Apollo 13 (Widescreen 2-Disc Anniversary Edition)
by Ron Howard
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Bill Paxton, Ed Harris, Gary Sinise, Kevin Bacon, Tom HanksDirector: Ron Howard
Brand: Apollo
Producer: Aldric La'auli Porter
Producer: Brian Grazer
Producer: Lorne Orleans
Writer: Al Reinert
Writer: Jeffrey Kluger
Writer: Jim Lovell
Writer: William Broyles Jr.
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 5.1; French (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1; French (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1; Spanish (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1; Spanish (Dubbed), Dolby Digital 5.1
Format: AC-3, Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 2.35:1
Running Time: 140 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2005-03-29
Audience Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Universal Studios
Movie Reviews of Apollo 13 (Widescreen 2-Disc Anniversary Edition)
Movie Review: Terrific movie but a bit too early for reissue
Summary: 5 Stars
Based on the true story of the astronauts that flew a mission to the moon, "Apollo 13" documents the disaster that almost caused these three men to be forever lost. During their flight the part of the ship exploded in space threatening to maroon the crew 205,500 miles away from home in the hostile vacuum surrounding them. Commanded by space veteran (he had circled the moon on Apollo 8) Jim Lovell, the mission had a string of disasters occur during their flight. Originally slated for Apollo 14, the crew was moved up in the rotation when Alan Shepard developed a raging ear infection. Then the crew's original pilot Ken Mattingly (Gary Sinise) who had trained and worked with them from the beginning tested positive for exposure to the German measles and was replaced by back up pilot Jack Swigert (Kevin Bacon). Fred Haise (Bill Paxton) became ill during the flight becoming dehydrated and running a high fever. As the situation worsened in space, tensions ran high between Lovell, Haise and Swigert as Haise initially blamed Swigert for the accident, questioned his piloting skills and butted heads over their situation. Scrambling on the ground Mission Control lead by Gene Kranz (Ed Harris) kept running into obstacles to help the crew return safely at home. The flight was met by indifference from the fickle media as the drama of the moon landing had petered out after the launch and successful landing of Apollo 11 and 12. While NASA did try to jazz up the Apollo program with more fascinating scientific experiments for the crew, funds began to dwindle and interest waned as the public became fixated on problems at home. This apathy was reflected in the complete disinterest of the public until the crew's life was in peril. A dramatic, powerful docudrama with riveting direction by Ron Howard ("A Beautiful Mind"), great acting by Hanks, Paxton, Sinise, Bacon and Kathleen Quinlan, "Apollo 13" continues to resonate particularly in light of the disasters that have afflicted the Space Shuttle Program and subsequent loss of human life despite all the safety measures NASA has taken over the years. "Apollo 13" reminds us that despite the appearance of routine of these types of missions, they are far from routine and represent significant risk to the lives of those brave men and women who fly into space.
A sharp, vivid transfer with robust colors and deep, dark blacks are a highlight of this terrific transfer. Honestly, the previous edition looked just as sharp and just as good. With the exception of some minor digital blemishes, there's not a huge difference between the 10th anniversary edition and its older brother. This edition, like the previous one, sports an active surround mix that situates you in the Mission Control and pulls you into the vacuum of space. Unfortunately, packing the original extras on the first disc sacrifices some of the higher resolution image quality by taking up additional disc space. Essentially, disc one IS the same release as the first edition (with a couple of extras deleted) but with a digitally remastered picture (although it's my guess it's still from the same high resolution source as the first edition).
The resolution on "Apollo 13: The Image Experience" which occupies the second disc likewise looks terrific with slightly better definition perhaps because it was intended for a much larger screen originally. The sound for the Imax edition features an extremely active DTS mix that sounds slightly fuller and with improved depth than the 5.1 mix on the first disc. Again, packing the other extras on disc two is nice but sacrifices some of the available bit space which may have degraded the picture quality slightly.
Missing from this edition are Bill Paxton's behind-the-scenes home movies showing his time in space school. Also missing are the extra that focused on the visual effects, comparison of the movie's key sequences to real NASA footage. Still here are the original two commentary tracks by director Ron Howard and astronaut Jim Lovell with his wife Marilyn. There are the production notes from the previous edition as well as the original theatrical trailer. Luckily, the exceptional documentary "Lost Moon: The Triumph of Apollo 13" still appears on disc one. It's a great glimpse into the real events that inspired the movie but also focuses much more on the behind-the-scenes making of the movie. Ron Howard's comments (made to him by the commander of Apollo 15) that by the time we went back to the moon (the prediction is that we'll probably not go back for more than a century) everyone would have forgotten what really happened spurred him on to be as accurate as possible in making this terrific docudrama. Seeing the actors in zero g on the "vomit comet" is a blast. Many of the weightless sequences were shot in zero g on an airplane that helps astronauts train for missions.
"Conquering Space: The Moon and Beyond" provides a nice 45 minute summary of the space race and what prompted America to go to the moon in the first place. Opening with President John F. Kennedy's commitment to space exploration in vintage footage from 1961, the documentary touches on the highlights of the space race including footage of the first Soviet spaceships and the impact that the launch of Sputnik had on the world. When the United States jumped into the space race, the US failed initially to even get their rockets off the launch pad. These spectacular failures embarrassed the United States. Featuring interviews with astronauts Jim Lovell, Shannon Lucid, Roger Crouch and others the documentary does a nice job of summarizing both the successes and disasters that dogged both the United States and the Soviet Union during the competition to escape a foothold on the moon. It's a nice compliment to the film.
Since the acquisition of Universal by NBC, we've seen a lot more tie-in's between the Network and the studio. "Lucky 13: The Astronauts Story" is pulled from an episode of "Dateline" hosted by John Scott that came out around the same time as the release of the film. Again, there are interviews with Lovell and his wife. Featuring actual NASA footage from the Apollo 13 mission, it brings the reality of what occurred home. Interestingly, the movie tour of the space capsule actually has been seen by more people than saw the real broadcast.
The two commentary tracks provide a wealth of information and most of it is more than the trivial variety like "where this was shot" info we've become accustomed to hearing. We learn, for example, that the crawler seen when the spacecraft is being transported is the REAL deal with Ron Howard driving it. Kevin Bacon had one of the most daunting tasks as everyone else associated with Apollo 13 is alive but Swiggert passed away over a decade ago. So Bacon had to interview people who knew him and come up with a portrayal based on other people's information. Swiggert actually wrote many of the safety procedures prior to launch that ironically ended up being used to help save the Apollo 13 crew. Jim Lovell announced his retirement at the press conference after Apollo 13 because he knew he had little chance of commanding another mission with so many people behind him in the program.
The Lovell's commentary track is particularly revealing about what occurred in real life. For example, Howard came up with the subplot of Swigert coming onboard at the last minute and the unease of Lovell and Haise felt at having Swigert come onboard at the last minute. Evidently the nightmare that Marilyn Lovell had about the ship having an accident was probably caused because she watched the movie "Marooned" just prior to the flight. Marilyn Lovell points out the little mannerisms that Hanks did pick up from spending time with Jim Lovell. Lovell also points out that there were really two explosions. The first was the one they heard, the second they didn't hear but was detectable by NASA when the liquid oxygen began to bleed out into space.
A great docudrama gets another deluxe treatment on DVD. While I don't question that "Apollo 13" deserves it, it's too soon after the initial release to have this reissued again. Nevertheless, fans of the movie may want to upgrade this for the inclusion of the IMAX version of the film and the additional two documentaries included on disc two. Other than that, this is, essentially, the same release albeit with a nice, new digital master. Is the picture any better than the previous release? It's not noticeably different that I can tell.
Summary of Apollo 13 (Widescreen 2-Disc Anniversary Edition)
Nominated for nine Academy Awards , including Best Picture, Apollo 13 is now available in an incredible 2 -Disc Anniversary Edition with never-before-seen bonus materials. Produced by Academy Award winner Brian Grazer and directed by Oscar winner Ron Howard, Apollo 13 stars Tom Hanks, Bill Paxton, Kevin Bacon, Gary Sinise and Ed Harris in the inspiring and riveting story of the real-life space flight that gripped a nation and changed the world.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
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