Apollo 13 (10th Anniversary Widescreen Edition) (DVD)

Universal is offering up the chance for you to return to the moon... almost, as a 10th Anniversary Special Edition of Apollo 13 is in stores now, complete with the original feature length film as well as the version that was shown in IMAX theaters along with a group of special features.

Telling the story of the Apollo 13 space mission, Apollo 13 focuses on the three astronauts heading up the mission as their spacecraft suffers a horrible accident leaving them with little to no oxygen and little to no chance of survival as they find themselves running out of luck and out of time, millions of miles away from home.

As far as this special edition goes it is certainly a space lovers dream as the two featurettes on disc two delve deep into the space program including a recap of the last 45 years in space and a close-up look at the Apollo 13 mission. Disc one also has a very good making-of featurette that talks to just about everyone involved in the making of Apollo 13 including the astronauts that flew the actual mission.

Speaking of the astronauts on the Apollo 13 mission you will also find the voice of Jim Lovell and his wife as they have a feature length commentary, as does Ron Howard. Both commentaries are good but they can also both get a bit tedious. Personally listening to Richie Cunningham talk for 2 hours and 20 minutes is not my idea of fun, and listening to Lovell point out every single flaw in the film can also get a bit tedious and you will soon notice that the phrase "artistic license" quickly becomes Lovell's favorite throughout the commentary.

As for the difference between the Theatrical version of the film and the IMAX version there are two distinct differences, and for me the IMAX is much more appealing. The IMAX version is not only 24 minutes shorter, but it is also offered in DTS sound, which for me is really the best way to watch a film that has all the sound effects that this one has; there is no comparing the difference between the space launch in Dolby 5.1 and DTS, the difference is staggering. But for those of you without the DTS capabilities you will just have to decide if you like the character building extras that have been cut out for the IMAX version or if you want the Apollo 13 mission to be just a bit shorter.

Overall, this is a fantastic DVD for a great movie, and while I probably won't find this one in my player on a consistent basis it is a good DVD to have in your back pocket when you just can't find anything else to watch.