Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Audience Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Binding: DVD
Brand: HANKS,TOM
EAN: 9781417042944
Format: AC-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD-Video, Full Screen, Subtitled, NTSC
ISBN: 141704294X
Label: Universal Studios
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
Number Of Items: 2
Publisher: Universal Studios
Region Code: 1
Release Date: March 29, 2005
Running Time: 140 minutes
Sales Rank: 11533
Studio: Universal Studios
Theatrical Release Date: June 30, 1995
Related Items:
Editorial Review:
Product Description:
True story of how three astronauts, stranded 205,000 miles above the Earth, fight a battle to survive while Mission Control works against time to bring them home.
Genre: Feature Film-Drama
Rating: PG
Release Date: 23-MAY-2006
Media Type: DVD
Amazon.com essential video:
NASA's worst nightmare turned into one of the space agency's most heroic moments in 1970, when the Apollo 13 crew was forced to hobble home in a disabled capsule after an explosion seriously damaged the moon-bound spacecraft. Tom Hanks, Kevin Bacon, and Bill Paxton play (respectively) astronauts Jim Lovell, Jack Swigert, and Fred Haise in director Ron Howard's intense, painstakingly authentic docudrama. The Apollo 13 crew and Houston-based mission controllers race against time and heavy odds to return the damaged spacecraft safely to Earth from a distance of 205,500 miles. Using state-of-the-art special effects and ingenious filmmaking techniques, Howard and his stellar cast and crew build nail-biting tension while maintaining close fidelity to the facts. The result is a fitting tribute to the Apollo 13 mission and one of the biggest box-office hits of 1995. --Jeff Shannon
Amazon.com:
Relying primarily on actual footage shot by NASA and by news organizations, this video documents the drama of the aborted Apollo 13 mission, in which three astronauts came close to losing their lives in space. The actual recording of commander Jim Lovell telling Houston about the 'problem' made famous in the Hollywood version of Apollo 13 is presented, and the scenes showing distressed engineers in the actual control room in Houston are in some ways much more dramatic than anything seen on the big screen. This is, after all, reality, with real people scrambling under intense pressure to save real lives. Besides the footage inside mission control, the video also showcases invaluable flight footage shot by the astronauts aboard the crippled spaceship. This video takes an essentially chronological approach, but the technique of using the crew's postflight news conference to serve as narration, while it is at first confusing, serves a useful purpose. This is a no-frills production, but the excitement as NASA engineers mobilize and the whole world watches the news about the stricken spaceship is so gripping that any flourishes would only seem to get in the way. --Robert J. McNamara
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - Great Movie
This movie is just superb. The story is great, acting is great, and the historical accuracy is perfect. I loved the attention to detail that went into this movie. Definitely a must see even if you're not a space or NASA buff.
Rating: - Perfect For Everyone (especially Parents & Classrooms)
This is one of my all-time favorite movies, and for about a million reasons. But I'll just share a few.
Chances are good that you already know the basic premise: Three astronauts embark on a space mission to the moon, but technical complications not only jeopardize the mission, but their lives as well. Back on Earth, the Mission Control team based out of Houston work around the clock to get the astronauts home safely.
Based on real events (and mostly faithful, according to those who lived through them), the story does so many things right that most movies from the "disaster genre" or "rescue genre" to wrong.
First and foremost, we actually care about these characters. Director Ron Howard and the screenwriters dedicate equal time to the people and historical events on Earth as the intense drama that occurs in space. Besides the expected focus on the Mission Control Team who tirelessly work to get the Apollo 13 crew home, there's even a "prologue" of sorts before the April 13th, 1970 launch. Perhaps the most notable moment from these opening scenes is when Jim Lovell (played by Tom Hanks) must decide whether to stick up for a potentially sick co-pilot (risking his chances of going to space), or to opt for a replacement. Or how about seeing Lovell's youngest daughter almost being too depressed over The Beatles' breakup to go see her father's broadcast from space? APOLLO 13 doesn't just delay the suspenseful scenes like JAWS or ALIEN do. Don't get me wrong, ... Read More
Rating: - A very good and realistic movie about APOLLO 13 and human determination
The movie APOLLO 13 and of course the real odyssey that took place in 1970 are more than just a near space tragedy and an aborted manned flight to the moon. They are about human determination, intelligence, cooperation and the fight for life in time of a very big crisis and challenge which in case of APOLLO 13 created a miracle. Returning safely back to Earth was a miracle because after an oxygen tank exploded in the service module en route to the moon, the spacecraft was so crippled that, not only was the moon landing cancelled, but the astronauts in APOLLO 13 together with staff of Houston mission control had to think and act fast to solve many of the lethal problems that emerged in the spacecraft. The movie has historical value as well because it dramatizes excellently the APOLLO 13 adventure which certainly is a very important event in the history of manned space flights. I highly recommend everybody to watch this DVD, not just to people who are interested in manned space flights but also to people who want to see what miracles human determination and intelligence can achieve.
Rating: - Apollo13: The Story of REAL Heroes
Okay, for you technophiles, Universal did a good job in the transfer to DVD. The colors are vivid and the picture is razor sharp. Sound quality is great and the overall experience is worth the price of admission. Save your money and buy the single disc set. The second disc is an edited IMAX version and the "extras" on the second disc are so so. All of the "good" extras are on the single disc version.
Now for the REAL story. Plain and simple, these guys were heroes in every sense of the word. They risked their lives for what they believed in, without heavenly financial compensation (they got their regular pay, plus flight pay, plus hazardous duty pay) In today's dollars that about $300 flight pay and $125 a month to risk your life. Many of the men in this program had families.
Truly a contrast to today's heroes (Sports Figures) who act like spoiled brats and cry if they get a hang-nail. All this, while collecting a salary the would support 100 families in the US. I'd like to see any of today's heroes maintain their composure while everything around them is failing. If you lose a ball game, there is always next year. If you "lose" in space, you're dead.
I grew up in the 60's with the space program and this film is a true testiment to the courage, skill, dedication, and selflessness of the entire NASA team.
Kind of a interesting closing point. Take note when Tom Hanks (Comm. Jim Lovell) is on the carrier deck after splash down/pick-up. He ... Read More
Rating:  - WHY THE MISSING SCENES???
Being a big follower of the space program since the mid-1960s, I was really excited when Apollo 13 was released..first on VHS, then to DVD. But on both the DVD-released versions, why are there scenes missing? One that I noticed right away is when Barbara Lovell(the Lovell's eldest daughter) doesn't want to go to Mission Control to watch the TV broadcast from space. Presumably because she is upset over the Beatle's breakup. Then much of the TV broadcast itself from the VHS version is missing. There were more missing, as well. It was a little disconcerting..especially with the "anniversary" edition. But the essence of the story..the triumph of the human spirit in the face of extraordinary odds...still remains true.
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