My son got the movie Apollo 13 for his birthday. The first time that I saw it, I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. Finally I turned to the other half and said ” Why are we sitting on the edge of our seats? We know how this ends….” Mark of a good movie, I think.
Apollo 13
April 1, 2007
The Hairy Eyeball 
Comments on: "Apollo 13" (2)
I had the same experience watching Apollo 13 for the first time. I suggest that one reason for the “edge of your seat” experience is the use of real news footage of Walter Cronkite, etc., in the movie. They DIDN’T know how it would turn out, and so including that footage really ups the sense of tension and suspense in the movie. One of my favorites.
[Thanks by the way for the link to Lent & Beyond! I just discovered your blog while checking out recent links to L&B. Blessings this Holy Week!]
My daughter is 25, born in 1981. The first time she saw Apollo 13, she did so knowing nothing about the history–she didn’t know how it came out! Talk about sitting on the edge of your seat! When the NASA folks hear the voice of Tom Hanks at the end of the silent period and burst into cheers, she realized she’d been holding her breath. Even knowing the story, I thought it one of the best movies I’d seen in years.