Apollo 13; Apollo 13: For the Record; Apollo 13: The Untold Story

At 13:13 military time on April 13, 1970, Apollo 13 lifted off towards the most convincing argument I've yet to see for steering clear of the number 13. Ron Howard's outstanding docudrama Apollo 13 (without question, the first serious contender for next year's Oscars) brilliantly captures that harrowing story in a two hour-plus nail-biter that surprisingly takes very few liberties with the facts. Tom Hanks (as astronaut Jim Lovell) and the rest of the ensemble cast turn in excellent performances, and director Howard keeps the suspense building as the viewpoint shifts back and forth from the steadily deteriorating situation in the space capsule following an oxygen tank explosion to the feverish attempts of NASA Mission Control to bring the astronauts back alive. What makes director Howard's accomplishment all the more impressive is that he manages to keep viewers on the edge of their seats using, for the most part, only two locations (the capsule and Mission Control)--not to mention the fact that viewers already know the outcome of the story. For $6 more ($29.98), buyers can get the acclaimed documentary, Apollo 13: To the Edge and Back, bundled in with the movie. Highly recommended. Editor's Choice.Apollo 13: For the Record is a little less exciting. Mixing clips from a speech by Jim Lovell with NASA footage that includes the original narration, the program comes across as an odd hybrid of old and new, and suffers from the mixture. Not a necessary purchase.Apollo 13: The Untold Story, narrated by Billy Mumy (Lost in Space, Babylon 5) is better, especially since it includes contemporary interviews with key NASA members, including backup astronaut Thomas "Ken" Mattingly (played by Gary Sinise in the film), Gene Kranz (played by Ed Harris), and Al Reinert, the Apollo 13 screenwriter. Recommended.The Apollo 13 story will probably continue to crop up in various documentaries (Turner's Moon Shot offers another excellent recap), but the best bet here is definitely the Hollywood version...did I say that? (R. Pitman)[DVD Review--April 5, 2005--Universal, 2 discs, 140/116 min., PG, $26.99--Making its third appearance on DVD in either widescreen or full screen versions, Apollo 13: 2-Disc Anniversary Edition comes with two versions of the film (a remastered theatrical version with Dolby Digital 5.1, and the IMAX experience version with Dolby Digital 5.1 or DTS 5.1), as well as a slew of extras, including two audio commentaries (one by director Ron Howard; the other by astronaut Jim Lovell and his wife Marilyn), a “making-of” featurette (58 min.), the documentary “Conquering Space: The Moon and Beyond” which recaps the last 45 years in space (49 min.), the 13-minute featurette “Lucky 13: The Astronauts’ Story” recounting the events of the mission, production notes, and trailers. Bottom line: an excellent extras package for one of Ron Howard's best films.][Blu-ray Review—Apr. 13, 2010—Universal, 140 min., PG, $26.98—Making its first appearance on Blu-ray, 1995's Apollo 13 sports a nice transfer with DTS-HD 5.1 sound. Blu-ray extras include two audio commentaries (one by director Ron Howard; the other by author and astronaut Jim Lovell and his wife Marilyn), two interactive viewing options: “The Apollo Era” on historic events and “Tech-Splanations” on the science and technology of the mission, a “making-of” featurette (58 min.), the documentary “Conquering Space: The Moon and Beyond” on the last 45 years of space exploration (49 min.), the featurette “Lucky 13: The Astronauts' Story” on the real-life events of the mission (13 min.), and the BD-Live function. Bottom line: a fine Blu-ray debut for a contemporary classic.][Blu-ray Review—June 16, 2015—Universal, 140 min., PG, $19.98—Making its latest appearance on Blu-ray, 1995's Apollo 13 (20th Anniversary Edition) features an excellent transfer and a DTS-HD 5.1 soundtrack. Extras new to this release include a “Twenty Years Later” retrospective with director Ron Howard and producer Brian Grazer, while previously released extras include two audio commentaries (one by Howard; the other by author and astronaut Jim Lovell and his wife Marilyn), two interactive viewing options: “The Apollo Era” on historic events and “Tech-Splanations” on the science and technology of the mission, a “making-of” featurette (58 min.), a “Conquering Space: The Moon and Beyond” documentary (49 min.), the featurette “Lucky 13: The Astronauts' Story” on the real-life mission (13 min.), and bonus digital and UltraViolet copies of the film. Bottom line: sporting a shiny new 4K restoration, this is the best that Apollo 13 has ever looked.]