31 Years Later, Fans Still Call ‘Apollo 13’ a Nearly Perfect Movie

Thirty-one years ago, an iconic film based on a true story debuted in movie theaters. That movie, Apollo 13, was a hit in 1995 when it first hit theaters, and many fans feel it’s a fantastic film that still holds up beautifully today.

Apollo 13 told the true story of the 1970 NASA lunar mission that was aborted due to an explosion. The real-life astronauts involved, Jim Lovell, Jack Swigert, and Fred Haise, were able to make it back home safely. However, for the Mission Control crew on the ground, it was tense to get to that outcome.

Ron Howard directed, and it was the first movie he did that was based on a true story. Howard believed the story had the potential to win over movie audiences. He explained, “It’s not only a survival story, but it also turns out it’s a rescue story…that’s good drama.”

However, given that the outcome was already known, there had been some doubt that moviegoers would care about the film. Luckily, early doubters were proven wrong.

Although some details of the actual incident were changed for storytelling purposes, overall, the film was praised for its accuracy. Fans love that the movie largely followed the way the incident originally played out, and many still enjoy discussing the film today.

“I chose this as my Father’s Day movie choice this year and my 16 year old loved it. She was riveted the entire time. It completely holds up,” shared one fan on Reddit.

“To me, it’s perfect, the best film ever. I loved it since I was a kid. Wish I could erase it from my memory and watch it fresh as an adult though,” one Reddit user wrote.

“Amazing movie. It’s like Jaws for me, that sort of movie where if you find it on a cable channel at any point in the film, you stick with it until the end,” added someone else.

“Maybe this is a hot take, maybe not, but I think this should have won best picture/director over Braveheart,” another Redditor suggested.

Apollo 13 starred Tom Hanks, Gary Sinise, Kevin Bacon, Ed Harris, Bill Paxton, and Kathleen Quinlan.

The movie proved that a film based on a true story with a known ending could succeed and remain a beloved film even decades later. Howard, Hanks, Bacon, and the rest of the cast were established stars when Apollo 13 was made, but the film elevated all of them to new heights after their highly praised performances.