Apollo 13 ★★★½ 1995 (PG)

Realistic big-budget reenactment of the 1970 Apollo lunar mission that ran into a “problem” 205,000 miles from home reunites Hanks and Sinese from “F. Gump” and Howard and Hanks from “Splash.” And an enjoyable reunion it is. Explosion in one of two oxygen tanks helping power the spacecraft leaves the three astronauts (led by Hanks) tumbling through space. With the electrical system kaput and oxygen running low, the men seek refuge in the Lunar Excursion Module. Since it's based on the real event and the outcome is known, director Howard concentrates on the personalities and the details of the seven-day adventure at Mission Control and in space, in the process delivering the dramatic payload. Weightless shots are the real deal as crew filmed for ten days and made 600 parabolic loops in a KC-135 jet, NASA's “Vomit Comet,” the long plunge creating 25 seconds of weightlessness. Special effects (by James Cameron's Digital Domain) and set design do the rest; no NASA footage is used, though original TV footage is used to dramatic effect. Script, with an uncredited rewrite by John Sayles, is based on the 1994 book, “Lost Moon,” written by 13's Jim Lovell (who has a cameo as the Navy captain welcoming the astronauts aboard the recovery ship), while Apollo 15 commander David Scott served as a consultant. 140m/ C VHS, DVD, HD DVD . Tom Hanks, Kevin Bacon, Bill Paxton, Gary Sinise, Ed Harris, Kathleen Quinlan, Brett Cullen, Emily Ann Lloyd, Miko Hughes, Max Elliott Slade, Jean Speegle Howard, Tracy Reiner, Michelle Little, David Andrews, Mary Kate Schellhardt, Gabe Jarret, Chris Ellis, Joe Spano, Xander Berkeley, Marc McClure, Clint Howard, Loren Dean, Todd Louiso; D: Ron Howard; W: William Broyles Jr., Al Reinert; C: Dean Cundey; M: James Horner. Oscars '95: Film Editing, Sound; Directors Guild '95: Director (Howard); Screen Actors Guild '95: Support. Actor (Harris), Cast; Blockbuster '96: Drama Actor, T. (Hanks).