Apollo 13

Apollo 13 is a 1995 film about the 1970 Apollo 13 lunar mission. Directed by Ron Howard, it stars Tom Hanks, Kevin Bacon, Bill Paxton, Gary Sinise, Ed Harris, and Kathleen Quinlan. Jim Lovell (who turned 90 last month) and his wife appear in the movie. I saw this film ages ago, but when I came across the DVD on the shelf realized I had never written a blog post about it. I remember this mission well, and I'd recommend the movie both for folks who do and for those whose memories don't go back that far. Just note that there are some -not many- inaccuracies; it's a fictionalized account, after all.

trailer:

The New York Times praises it and says, "You can know every glitch that made this such a dangerous mission, and "Apollo 13" will still have you by the throat." Rolling Stone says, "It all adds up to a triumph of stirring storytelling and heart-stopping suspense." The BBC gives it 4 out of 5 stars and calls it "A definite feel-good movie."

Roger Ebert gives it 4 out of 4 stars and says,

Ron Howard's film of this mission is directed with a single-mindedness and attention to detail that makes it riveting. He doesn't make the mistake of adding cornball little subplots to popularize the material; he knows he has a great story, and he tells it in a docudrama that feels like it was filmed on location in outer space.

Empire Online gives it 5 out of 5 stars and calls it "a blast". Rotten Tomatoes has a 95% critics score.