I am an ardent Tom Hanks fan and find it difficult not to like any of his films. However I have tried my best to remain objective and hope that this review proves useful.
Apollo 13 Review
A battle between human will and nature makes up for an inspirational and engaging affair. A multitude of movies have tried to depict this literally eternal conflict. An effective portrayal of such stories necessitates two things ? a grand representation of nature?s power (special effects in short) and a thorough development of the characters which has the audience rooting for them in the denouement. Apollo 13 is a movie that succeeds on both these fronts.
Based on the massive systems failure on NASA?s mission to the moon by the same name in 1970, the movie presents a rousing story of three American astronauts on board a battered space craft and the concerted efforts of the ground crew to bring them back home. I t all starts when the back up team of Jim Lovell (Tom Hanks), Fred Hais (Bill Paxton) and Ken Mattingly (Gary Sinise) have to replace the main mission crew at a short notice on a trip to the moon.
The concerns over the number 13 voiced by Jim?s wife seem justified when Ken has to pull out over suspected measles, just days before the launch. Much to the team?s consternation his place is taken by a rookie pilot Jack Swigert (Kevin Bacon). Amid misgivings about the need for such a mission and cynics who compare a trip to the moon with a bus ride, Jim Lovell and his crew blast free of the earth?s gravity to walk in Armstrong?s footsteps (literally), unaware that a sleight of fate would result in an extraordinary week in space and a miraculous rescue.
The movie rides on the back of top notch acting by the three space faring protagonists and a supporting cast to match them. Tom Hanks (Forrest Gump, Philadelphia) plays Jim Lovell with great composure. Assertive and calm, his Lovell is the bulwark of the mission and the film as well. Bill Paxton (Titanic, Twister) lends support with a restrained performance. Kevin Bacon (Foot Loose, Hollow Man) plays the impetuous greenhorn to the ?T?. Ed Harris (Step mom, The Rock) playing Gene Crantz the flight coordinator at NASA?s Houston base brings out the assurance and fortitude of his character perfectly. Gary Sinise, Hanks? co star from Forrest Gump makes most of the relatively little screen time he has. Also laudable is Kathleen Quinlan as Lovell?s wife where she conveys fear and despair with a strong facade.
Director Ron Howard shows prowess as a story teller. He makes sure that details remain lucid despite the technical jargon and the tension though present never gets overbearing during 140 minutes of running time. The movie?s special effects are top of the line. They actually put us into space. The space shuttle launch sequence is breath taking and so are the images of the lunar landscape. Numerous films about catastrophes lose characters to the canvass. Not Apollo 13, where the script makes you empathize. You can feel the imminent danger.
Lovell?s despair when he gazes at the moon knowing well that he will never set foot on it. The helplessness of the ground crew confronted with too many variables. You draw from Crantz?s strength as he tries to find a keep his cool in chaos. I cannot comment about the technical or factual accuracy of this movie, but I am sure that in the climax you will regale with each character as the space pod descends gently down to safety into the South Pacific.
This movie adds to Hanks? already feathered cap. He has played an astronaut, an army man, AIDS victim, baseball coach, Southern simpleton and an FBI agent with equal ease and panache. He is the consummate actor. When you see him perform you only see the character. Very much like apna Aamir Khan who I would call ?Bollywood?s Hanks? or may be as a proud Indian call Hanks ?Hollywood ka Aamir?. Either sobriquet is vindicated and deserved.