Apollo 13

Great product and movie.

I've seen this video a number of times since it was released and each time enjoy it as much as the first time. It is truly a masterpiece but I was first infuriated when I read some of the critic reviews renewing my utter contempt for them who have become so jaded they cannot recognize a thing of sheer beauty, and second infuriated when I discovered the lack of Academy Awards for Hanks, other lead and supporting actors and the movie itself.

Awsome

We really enjoyed this DVD... it's one of our "keepers" and definitely worth owning and viewing regularly -- it will remind you (as it has our family) that is is so very good to be born/raised/live in this country.It begins with a voiceover by Walter Cronkite (and yes, our announcer is the real thing!) which introduces us to the heroes as they walk across the gantry, and pays tribute to the three we lost in that disastrous fire on the launch-pad....The movie follows those fateful days (beginning in pre-launch) and then in orbit, and it focuses on the united effort in bringing our boys home. These men are so smart -- all of them (not just in space but at Mission Control) and is a realistic view of the times. You'll see the old Izod shirts (remember the Alligators?) and Corvettes, Mission Control (hey, they smoke -- this was not a purified/Politically Corrected re-enactment/revision of truth)... I appreciated that.Oh, and it's not all drama. There are moments of smiles, and it's not too intense excluding the JOYOUS moment when we hear them respond after four minutes coming through the atmosphere.... Still, I wouldn't suggest youngsters under age eight view it alone.[Note: our family is protective of our children and they have not been raised on a diet of broadcast television. Yours may be used to intense programming -- please use your own judgment. There is nothing bloody-gruesome in the movie, nor in the commentary. That said, you will CARE DEEPLY about all the people you see.]One more little (out of sequence) note: The end has Tom Hanks (who plays Jim Lovell) narrating a mini catch-up to present of the whole story. We learn what happens to the individuals in the movie. It's a wonderful "wrap" to an amazing six days in space.If we are going to do a docu-drama, one might also suggest that future writers/directors view this one to get an idea that they public will spend perfectly good money on QUALITY shows that are truthful, accurate and not hack-jobs. (End mini-rant!)I found the scenes compelling and recall the "lump in throat" of those days. To me though, seeing the families perspective broadened the effect. Oh, and Mrs. Lovell is a force to be reckoned with -- I liked her a lot! She's a classy lady.Minor Quibbles: In two places there are swear words (Mrs. Lovell -- who in the commentary states she doesn't "talk like that" -- when discovering the magnitude of Jim's problems swears... I thought that extraneous. Also, in another section one of the astronauts uses a bad word (appropriate maybe, but basically, unnecessary).The Best Stuff: After the movie we are provided with a mini-movie on how they filmed it all. NASA cooperated and many of the scenes were filmed in those planes that "deliberately plunge toward the earth" so the actors/film-makers/lighting guys et al were weightless. One of the brave actors in particular didn't want his testosterone questioned but... ;)I particularly enjoyed the interviews... you could really see how much the whole crew wanted this to be an *excellent* movie, one to last through the ages. It's brought out that the movie will be (at some point in history) a look back on the whole era. We (the USofA) have some incredible individuals to be proud of... this is perhaps one of the best patriotic movies I have ever seen -- notwithstanding war epics. It makes me glad to be an American.Okay, so you also see the real gents appearing on the Johnny Carson Show too. One more thing -- at the very end of the movie you see Jim Lovell -- he's the Captain of the ship that picks up the astronaut. His wife appears once too, but don't blink! (grin)Also, the Bonus Materials include two voice-over commentaries. The first is made by Director Ron Howard (you know, he's good -- very good!) and tells inside things about the creation of this movie. I enjoyed it.The best Commentary though was done by Mr. and Mrs. Lovell -- ah, and Ron -- that con-trail isn't supposed to be there. (winks)All in all, this is one of our favorites... I'd go so far as to suggest you Pay Retail, and maybe even opt for First Class shipping so you won't have to wait. It is that good!

I haven't seen this movie in 20 years and, while some of the filmmaking techniques feel a little outdated, the story and acting are still great. I'm amazed at how wrapped up you can become in a story even if you know the ending. I watched with my 5 year old and, while it was a little slow for him at times, he stuck with it and watched the whole thing. He obviously loved all the space and rocket scenes.

Content / Quality of Movie: ***** (wish it went higher)Presentation: *** (see below)If you are reading this you likely have already seen Apollo 13, perhaps many times, and are looking for information on the Blu-Ray release (and may be tired of wading through reviews of the DVD version - Amazon really should separate DVD and Blu-Ray reviews but that is another rant for another day). See next paragraph for the technical details but I must first sing the praises of this wonderful film. This has always been one of my favorites. Ron Howard's direction is near-perfect and the cast is terrific. The movie does a wonderful job of almost moving the viewer back in time to when the events of that ill-fated mission occurred. As one of the characters notes this really was NASA's finest hour and this movie puts you squarely in the middle of it - both in that fragile ship out in space and on the ground in mission control. This is one of those films that after watching it you expect to turn on the TV and see updates about the ongoing mission - it is that immersive. My favorite extra feature is the commentary track by the director. I don't often watch a whole movie through with commentary track on but this one is well worth it, offering insights into Howard's direction style which meshed perfectly with the subject matter of this film. Almost all the actors in the movie got to know the people they were portraying and Howard was open to changes in dialogue to add authenticity to the production. This I think allowed the actors to really immerse themselves in their roles and that additional measure of commitment shows through in every scene. Can you imagine Hitchcock (also one of my favorites) directing this film? His style would not have been nearly as effective as Ron's, though there might well have been more intrigue and perhaps one or two of the mission control people would have gone missing. Come to think of it, I wouldn't mind seeing that version at all, either. Anyway, digital special effects are also very well done but were not allowed to detract from the story. I am amazed that it was possible to find so many varied angles to allow the cramped command and lunar modules to at once be confining but not claustrophobic - a really wonderful bit of cinematography. All in all, in my opinion one of the best films made in the last 50 years - heck, one of the best ever.Now about the presentation. Picture and sound quality to me were fantastic (though I have never seen the HD-DVD version which another reviewer feels was better.) Extra features include the above-mentioned director's narration which is terrific. The movie played well (eventually) on my Sony player - and there's the rub as they say. I was amazed at how long the load process was, at least a couple minutes then the question of what language to select, a couple more minutes then the question of whether or not I want to post comments on it to my Facebook site or some such - NO I JUST WANT TO WATCH THE MOVIE ALREADY!! When the menu screen finally arrives over on the right is an animated ad for a current release - so that is obviously what was taking so long to load. I shudder to think how long it would have taken over a DSL or (gulp) a dial-up connection. I do hope they remedy this with a future release without so much wait time but in the end it was a "small price to pay" to watch this great film.