Apollo 13 [Special Edition]

Apollo 13 receives the kind of treatment very few films are fortunate enough to benefit from on this accurately titled collector's edition DVD. The widescreen anamorphic transfer preserves the original theatrical aspect ratio of 2.35:1. English, Spanish, and French soundtracks are rendered in Dolby Digital 5.1. Spanish subtitles are accessible, and the English soundtrack is closed-captioned. The supplemental materials make this one of the most interesting discs ever produced. The director Ron Howard is joined on his commentary track by Jim Lovell and his wife Marilyn. His accounts of the actual events, along with the original documentary "Triumph of Apollo 13" adds a layer of historical context missing from many discs concerned with actual events. Production notes, cast and crew biographies, and a theatrical trailer round out this package that will please film buffs, DVD buffs, NASA buffs, and history buffs. There is truly something for everybody on this spectacular release.