Truly a director for the '90s, Ron Howard has mastered the art of spinning big, old-fashioned yarns without any discernible point of view, and his movie is curiously empty and instantly forgettable.
Comment
05/10/09
Apollo 13 (1995)
96 %
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted: 48
Fresh: 46
Rotten:2
Average Rating: 8/10
Runtime: 4 hrs 16 mins
Genre: Action/Adventure
Synopsis: The true story of the near-disastrous Apollo 13 mission. On April 11, 1970, gung-ho astronauts Jim Lovell, Fred Haise and last-minute, less experienced replacement Jack Swigert blast-off towards... [More]
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Reviews for Apollo 13
Top CriticA rousing, flag-waving paean to American skill and courage, Howard's polished film panders to its target audience perfectly.
05/10/09
Apollo 13 remains Howard's masterpiece... It is, quite simply, one of the finest movies ever produced.
01/16/09
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10/18/08
The movie is terrific on nuts-and-bolts stuff, but nuts and bolts aren't the same as drama.
07/23/07
Overnight, Howard seems to have turned into a combination of the best aspects of Oliver Stone and Robert Altman.
05/26/06
In an age when we rely on computerized directions and GPS devices to drive to the next town, it seems an almost mythic scenario.
02/11/06
For a 'space movie', both the special effects and photography are surprisingly pedestrian. Where it scores is in subtly restating traditional notions of male heroism.
02/09/06
Well-crafted and well-acted recreation of the famous missile journey, marred by Ron Howard's white POV that disregards the broader political context
06/26/05
...both fair history and a edge-of-your-seat popcorn thriller, a good example of the best work of which Hollywood is capable.
03/28/05
If you don’t remember the gripping events of April 1970 before seeing this film, you likely will remember them for a long time afterward.
03/27/05
... tells a gripping true story efficiently. ... And yet, it still feels too packaged, too neat, too clean.
12/06/04
Overrated yet nonetheless well done.
08/07/04
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05/20/03
Playing the tough, commanding Jim Lovell is a substantial stretch for Mr. Hanks, but as usual his seeming ingenuousness overshadows all else about the role. There's not a false move to anything he does on screen.
05/20/03
Top CriticIt seems strange now, a quarter of a century later, than mankind, with vastly superior technology, lacks the will to venture to the other planets or even to go back to the moon. What a world of wimps we have become!
05/12/03
Just like the mission itself, APOLLO 13 leaves the impression of being both a success and a failure.
01/30/03
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11/22/02
Top CriticNo review available.
10/19/02
Top CriticBut the visual impact here should pique the interest of plenty of other Hollywood filmmakers looking for a second life for their productions.
09/26/02
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