Apollo 13: The IMAX Experience (2002)
Apollo 13 tells the dramatic true story of the heroic actions needed to bring a three-astronaut crew safely back to Earth after the Apollo 13 space mission suffered catastrophic mechanical problems en route to the Moon. Made with NASA's collaboratioin, the highly-suspenseful film is scientifically and historically accurate. Apollo 13 features strong performances from the ensemble cast, led by Oscar®-winning actor Tom Hanks, and brilliant direction by Ron Howard, another Oscar winner. Apollo 13 will be digitally re-mastered into IMAX's 15/70 format using the revolutionary IMAX DMRTM technology. -- © IMAX Corporation [Less]
Genre: Dramas
Starring: Tom Hanks, Bill Paxton, Kevin Bacon, Gary Sinise, Ed Harris
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Reviews
It's an entertaining movie, and the effects, boosted to the size of a downtown hotel, will all but take you to outer space.
Could I have been more geeked when I heard that Apollo 13 was going to be released in IMAX format? In a word: No.
An irresistible combination of a rousing good story set on a truly grand scale.
If you thought Tom Hanks was just an ordinary big-screen star, wait until you've seen him eight stories tall.
The transfer to the IMAX screen diminishes none of the film's drama, which was always much more about human emotions than technology.
The kind of history lesson that you wouldn't mind seeing again and again, no matter the format.
Suffice to say that after seeing this movie in IMAX form, you'll be more acquainted with the tiniest details of Tom Hanks' face than his wife is.
The special effects and many scenes of weightlessness look as good or better than in the original, while the Oscar-winning sound and James Horner's rousing score make good use of the hefty audio system.
The re-release of Ron Howard's Apollo 13 in the IMAX format proves absolutely that really, really, really good things can come in enormous packages.
[Apollo 13] looks bold and crisp on the big screen, and the sound has never sounded better -- perhaps couldn't have ever sounded better, because IMAX uses some 70 speakers.
This story is larger-than-life to begin with, so it is enhanced by the new super-size format. The movie grabs you and doesn't let go for nearly two hours.
This is IMAX and Ron Howard’s epic retelling of NASA’s heroic near-tragedy has been blown up to wonderous proportions to behold even while the film itself has been chopped down just as much.
The sight of the spaceship on the launching pad is duly impressive in IMAX dimensions, as are shots of the astronauts floating in their cabins.
On a purely pictorial level, this is one of the best-looking IMAX movies ever.
Blowing up some 35mm films to an image 10 times larger could magnify their plot faults and performance shortcomings. But Apollo 13, with its taut cast, script and direction, profits from the process.
Remains a solid, if somewhat heavy-handed, account of the near-disaster...done up by Howard with a steady, if not very imaginative, hand.
Big Breakthrough! First time a 35mm pic is blown up to fit the 8-story tall IMAX screen.
It's a great American adventure and a wonderful film to bring to IMAX.
Around the Network
Apollo 13: The IMAX Experience at IGN
Apollo 13: The IMAX Experience at AskMen


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