I am definitely going through a space phase. The Expanse, The Martian, and now Apollo 13. And I am thoroughly enjoying this phase. Space is just…incredible. It is infinite, deadly, beautiful and full of mysteries. Every time some man-made item, or humans themselves, land up in space, I am left euphoric. How crazy is that? People have managed to land on the Moon. THE MOON! And now there is a rover on MARS. Like WOW.

Anyway, Apollo 13 is a great film and you need not take my word for it, Astronaut and all around incredible human,Chris Hadfield, says it is. It tells the incredible true story of three heroic astronauts journeying to the moon when the ship’s oxygen tank bursts and they need to abort the mission. They then work to return home (the Earth) safely. They are aided by all the brilliant people at NASA and this is the story of how they solved one crazy problem after another in Space. SPACE! There cannot be a deadlier space in the world than space. Have I mentioned space yet? SPACE.

The film stars Tom Hanks as Jim Lovell, the commander of Apollo 13, and is joined by Kevin Bacon as CM Pilot Jack Swigert and Bill Paxton as LM Pilot Fred Haise. The three along with the rest of the cast provide a gripping performance that captures a range of emotions fitting the situation. I dare not say realistic as I do not know what would be realistic in such a scenario. Nevertheless, they are entertaining, nuanced and believable.

The story is well paced, and one of those rare occasions where the truth can be told as is, with little to no alteration, while still being entertaining. The characters want to get to the moon but are faced with a threat to their lives. They must overcome their personal desires and grievances to work together to make it back safely. The stakes are as high as they can be and the story works to do them justice while also ensuring an optimistic, hopeful tone.

This film at the end of the day is a testament to human spirit, and a reason to travel into space and aim for the stars.