Apollo 13

"Great cast, great story telling. 9/10"

"Great movie"

"How is Tom Hanks fantastic in every role? He demonstrates versatility at its finest. Apparently the movie is surprisingly realistic and accurate, so that deserves a big applaud. "

"Tom Hanks is superb!"

"Probably my fav Ron Howard movie!!! A perfect film!!! Great cast, great suspense!!!"

"This is a rewatch from a long time ago. It's been so long, it's almost as if I watched for the first time, yet I knew the outcome. Knowing the outcome did not deter from the SUSPENSE. This is such a GREAT movie, a movie that I think EVERYONE should experience at least once. This really happened. It's history."

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"Thrilling nail biter of a movie. "

"Was a good movie "

"+ Apollo 13 illustrates the difference between story driven movies and plot-centric movies. Whereas a movie like 2001: A Space Odyssey is more about the unfolding of story through cinema vocabulary and behavior, Apollo 13 focuses on plot as an anchor to go from point A to point B to point C, in that order. There is story, but it services the plot, which is predetermined. However, this is a masterful movie because it presents characters that we care about. As a result, even though we know what will happen, we are still invested in the outcome. We know the crew will make it back, but within the confines of the movie, the characters, who feel real, don't know. We want them to experience success so that we can feel it vicariously through them. It also helps that it is presented as an intense nail-biter, so as to get caught up in the spectacle. Of course the characters don't feel authentic if you don't cast it right, and this movie is perfectly cast, featuring a simple, powerful performance by Tom Hanks as well as great supporting roles with actors Bill Paxton, Kevin Bacon, Ed Harris and Gary Sinise. There is a place for movies like this, and when made this well, they are thrilling and engaging, and they leave you feeling great afterwards. What they won't do is leave you feeling perplexed and engaged with the aspects that can make cinema feel transcendent. And that's ok, because it doesn't make the movie any less great. -Nothing really worth noting aside from the slight Hollywood scent it has with some sappy musical cues in the score. Overall: A masterfully made Hollywood spectacle based on the real life Apollo 13 mission. It's held together strongly with great performances and expert directing. It also looks visually stunning when showing mission liftoff and space voyage. Ron Howard is competent in how he uses special effects to tell this story. At times the musical cues can show their age, but they don't hurt the movie's overall power. An all time favorite for sure."