Apollo 13
Apollo 13 was an exhilarating film that provided suspense and excitement. I enjoyed the two different perspectives, one being from the astronauts standpoint and the other from Houston. Both were vital to the mission and reputation at stake. The crew encountered problem after problem and even in the most desperate of times, including when most electrical power was shut down and co2 was at extreme levels, the crew with the technical assistance of ground control, persevered to bring the astronauts safely back to earth. Lives and reputation were at stake and it would have been big news around the world if these astronauts had failed to survive. What I really liked about this movie was the overall excitement of encountering difficult and many times complex issues and finding a way to stay positive and fix the issue. There really wasn't a dull moment in this film. It was interesting to see how ground control operated and their significance to the survival of the astronauts. Most of the time they worked together, with the exception of some rash decisions being made by intelligent individuals, that actually turned out to work. I really hope to see humans on the moon again in the next 10-15 years. It is crazy to think that the United States, let alone any other space exploration team, has not gone to the moon in decades. I also want to see humans someday reach mars which would be a huge milestone for our advanced technology. It will happen, but the question is when.
As I mentioned above, I think the main theme in this film is perseverance. There were so many times in this film where the astronauts were on the brink of death, but somehow ground control and the crew found a way to solve the issue and not give up. There were so many things going wrong and it was easy just to say that they were doomed. However, Houston never stopped working to improve the situation and the Crew never once quit on themselves or mission control. Problem after problem, solution after solution, the team persevered and this is the only reason they were able to return safely. The lesson learned from this mission was that failure is not an option. It sounds cliche, but it really does mean something. So much was on the line in this case and everybody did the most they could to ensure no lives would be lost.