THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, July 1, 1995 TAG: 9507010021
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E1 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Movie Review
SOURCE: BY MAL VINCENT, MOVIE CRITIC
LENGTH: Medium: 88 lines
``HOUSTON, we have a problem.''
The voice of Jim Lovell coming from 200,000 miles out in space is as shattering today as it was in 1970 when it was played back to a shocked world.
It sent the world into a 3 1/2-day vigil of hope and suspense as three American astronauts hovered in space in what sometimes looked like a hopeless effort just to get ``back home.''
The real-life events had all the qualities of great drama - dreams shattered, a ``lost moon,'' millions of people praying (from the Pope to the Wailing Wall and everywhere in between), anxious famlies looking skyward, and a nation's prestige on the line.
Ron Howard's film version, ``Apollo 13,'' takes a straightforward look at the events in an almost-documentary fashion. He is a director known primarily for wholesome, old-fashioned movies that often deal with little people and little subjects (from ``Splash'' to ``Cocoon'' and ``Parenthood''). He is something of an odd choice to direct a story with the epic scope of the space program. It is not surprising, then, that he goes straight for a methodical, linear approach. He has a good story, and he lets it tell itself.
The film's simplicity, though, is both its strength and its weakness.
We might have hoped for more characterization. (The three astronauts as well as the leaders back in Houston are little more than stick figures who talk the same as they would for a television interview. We learn little new about them). We might have hoped for more emotional involvement. (Howard lets the facts speak for themselves, and we are to supply our own involvement).
Still, ``Apollo 13'' provides American flag-waving at a time when, perhaps, we need it most. To these Americans, ``failure is not an option.'' Here is an example of how a disaster was avoided. In a time when our political leaders seem to waver rather than lead, here, for two hours and 20 minutes, Americans can get the feeling that we once had the right stuff and knew how to use it.
Although surprisingly lacking in tension, the movie cajoles us. It plays to mainstream patriotism and never takes a side trip.
``Apollo 13,'' which many hoped would be a great film, not just a good one, lacks the complex viewpoint of ``The Right Stuff,'' which remains the best film ever made on the American Space program. That 1983 film captured both the glory and the manufactured glory of the program. Its cynical overtones kept away a large audience even though critics admired it. In ``Apollo 13,'' all is direct glorification.
``Apollo 13's'' greatest weapon in this summer's box office race is Tom Hanks. No actor since James Stewart has achieved such a high quotient of nice-guy likability with moviegoers. It is Hanks' presence more than his performance that makes Jim Lovell, the mission's leader, such a winning force. Since the screenplay is based on Lovell's book ``Lost Moon,'' one expects his viewpoint to be at the center of things. He calls his two team members ``gentlemen,'' even in the most harrowing of moments.
Surprisingly, though, the part gives Hanks very little chance to get dramatic. These men are cool, understated and always disciplined - even in the most unusual conditions.
Kevin Bacon is Jack Swigert, the pilot who gets aboard the mission as a last-minute replacement. He's a swinging bachelor on the ground. One of the film's few moments of revealing tension results when his two team members seemingly question his actions just prior to the explosion of an oxygen tank set off the disaster.
Bill Paxton is almost anonymous as Fred Haise, forced to have a fever and sit out most of the film. Faring better, at least in screen time, is Gary Sinise (Hanks' Oscar-nominated co-star in ``Forrest Gump'') as Ken Mattingly, the astronaut who is scrapped at the last moment because he had been exposed to measles. In a drunken state of disappointment he is called in to simulate space conditions in an all-out effort to figure out how to get the three men back to earth.
Ed Harris is Gene Krantz, the mission director back in Houston. He berates his underlings to rise to the occasion and look for solutions, not pity.
Surprisingly, it is Kathleen Quinlan's performance as Marilyn Lovell that is most remembered. Her staunch efforts to support her children and remain balanced create an unforgettable picture of strength amid potential tragedy.
The film doesn't go out of its way to MAKE us care, but, yes, we do care. ``Apollo 13'' is not the great film we hoped it would be, but it is a simple, straightforward presentation of an American effort that is worthy of celebration. MEMO: Mal's rating: three stars
ILLUSTRATION: Universal City Studios color photo
From left, Bill Paxton, Kevin Bacon and Tom Hands...
by CNB