{"id":2026008,"date":"2025-09-16T11:19:11","date_gmt":"2025-09-16T11:19:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2026008"},"modified":"2025-09-16T11:19:11","modified_gmt":"2025-09-16T11:19:11","slug":"i-rewatched-apollo-13-as-an-adult-and-one-part-of-the-story-hit-me-harder-this-time","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/i-rewatched-apollo-13-as-an-adult-and-one-part-of-the-story-hit-me-harder-this-time\/","title":{"rendered":"I Rewatched Apollo 13 As An Adult, And One Part Of The Story Hit Me Harder This Time"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div data-article-body=\"true\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><i>When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission.<\/i><\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-3 right-3 size-10 md:size-[50px] lg:inset-0 lg:size-full lg:bg-transparent\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-0 right-0 rounded-full bg-white p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-white\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"size-4 lg:size-6\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\"><path d=\"M12.372.92c0-.506.41-.916.915-.916L21 0l-.004 7.712a.917.917 0 0 1-1.832 0V3.183l-6.827 6.828-1.349-1.348 6.828-6.828h-4.529a.915.915 0 0 1-.915-.915M1.835 17.816l6.828-6.828 1.349 1.349-6.829 6.827h4.529a.915.915 0 0 1 0 1.831L0 21l.004-7.713a.916.916 0 0 1 1.831 0z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed inset-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-white hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p>Credit: Universal Pictures<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Ron Howard\u2019s 1995 film <em>Apollo 13<\/em> is one of the <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.yahoo.com\/entertainment\/100-best-movies-1990s-232341343.html\" data-ylk=\"slk:best movies of the \u201890s;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;outcm:mb_qualified_link;_E:mb_qualified_link;ct:story;\" class=\"link  yahoo-link\">best movies of the \u201890s<\/a>, winning two Academy Awards (but <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.yahoo.com\/entertainment\/30-best-picture-losers-really-020450364.html\" data-ylk=\"slk:not Best Picture;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;outcm:mb_qualified_link;_E:mb_qualified_link;ct:story;\" class=\"link  yahoo-link\">not Best Picture<\/a>) from nine nominations. The fact that it\u2019s based on the real-life doomed moon mission of Jim Lovell and his crew adds to the suspense and horror, even if you already know how it ends. I decided recently to revisit the movie for the first time in decades, and I was really struck by one story in particular.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">I am so captivated by the majesty of space, and with <em>Apollo 13<\/em> being one of the <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cinemablend.com\/news\/2567237\/the-best-space-movies-and-how-to-watch-them\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:best space movies;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">best space movies<\/a> ever, it was always those scenes \u2014 of Tom Hanks, Bill Paxton and Kevin Bacon\u2019s characters crammed into a broken ship flying through the vastness \u2014 that held my attention when the movie came out. This time, though, I was blown away by Ed Harris\u2019 Gene Kranz and the people on the ground helping to bring the astronauts home.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><img alt=\"Houston's Mission Control is shown in Apollo 13.\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"960\" height=\"540\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/dtmkqhMlmi0QeileZw4uqg--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTU0MDtjZj13ZWJw\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/cinemablend_388\/b55421fbfd41f579ba0afbf046e0cf0a\"\/><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-3 right-3 size-10 md:size-[50px] lg:inset-0 lg:size-full lg:bg-transparent\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-0 right-0 rounded-full bg-white p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-white\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"size-4 lg:size-6\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\"><path d=\"M12.372.92c0-.506.41-.916.915-.916L21 0l-.004 7.712a.917.917 0 0 1-1.832 0V3.183l-6.827 6.828-1.349-1.348 6.828-6.828h-4.529a.915.915 0 0 1-.915-.915M1.835 17.816l6.828-6.828 1.349 1.349-6.829 6.827h4.529a.915.915 0 0 1 0 1.831L0 21l.004-7.713a.916.916 0 0 1 1.831 0z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed inset-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-white hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p>Credit: Universal Pictures<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2 class=\"mb-4 text-xl font-bold md:text-2xl\">The Space Emergency Is Straight-Up Terrifying, But I Was More Fascinated By The Rescue Efforts This Time<\/h2>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">It\u2019s incredible to witness the star power that Tom Hanks, Kevin Bacon and Bill Paxton bring to <em>Apollo 13<\/em> as Jim Lovell, Jack Swigert and Fred Haise, respectively. The audience understands how much this mission means to them, because the first hour of the film shows their preparation, their excitement, their years of work all leading to this moment.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">All too soon their dreams of walking on the moon are vanquished, and it\u2019s a long shot they\u2019ll even make it back to Earth alive. It\u2019s no wonder this used to be my primary focus, with <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.yahoo.com\/entertainment\/32-times-tom-hanks-character-153200544.html\" data-ylk=\"slk:Tom Hanks\u2019 ability to rip our hearts out;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;outcm:mb_qualified_link;_E:mb_qualified_link;ct:story;\" class=\"link  yahoo-link\">Tom Hanks\u2019 ability to rip our hearts out<\/a>, but now, years later, I found that during those tense scenes on the ship, I was really anticipating getting back to Houston to see how their rescue efforts were going.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">I honestly think it was that 1970s technology (or lack thereof) that I found so fascinating.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><img alt=\"Ed Harris in Apollo 13.\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"960\" height=\"540\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/wEWBTtlFgt7FGCrPzVmg3g--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTU0MDtjZj13ZWJw\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/cinemablend_388\/81bb15841974723ccc87dec8940ca482\"\/><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-3 right-3 size-10 md:size-[50px] lg:inset-0 lg:size-full lg:bg-transparent\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-0 right-0 rounded-full bg-white p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-white\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"size-4 lg:size-6\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\"><path d=\"M12.372.92c0-.506.41-.916.915-.916L21 0l-.004 7.712a.917.917 0 0 1-1.832 0V3.183l-6.827 6.828-1.349-1.348 6.828-6.828h-4.529a.915.915 0 0 1-.915-.915M1.835 17.816l6.828-6.828 1.349 1.349-6.829 6.827h4.529a.915.915 0 0 1 0 1.831L0 21l.004-7.713a.916.916 0 0 1 1.831 0z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed inset-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-white hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p>Credit: Universal Pictures<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2 class=\"mb-4 text-xl font-bold md:text-2xl\">My Mind Was Blown By What Mission Control Was Able To Accomplish Without Modern Technology And A.I.<\/h2>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Look, I\u2019m an Xennial, so I\u2019m fully capable of solving math problems without a calculator and doing research without the Internet. Still, now that I\u2019ve had a smartphone and a stable Wi-Fi connection for half of my life (not to mention A.I.), I\u2019ll admit I, like everyone else, have become pretty dependent on the convenience of modern technology.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">This is why I found myself amazed at what the Mission Control workers were capable of. Lives were at stake, and these scientists were calculating degrees of re-entry by hand! With pencils! On paper! There was simply no margin for error, and I couldn\u2019t help but think of how much easier it would be today to just punch some numbers into a machine.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Of course back in the \u201890s, which was probably the last time I watched <em>Apollo 13<\/em>, I had no idea of the technological advancements that were to come, so it makes sense that seeing the analog work didn\u2019t affect me the way it did on this viewing. Back in 1995, the biggest technological achievement in my life was probably a search engine. And not a good one.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><img alt=\"Putting a square peg in a round hole in Apollo 13.\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"960\" height=\"539\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/A_vcyvCZqfUHaUCK_8Woxw--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTUzOTtjZj13ZWJw\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/cinemablend_388\/439bbcda559d82f51d71a0b3dc673158\"\/><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-3 right-3 size-10 md:size-[50px] lg:inset-0 lg:size-full lg:bg-transparent\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-0 right-0 rounded-full bg-white p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-white\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"size-4 lg:size-6\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\"><path d=\"M12.372.92c0-.506.41-.916.915-.916L21 0l-.004 7.712a.917.917 0 0 1-1.832 0V3.183l-6.827 6.828-1.349-1.348 6.828-6.828h-4.529a.915.915 0 0 1-.915-.915M1.835 17.816l6.828-6.828 1.349 1.349-6.829 6.827h4.529a.915.915 0 0 1 0 1.831L0 21l.004-7.713a.916.916 0 0 1 1.831 0z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed inset-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-white hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p>Credit: Universal Pictures<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2 class=\"mb-4 text-xl font-bold md:text-2xl\">What Was More Fascinating Than When They Built That Filter Using Only Things That Were On The Ship?<\/h2>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">One of the big standout moments for me was when the people on the ground had to fashion an air filter using nothing but what the astronauts had on board when carbon dioxide levels started to get dangerously high \u2014 literally figuring out how to fit a square peg in a round hole.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">I\u2019d watch an entire documentary on what I imagine was a grueling trial-and-error process of hacking an air filter using the cover of the crew\u2019s flight plan, some plastic bags, duct tape, etc. MacGyver\u2019s got nothing on these Mission Control heroes! That kind of effort and resourcefulness is just something you don\u2019t see every day \u2014 especially without the help of a YouTube tutorial.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Ken Mattingly (Gary Sinise) \u2014 who was grounded shortly before the launch due to his exposure to measles \u2014 contributed to his colleagues\u2019 rescue in similar fashion. He recreated the conditions of the Aquarius \u201clifeboat\u201d back on Earth to figure out how to power up the craft without using too much power. It appeared to be a slow and frustrating process, but somehow, all involved kept their cool and pressed on until they came up with a solution.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><img alt=\"Ed Harris in Apollo 13.\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"960\" height=\"540\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/6UoCuwBxQreKh49lVJjkZQ--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTU0MDtjZj13ZWJw\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/cinemablend_388\/37660b2e48fa201ae3afac320cb5001c\"\/><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-3 right-3 size-10 md:size-[50px] lg:inset-0 lg:size-full lg:bg-transparent\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-0 right-0 rounded-full bg-white p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-white\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"size-4 lg:size-6\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\"><path d=\"M12.372.92c0-.506.41-.916.915-.916L21 0l-.004 7.712a.917.917 0 0 1-1.832 0V3.183l-6.827 6.828-1.349-1.348 6.828-6.828h-4.529a.915.915 0 0 1-.915-.915M1.835 17.816l6.828-6.828 1.349 1.349-6.829 6.827h4.529a.915.915 0 0 1 0 1.831L0 21l.004-7.713a.916.916 0 0 1 1.831 0z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed inset-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-white hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p>Credit: Universal Pictures<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2 class=\"mb-4 text-xl font-bold md:text-2xl\">Ed Harris\u2019 Award Nominations Make So Much Sense<\/h2>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">I recall Ed Harris being celebrated for his portrayal of flight director Gene Kranz, but I feel like I never fully appreciated the performance \u2014 or the character\u2019s control over the situation \u2014 until my most recent viewing. Harris was nominated for the Best Supporting Actor at the Academy Awards and Golden Globes, and he won in that category at the SAG Awards.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">I know that the famous movie quote, \u201cFailure is not an option,\u201d was not actually uttered by Gene Kranz in real life, but it embodied the man and the mission all the same. What struck me most in Ed Harris\u2019 portrayal of him was how cool he stayed under pressure.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">On my worst day on a job, I have never been tasked with an unprecedented rescue of three of my co-workers, yet I\u2019m sure I\u2019ve gone into a full-blown panic over issues that are trivial in comparison. Not Gene Kranz, though. In fact, it wasn\u2019t until well into the second half of the nearly 2.5-hour film that he even raised his voice, and he may have only done it once.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Instead, he listened to the experts around him, he trusted his people to do their jobs and he found solutions instead of listing the problems. He was focused on bringing his men home \u2014 not worried about lawsuits or running his every move up a corporate ladder, as I imagine would be protocol in a more modern era.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Am I more in awe of Gene Kranz or Ed Harris\u2019 portrayal of him? Honestly, I don\u2019t know (probably both), and I think that speaks to the quality of the film.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><em>Apollo 13<\/em> is one of those <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cinemablend.com\/movies\/movies-about-survival-that-will-take-everything-out-of-you\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:survival movies that leave you exhausted;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">survival movies that leave you exhausted<\/a>, and I\u2019m so glad that it lived up to my memory of how good it was. It\u2019s also interesting to me that watching it again so many years later made me appreciate different aspects of the rescue more, while still enjoying the marvels (and horrors) of space.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><em> \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em> \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.yahoo.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Credit: Universal Pictures Ron Howard\u2019s 1995 film Apollo 13 is one of the best movies of the \u201890s, winning two Academy Awards (but not Best Picture) from nine nominations. The fact that it\u2019s based on the real-life doomed [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2026009,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25172],"tags":[344472,341399,358135,348453,373046,373048,373047,355643,306358,320410],"class_list":["post-2026008","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment","tag-academy-awards","tag-apollo-13","tag-bill-paxton","tag-ed-harris","tag-gene-kranz","tag-jack-swigert","tag-jim-lovell","tag-kevin-bacon","tag-tom-hanks","tag-universal-pictures"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/I-Rewatched-Apollo-13-As-An-Adult-And-One-Part.jpeg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2026008","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2026008"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2026008\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2026009"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2026008"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2026008"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2026008"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}