important film for me as a pre-teen. I saw pieces of the film before I saw the whole thing in its entirety. Once I did see the whole movie, I was immediately fascinated by the story of these heroic men. I also became a fan of Apollo Space Program and I still like to read & study it today. After years of learning about man’s achievements in space, I feel that ever since the Apollo program that space travel has never been as enthralling or as adventurous. Even though Ron Howard did not want “Apollo 13” to be the principle artwork that would preserve that era of space exploration, it became just that. The ironic thing is that this film is about a mission that never landed on the moon. The unaltered story of Apollo 13 is perfect for a book and a documentary but making a movie about it would entail talking some liberties to make the story a little more dramatic. Not much was changed though in that "Apollo 13" has been named one of the most historically accurate films, if not the most historically accurate movie to date. Those parts of the true story that were changed were good decisions for the betterment of this movie. The acting, music and story of “Apollo 13” make it stand out from any other media about visiting the moon. I am glad it won the editing Oscar but I think I would have liked "Braveheart" to win that award. I do wish however that "Braveheart" would have been released in a different year because then it and "Apollo 13" could have both won Best Picture.

This story is very dramatic but in order for the story to go from good to wonderful, there must be multiple levels of conflict. We have “man against nature” in this film as the three astronauts try to get back to earth but the point where the story deviates from true life is the “man vs. man” conflicts. I found these necessary though so as to improve the story for the big screen. Jack Swigert replacing Ken Mattingly did cause conflict in the true story but not as much as we see in Ron Howard’s film. Also, Swigert was more than able to step into that ship in real life. He wrote the emergency procedure manual for the command module. Docking with the lunar module at the start of the mission was thus more dramatic in the film and because of how well it was handled, I don’t mind at all. In the true story, either Jim Lovell and Fred Haise could have docked with the module if Swigert couldn’t and Swigert had multiple chances to dock if he didn’t get it the first time. I like Ken Mattingly's story in the movie as acted out by Gary Sinse. He watches the launch from the ground but then later must help to save his friends. The argument between the three men in space never happened in real life but it is important to this story and it creates great resolution moments later towards the end of the film. Despite these and other changes to the story, I feel that the filmmakers were justified in order to achieve the level of drama required. For "Apollo 13", retired NASA personnell really contributed to making the film as accurate as possible. The Lovells added actual family pictures and memorabilia to the movie set of their home.

The story and Ron Howard’s direction make this film so dramatic and cool. This is the first Howard film I saw and he is a simple but masterful storyteller. He has a lot of sincerity in him. The editing deserved its Oscar because it tells the story, whether it shows old news footage to explain to the audience something complex or by effectively cutting from the spaceship to mission control. Starting the story on July 20, 1969 is powerful because we relive this great moment in world history but come to understand Lovell’s desire to walk on the moon. Today, Neil Armstrong is a name of significance but the film portrays the awkwardness back in 1969 of comparing him to other famous explorers or pilots. Another line in "Apollo 13" that shows just how much the world has changed is "...a computer that can fit into a single room and hold millions of pieces of information." Today, the memory capacity needed for the computers on the Apollo command module can be found in our pockets. Jim Lovell, his career and his desires are well established and explained for the audience as is space travel in the Apollo program. An example is the scene between Lovell and his son Jeffery. Many audience members, including myself, had no idea how men went to the moon and by the time the mission begins, we understand the important moments that have to happen to get to the moon. We also understand how much this mission means to Jim with it being his last. I love when Marilyn shows up to the launch. It creates a bond between Jim and Marilyn that is very important later in the story. I like the inclusion of Marilyn losing her ring in the shower because it actually happened on launch day. The real Marilyn Lovell has a cameo in the crowd watching the launch and she said that the atmosphere of the set was a lot like the real thing. The rocket launch is one of my favorite and most influential movie sequences of the 90’s. It was so well handed because it feels like a dramatic crescendo and decrescendo; from the moment we see the rocket silhouetted against the sunrise to when the astronauts are taking their gloves and helmets off in space. A great use of editing and music is when the astronauts are getting dressed in their suits.The cinematography replicates archival footage during the actual launch but the “camera” is also placed in impossible spots and thus the sequence has a lot of power. I love the roll call of mission control thanks to Howard's direction. Another great moment in this sequence is when the guy shakes Lovell’s hand before he closes the hatch. That moment is a bookend with the moment when the scuba diver pounds on the window at the end of the film. When we first see weightlessness in the film, it is powerful because we are seeing something we have never seen before: no wires or special effects. They did use lifts for the shots where no objects were floating or when you can’t see the entire bodies of the astronauts. You can’t tell the difference most of the time between a weightlessness shot and a shot with lifts because of the acting, set design and editing. It is a groundbreaking achievement (literally because they are off the ground). The script stayed very true to the actual mission transcripts despite the fact that the audience might not be able to keep up with everything said. It turned out not to be a problem because it motivates you to see the show again. To this day, I am still learning new things every time I watch the film. Also, the movie feels so realistic as a result.

The film does a great job of establishing the fact that the mission was routine in the eyes of many up until the explosion. We see this during the broadcast that the astronauts put on and just as they are stirring the oxygen tanks, a flight controller is yawning. I love the joke of how Jack never got a chance to do his taxes. That moment is very funny thanks to Sy’s comment and Jack physically pointing out where he is right now. Then comes one of the most famous movie lines: “Houston, we have a problem”. The American Film institute has rated it as #50 in their list of the greatest movie quotes. Just like the real life event, the disaster happened after the mission's broadcast. We, the audience, weren’t quite ready for the sudden change of events as were the real life participants due to Fred’s practical joke during the broadcast. The portrayal of the explosion is quite violent from a special effects standpoint. A quadruple failure was thought impossible and the confusion of the disaster is well recreated. I love when Lovell first sees the oxygen venting out into space. A silent emotional change takes place for everyone. Another dramatic moment is when the fuel cells are shut off because the moon is lost. Another great moment in the film is when they orbit the moon because it is amazing for Swigert, Haise and us but Lovell has seen it before. He imagines walking on the moon and then we see his priorities change. An episode from “Whose Line Is It Anyway” contained jokes about what else the first man on the moon might have spoken. Said Ryan Stiles: “Oh, I hope I get back”. Seriously speaking, Lovell’s eyes seem to say that as he imagines himself looking at the earth on the moon’s surface. He has a new goal that is now very important to him. In two moments of the last half of the film, we feel quite isolated and as if time is crawling by. It is all because of the effective use of a tape player that is losing power. In the 2nd moment, we don't get see the astronauts at first and that adds drama. Lovell’s story about the Sea of Japan incident must be there for a reason and I think it is there to emotionally illustrate Lovell’s ultimate belief that they will make it home because luck has to play a part. A dramatic part of the true story of Apollo 13 is that they were not able to look at the damage to the service module until 4 days after the incident. When they finally got to see it after all they had been through, they were amazed by the amount of damage and concerned that now their heat shield might be damaged on the command module with no way to repair it. This moment is portrayed wonderfully on film. The finale is well edited & portrayed and the music plays a large part once again. The level of resolution is perfect. I like how the real Jim Lovell has a cameo as the captain of the Iwo Jima. He used his real captain's uniform too.

As you can guess, music is so important to me when watching a movie. Without it, you have little or no mood and emotional resonance with the audience. These wonderful aforementioned moments in “Apollo 13” are powerful because of James Horner’s Oscar nominated music. His work is one of my top 15 movie scores of all time and his passing 20 years after the release of this film was hard to accept (the same can be said for the passing of Bill Paxton). The launch has that emotional crescendo and decrescendo because of Horner and thus, he is the king of that sequence. Every moment in that sequence is special music-wise. When the spacecraft orbits the moon, we feel awed but sad at the same time. Because of the music, we also feel hopeful at the end of the scene that they men will get home. Another great thing about the score is that it is in perfect harmony with the editing. When there is a cut, there is a musical cue. The opening theme during the Universal Logo is one of the best I have heard in the opening of a film. You feel an amazing sense of heroism because of the trumpet and snare drum. As a pre-teen, I could not image a greater cast of actors than the one I was introduced to on “Apollo 13”. I knew Tom Hanks and Gary Sinise from “Forrest Gump” but this film had them playing characters that are less complex. This film was also the first time I saw them as they really are, sort of speak. Tom Hanks' dream was to be an astronaut, walking on the platform in a spacesuit towards a rocket. The scene where he does just that becomes that much sweeter to watch. This film introduced me to Kevin Bacon, Bill Paxton, Ed Harris and Clint Howard. I love how Ron Howard puts his family members in his films. His mom does such an amazing job as Blanch Lovell ("How the Grinch Stole Christmas" is dedicated to her). I did not know who Walter Cronkite was until "Apollo 13". I love how he is the opening narrator and then we cut to him in the 1969 moonlanding television coverage.

I was finally able to see this film on the big screen for its 20th anniversary and it was worth it. The launch sequence almost brought tears to my eyes because of its power in such a large format. Beside what I have already mentioned, AFI has also put "Apollo 13" on its list of the most inspiring movies (#12). It is my favorite film based on a true story. Every April 11th or 13th, I try to watch this movie. I am glad this film exists so that I can better explain to my future kids how man first went to the moon. I am glad that this was one of my first Tom Hanks movies as well as my first Ron Howard film. It is a dramatic story that ironically is about failing to land on the moon. Its directing, acting and music create iconic movie moments that almost make Apollo 13 as significant as Apollo 11. The special effects are still good today. I believe that if it had not been for “Braveheart”, this film would have won Best Picture. It is amazing however that James Horner did not win the Oscar for his work on "Braveheart", let alone for this film. I am glad that since this film, Ron Howard has won an Oscar but I would have rather he won for this film instead of for “A Beautiful Mind”. “Apollo 13” is a time capsule in a dramatic film form that can be enjoyed at any time.

5 Stars