Apollo 13: Survival

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I very much enjoy the way these archival documentaries are compiled and edited. It is just as gripping and has the impact of the film of the version and nothing is lost by telling the story using archival footage and it keeps you hooked. Some of the comments made by ack Swigert when out in the loneliness of space are quite moving. With the screen filled with the images of the space all around them filled with stars just gives you a sense of hopelessness that could have been felt. The aspect of this documentary that most appeals is the fact that it stays in the period and does not introduce any talking heads that would break the spell. With the archival footage you are immersed in the time, just as they saw and experienced it, and it is that which makes it compelling. Any modern day comments are thankfully just voice overs and don't break the spell. This is a superb documentary and the makers are to be congratulated.

This documentary emphasises the rising anxiety among the mission controllers, astronauts and their families, NASA and the US government, and eventually the whole world via the news media - at least, for those with journalists at the scene. The personal reactions/body languages and team challenges of specialists working under extreme stress are fascinating to observe - plenty of thought-provoking content here for training courses, supplementing the usual Tom Hanks account focusing on the CO2 scrubber. Brits of a certain age will spot an anxious James Burke, crossing his fingers and knawing his gnuckles. Patrick Moore's facial expressions are telling as always, despite him having a non-speaking part. There is loads of genuine Apollo footage (albeit supplemented by some fill-in content from other missions) plus contemporaneous TV coverage and home videos. If the evolving crisis doesn't spark your imagination, the remarkable scenes of a distant earth viewed by three men uncertain they would ever return, are well worth the watch. Even the crude TV "graphics" tell a story of the time. If you take a small sip of sherry every time you spot a cigarette or cigar in Mission Control, you'll probably miss the closing scenes ... Bottom line: a superb documentary account of the near disastrous mission - gripping stuff, highly recommended.

We finally get to see what really happened and these brave men using their instincts to get home to their families. The anxiety, excitement , fear, patriotism was palpable. From the command center to the men on the craft, it was nail biting. I wish they would have interviewed the astronauts and their families at the end. Recommended this to everyone and they enjoyed it. I was 5 going on 6 when this mission happened and I can remember the splashdown and how everyone was glued to their TVs and radios. I miss these days, but so glad to see it all. Your bravery and exploring the frontier of space will forever be remembered. God speed to all who have ever gone into space. This is what real men, women, and families looked like then.

I absolutely love the story of Apollo 13. What an incredible tribute to the human spirit and to the amazing men and women who overcame this disaster. However, the documentary is slightly disappointing. While I love vintage footage, my general feeling is that I could have watched free videos on YouTube and gotten roughly the same content that I got here. I still enjoyed it and I'm rating it a 7 which is a quality show, but I felt it slightly underachieved its potential. ABOUT MY REVIEWS: I do not include a synopsis of the film/show -- you can get that anywhere and that does not constitute a meaningful review -- but rather my thoughts and feelings on the film that hopefully will be informative to you in deciding whether to invest 90-180 minutes of your life on it. My scale: 1-5 decreasing degrees of "terrible", with 5 being "mediocre" 6- OK. Generally held my interest OR had reasonable cast and/or cinematography, might watch it again 7 - Good. My default rating for a movie I liked enough to watch again, but didn't rise to the upper echelons 8- Very good. Would watch again and recommend to others 9- Outstanding. Would watch over and over; top 10% of my ratings 10 - A classic. (Less than 2% receive this rating). For Lifetime Movies for Chicks (LMFC), drop the above scale by 3 notches. A 6 is excellent and 7 almost unattainable.