Blu-ray of the Day: Apollo 13

Cast: Tom Hanks, Bill Paxton, Kevin Bacon, Gary Sinise, Ed Harris.
Director: Ron Howard.
Screenplay: William Broyles Jr, Al Reinert.
Score: James Horner.
Cinematography: Dean Cundley.

At last – the Apollo has landed on Blu-ray. This tense, exciting yet gracefully heroic account of how three astronauts barely survived a mission to the moon when their rocket proved not to be made of the right stuff doesn’t just movingly dramatise their ordeal. It’s also a pointed attack on how quickly the space programme became yesterday’s news. Tautly told, leavened with humour and largely unsentimental, this best picture-nominee keeps you on the edge of your seat even though you already know the outcome. Best of all, it’s driven by a human dimension, not hi-tech hardware or special effects (although the “Urinal Constellation” is not-to-be-missed). Director Ron Howard (who, inexplicably, wasn’t Oscar-nominated) provides one of two top commentaries; the other is by Apollo 13 astronaut Jim Lovell and his wife, Marilyn (Lovell reveals he wanted Kevin Costner to play him instead of Tom Hanks). Also on board are the excellent hour-long documentary, Lost Moon: The Triumph of Apollo 13 and its less stellar stablemate, Conquering Space: The Moon and Beyond.

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