Apollo 13 (1995)

Two Geeks and a GIT Classic Movie Reviews

From the 1960s to the 1970s, and from the Mercury space program to the Apollo missions we go for our second film dedicated to the brilliance of NASA. There were 12 missions before, 11 of which were successful, and then in 1970, Apollo 13 launched, but things weren't to go as planned. 1995's Apollo 13," directed by Ron Howard, tells the story of the second Apollo mission to fail in its attempt to get to the moon. The film follows mission commander Jim Lovell (Tom Hanks), command module pilot Jack Swigert (Kevin Bacon), and lunar module pilot Fred Haise (Bill Paxton) as they lift off to the moon, but experience a catastrophic explosion after leaving the atmosphere. On the ground, everyone at NASA's Mission Control swings into action, under the leadership of Flight Director Gene Kranz (Ed Harris) and with the able assistance of the original command module pilot Ken Mattingly (Gary Sinese)! While the film shows the PR side of the emergency, as well as the impact on the families of the astronauts, the efforts of the Mission Control staff at NASA really shines in this tense re-telling of when the world watched a rescue attempt where no aid could be sent! Also starring Kathleen Quinlan, Jean Speegle Howard, Chris Ellis, Joe Spano, Xander Berkely, Clint Howard, Brett Cullen, and James Ritz. Plus, the gents reveal which staple of 80s films they're finally getting to (and what they're pairing it with)!