Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1986 in DVD
• Released on: 2005-04-11
• Rating: Parental Guidance
• Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
• Formats: Anamorphic, DTS Surround Sound, PAL, Special Edition, Widescreen
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish
• Number of discs: 2
• Running time: 135 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
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

Synopsis
A vividly rendered dramatisation of Apollo 13's true-life brush with disaster on the way to the Moon in 1971. This mesmerising film combines computer graphics, archive footage and seamless special effects to recreate the adrenalised odyssey of Astronauts Jim Lovell, Fred Haise and Jack Swigert who battled astronomical odds to make it back to Earth. Academy Award Nominations: 9, including Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor--Ed Harris, and Best Supporting Actress--Kathleen Quinlan. Academy Awards: 2, including Best Film Editing.

Customer Reviews

excellent film, but ...
... but the extra are poor.

Disc one is exactly the same as the other versions of apollo 13 - an outstanding film, which is based on the book by Jim Lovell. The film is well worth 5 stars.

The acting is superb - just what you would expect from the likes of Tom Hanks, Bill Paxton, Gary Sinise, Ed Harris, et al, and the production is top of the line, as expected with a Ron Howard production. The story is interesting, especially if you have an interest in the space race. There are two commentaries on the film and unfortunately they are the same as on the single disc version. There is one commentary with Ron Howard and one with Jim and Marilyn Lovell.

I would, however, suggest to Mr Howard, that a copy of the script be handed to the company doing the subtitles as there were certain memorable lines which were placed in the past tense rather then the present tense.

Disc 2 is the bonus of this special edition set. It contains three documentaries:

- The Lost Moon
- Conquering Space
- Lucky 13

These are very interesting, but there are only the three documentaries on the disc.

I had expected more from a special edition involving a film of this quality, and I was left a little disappointed. Normally I would have deducted stars from the total, but the film is 5 star all the way.

Excellent bonus material
We all know how good this film is. But what you may not know is how good the bonus material is. There are interviews with the real astronauts and recording of the actual radio transmitions from Apollo 13. Many of these were used to help with the script.
The film - 5 Stars
The extras - 5 Stars

Outstanding film-making
I am just young enough to remember this true-life tale unfolding in real time... it truly had the world spell-bound for days as we collectively held our breath, wondering if NASA technicians would be able to get these guys back to Earth alive. No-one back then was under any illusion about the extreme peril the astronauts were in, not even a seven-year-old child such as myself, as the media pulled no punches. I clearly remember as if it were yesterday, the prolonged (to the extent it became irritating) debate about "...has the heat shield been damaged, and will it hold out?" What this film masterfully does, is put us in the hot-seat. Just what if I were actually there....?Well here you go. And another masterstroke from Ron Howard, is the focus he places on the technological genius it took to get these guys home safe. There are a lot of heros in this story, and I think Ron Howard was trying to illustrate the fact that the ones who weren't out there in space were every bit as much a hero as the ones who were. Jingoistic, maybe. But with a story like this, what else could it be? A BRILLIANT movie!