A few days go I was looking at box office numbers from the 1990s, and while taking a look at the films released 25 years ago in 1995, one immediately stood out to me as a true classic. No, it’s not “Batman Forever” or “GoldenEye.” The movie I’m talking about is “Apollo 13.”
For those who do not know the story of Apollo 13, allow me to briefly fill you in: On April 13, 1970, Apollo 13 was three days into its voyage to the Moon. An onboard explosion of an oxygen tank causes the crew to abort the mission. Apollo 13’s lunar module Aquarius ends up serving as a lifeboat for three astronauts as they attempt to return safely to earth. 25 years later, Ron Howard directed a film based on the mission starring Tom Hanks, Kevin Bacon, Bill Paxton, Ed Harris, and Gary Sinise.
I thought everyone had seen this movie, but I was wrong. Last Christmas I was talking to someone who hadn’t seen the movie, and he dared to say “Apollo 13 is just another run of the mill biopic inspired by real-life events.” That comment pissed me off because A) he hadn’t seen “Apollo 13” and B) “Apollo 13” just so happens to be one of the best movies based on actual events ever. Ron Howard’s epic set a high bar for all future real-events based films, a bar that few movies have managed to reach.
Part of the reason “Apollo 13” worked so well is because the story of the Apollo 13 crew is a triumph of human ingenuity and director Ron Hoard knew it was a team effort. That’s why the movie spends just as much time with the people at Mission Control in Houston as it does with the three astronauts in space.
However, what gave “Apollo 13” that extra push was its sense of realism. Not only did Tom Hanks, Bill Paxton, and Kevin Bacon have to act most of the movie in a small space, but all three also had to replicate weightlessness for the entirety of the scenes in space. Up to this point, this would have been done with wires, something that always made the actors float in strange ways. In “Apollo 13” Ron Howard decided the space scenes would both be easier and look better with actual weightlessness.
To achieve this the cast and crew took a series of flights on a NASA airplane that is capable of parabolic flight. By doing so, the actors could experience true weightlessness over and over again, enough times to have the scenes they needed for the film.
The cast in “Apollo 13” is also top-notch. Tom Hanks was coming off consecutive Oscar wins and his work here as commander Jim Lovell earned him another Academy Award nomination. Hanks is exceptional as Apollo 13’s commander, it’s easy to believe the other astronauts would follow his lead. But I like him best when he’s around his wife and kids. The scene with his youngest son where the boy asks him about the Apollo 1 fire is one of my favorite moments in the film. He never talks down to his son, he answers his question and explains to him how the problem has been fixed, it’s just a great scene.
But don’t think for one second that “Apollo 13” wasn’t a one-man show. Kevin Bacon as command module pilot Jack Swigert and Bill Paxton as lunar module pilot Fred Haise, are just as important as Hank’s Jim Lovell. But actors get their scenes to shine and both help get the capsule back home. On the ground in Houston, I was impressed with Gary Sinise as Ken Mattingly. He has several great scenes, but the one that always gets me is his reaction when he learns of the explosion. In one close-up, Gary Sinise goes from “Thank God I wasn’t on board” to “Oh my God, my best friends are up there.”
In charge of what happens at the mission, control was Ed Harris as Flight Director Gene Kranz. For my money, this is the best work Ed Harris has ever done. Kranz is respected by all his men and knows exactly how to get the best out of them. His steady guidance played a large role in his people coming up with the plans to bring the crew back. When he says “We have never lost an American in space, and we’re sure not gonna lose one on my watch. Failure is not an option.” you believe him!
I first saw “Apollo 13” during its week of release at the General Cinema in Braintree Ma. Unfortunately, it wasn’t a great day for me. I got laid off that morning and got caught in a thunderstorm walking home. Then my uncle suggested we go see “Apollo 13,” but as usual he waited until the last possible minute to drive to the theater. According to him, everything is “10 minutes away” but that didn’t take into account traffic or red lights.
When we got the theater, the movie was of course sold out. The next show was over an hour later, so I suggested we get our tickets. My uncle said no and instead drove us to the South Shore Plaza across the street. The whole time I kept begging him to go back, and when we finally did guess what? The movie was sold out. I was ticked off by now and told him I just wanted to go home. Luckily, one of my friends was going to the movies that night so I was able to tag along and see the movie. And despite having one of the worst days possible, watching “Apollo 13” calmed me down and wowed me from start to finish.
“Apollo 13” is one of the few films that I consider flawless. There is nothing about this movie that I would change or edit. The special effects are innovative, and the acting is superb. Even the musical score adds to the excitement and suspense. This is an exceptional film and one that still holds up after 25 years.
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