Apollo 13: The Imax Experience

Apollo 13: The Imax Experience

In an era where screens shrink and theaters vanish, the new trend of rereleasing films in IMAX is a step in the right direction. Ron Howard’s “Apollo 13,” which opens today at Navy Pier’s IMAX theater, looks lean and mean on the big screen, and it has never sounded better or perhaps could have never sounded better, because IMAX employs some 70 speakers.

“Apollo 13” does not take place mostly in space. That kind of adventure epic needs a bigger screen so its effects play better. “Star Wars,” which is headed for IMAX theaters, fits that description nicely. “Apollo 13” is a thriller-drama that spends much of its time within enclosed spaces: The space capsule; mission control; the homes of those waiting on Earth.

The movie recreates the story of Apollo 13, which was aborted after an onboard explosion crippled it en route to the moon. In an exercise of desperate improvisation, crew members and ground support staff figure out how to bring it back without killing them all: Siphon life-support from both mother capsule and lunar module; navigate into a terrifyingly narrow angle between too steep (burn up) and too shallow (skip off into eternal orbit).

Tom Hanks plays astronaut Jim Lovell with his usual grace under pressure. Bill Paxton is Fred Haise, who could really use a new set of underwear. Kevin Bacon is Jack Swigert, who might be able to find one for him. On Earth, Gary Sinise is Ken Mattingly, who doesn’t get to go because he might have had German measles once; Ed Harris is Gene Kranz, flight director from central casting; Kathleen Quinlan as Lovell’s wife Marilyn tries to explain to their children that “something broke on Daddy’s spaceship.”

The movie has been trimmed by about 20 minutes for this release. It was filmed in widescreen and has been cropped from the sides to fit IMAX. Neither change vexed me. I am usually an opponent of pan-and-scan, but understand when it is used to salvage a different projection format. The detail and impact of the screen here essentially creates a new way of seeing the film.

Watch Apollo 13: The Imax Experience For Free On Gomovies.