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Apollo 13

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Apollo 13

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• Drama
• Documentary

• 1995
• Ron Howard
• 140 mins
• PG

Summary

Space drama based on actual events, starring Tom Hanks, Bill Paxton and Kevin Bacon. 1970: Apollo 13's mission to the Moon is hit by disaster when an oxygen tank explodes in the spacecraft. Following the initial damage report, it seems as if there is little hope of the three-man crew, led by Jim Lovell, making it back to Earth.

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Review

A star rating of 4 out of 5.

Adrian Turner

In April 1970, astronaut Jim Lovell contacted mission control with the words "Houston, we've had a problem." It was a classic understatement, signalling a huge, complex malfunction to be solved. Lovell and his crew - Jack Swigert and Fred Haise - were bound for the Moon when an oxygen tank exploded in their craft, leaving them potentially stranded in space. It gave Nasa's scientists the most nail-biting countdown of the space age so far and kept Americans - by then blasé about the space programme - glued to their TVs. It is the ultimate rescue story and the movie pays due tribute to the bravery of the astronauts as well as American know-how. Lovell is played by Tom Hanks, whose very ordinariness - blandness, some would say - is the essence of astronaut-man, while Kevin Bacon and Bill Paxton as Swigert and Haise offer welcome contrasts, as does the superb Ed Harris as the chain-smoking mission controller. Partially filmed in genuine weightless conditions, Ron Howard's movie is a technical tour de force.

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7.7/10

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Credits

Cast

rolenameJim LovellTom HanksFred HaiseBill PaxtonJack SwigertKevin BaconKen MattinglyGary SiniseGene KranzEd HarrisMarilyn LovellKathleen QuinlanBarbara LovellMary Kate SchellhardtSusan LovellEmily Ann LloydJeffrey LovellMiko HughesJay LovellMax Elliott SladeBlanch LovellJean Speegle HowardMary HaiseTracy ReinerPete ConradDavid Andrews (2)Jane ConradMichelle LittleDeke SlaytonChris EllisNasa directorJoe SpanoHenry HurtXander BerkeleyGlynn LunneyMarc McClureJohn YoungBen MarleyEECOM WhiteClint HowardEECOM ArthurLoren DeanEECOM GoldTom WoodRETRO WhiteGoogy GressRETRO GoldPatrick MicklerFIDO WhiteRay McKinnon

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Crew

rolenameDirectorRon Howard

Details

Theatrical distributor

U.I.P. (UK)

Released on

1995-09-22

Languages

English | English

Guidance

Swearing

Available on

video, DVD and Blu-ray

Formats

Colour

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