Apollo 13

APOLLO 13

REVIEWED BY JESSICA VAN DESSEL

Our rating: 3 out of 5

Because of: language, sensuality, violence, thematic elements

Rated:

Whenever the United States space program is mentioned, there are two famous quotations that immediately come to mind; the first is, “that’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” And the second is, “Houston, we have a problem.” Aside from the original moon landing, no other space flight has captured the public imagination quite like the Apollo 13 mission of 1970. The Ron Howard movie of the same name is a tour-de-force dramatization of this true and compelling story.

July 20, 1969, Houston, Texas. Friends have gathered at the home of Jim Lovell (Tom Hanks) and his wife Marilyn (Kathleen Quinlan) to watch as two American astronauts become the first men to set foot on the moon. This isn’t your ordinary lunar-landing celebration party, though. Jim and many of the guests are astronauts themselves. For them, the moon landing is both a fulfillment of their dreams and a promise of bigger dreams in the future. “From now on, we live in a world where man has walked on the moon,” Jim says to Marilyn. “It’s not a miracle; we just decided to go.” Jim is slated to fly a moon-landing mission of his own sometime in the next year, with friends Fred Haise (Bill Paxton) and Ken Mattingly (Gary Sinise). But then the commander of the next scheduled flight gets sick. Jim and his crew are bumped up the list. They’re headed to the moon in only a few short months.

Marilyn Lovell tries to be happy for Jim, but she can’t help voicing her worries over the “unlucky” name of the mission: Apollo 13. It’s called that because it comes after twelve, Jim assures her. But lurking in the back of everyone’s minds is the memory of a fire that trapped and killed three astronauts just before their shuttle launched. It’s a big, dark, unforgiving space out there. With four kids (one a rebellious teenager) and Jim’s elderly mother to take care of, Marilyn doesn’t know if she can stand to have her husband 238,856 miles away from home. No such doubts for the guys. Jim, Fred and Ken spend hours training in a flight simulator until they form a tight team: Jim, the leader, the guy with the most time in space; Fred, the family man, hardworking and reliable; Ken, the conscience of the group, meticulous and perfectionist. They get so they can predict each other’s actions in any circumstances. Then they learn they’ve all been exposed to the measles. Jim and Fred have already had the illness, but Ken hasn’t. According to the doctor, Ken will be getting sick at the same time their scheduled to land on the moon. He has to be replaced. Jim can’t believe it. They’re going to break up his crew over the measles? But the boss issues an ultimatum: either you take Ken out, or you all wait until a later flight. Jim opts to leave Ken behind.

Ken’s replacement is Jack Swigert (Kevin Bacon), a rookie pilot with a reputation as a daredevil and a playboy. Jim and Fred don’t trust him, and Jack knows it. The flight goes ahead as planned, but the dynamics of the team have been disrupted. April 11, 1970, the day of launch. At Mission Control, guys with thick glasses and pocket protectors assemble in front of computer equipment. In charge is flight director Gene Kranz (Ed Harris), a square-jawed, straight-talking man. The astronauts are blasted off. Watching with their hearts in their throats are Marilyn, Fred’s pregnant wife Mary – and Ken Mattingly. The first leg of the flight goes well. Jack proves he can do his stuff. Mission Control relaxes; this is going to be routine. They run through some maintenance checks; Jack is asked to stir the oxygen tanks. He flips the switch; half a minute later, there’s an explosion. Clinging to his seat as the shuttle careens around, and watching in disbelief as one alarm goes off after another, Jack utters that famous line. They have a problem.

Apollo 13 is so accurate a portrayal of space flight that it could almost be a documentary. The accuracy extends, unfortunately, to the language used by the astronauts. Profanity (including repeated abuses of Christ’s name) isn’t employed constantly, but there are several bad outbursts of it. There’s a bit of suggestive dialogue, and a brief shot of Jack behind a frosted shower door with a girl. The fire that killed the earlier astronauts is recreated in a short narrated scene. Tension and danger, of course, abound. The superstitious elements are played up and then left hanging: are we supposed to believe that the number 13 is the cause of the calamity or not? Don’t worry about being confused by the technological aspects of the film, though. Whenever the storyline depends on a technical point, the filmmakers make sure it’s explained clearly and concisely. I don’t think I really need to mention Tom Hanks’ sterling performance; he and Ed Harris could’ve almost carried the movie alone, but they’re amply supported by the rest of the cast. And the special effects are so good that NASA reportedly asked if they could use some of the footage.

Apollo 13 would pack quite a punch even if it weren’t a true story. It’s a masterful exploration of courage under pressure, dedication, determination, friendship, family, hope, trust and faith. The fact that the faith seems to be placed in human achievements rather than God saddens me a bit. Nevertheless, there’s still much to be gained. I don’t like to cry at movies, but this is one film I am never ashamed to finish with tears in my eyes.