Outland
On Jupiter's moon he's the only law.
Io, Jupiters innermost moon, hosts mining colony Con-am 27, a high-tech hellhole. There Marchal William T. O'Niel probes some mysterious deaths among the miners. In pursuit of the truth, he's alone.
In Outland, writer/director Peter Hyams depicts a chilling extension of today's corporation-driven world.
Member Reviews
great movie; horrible DVD - Jason70
I don't usually review movies unless something compels me. Well, this one does just that. I put the DVD in, with great expectations because of the many "sci fi movies you haven't seen but should" lists that include this film.
The picture as "flickering" -- moving back and forth in the most annoying fashion. The titles looked horrible and the film itself was at best unclear and at worst annoying almost to the point of being unwatchable.
I washed the disc and tried again: same results. I tried the 4/3 side (it's double sided) and the problem was less pronounced or even gone. But I hate watching films in 4/3 so i went back to the widescreen and watched it on a smaller scale (I have a 47" LCD TV). When not "blown up" on a bigger screen the film is watchable. Barely.
This problem, by the way, is well documented on the net. See amazon.com's site for this movie and see the hundreds of comments about this issues.
So, you're forewarned.
Let's talk about the film. It's a sci fi film that doesn't rely on monsters or special effects. In essence, it's a mining community in space that is faced with issues that are not unique to either the future or space: addiction, greed and one man standing up to the system.
The performances are solid to great and Connery plays the hero with a quiet determination that is more nuanced than his Bond legend. He is at times nervous, scared and frustrated. Yet he is compelled to do the right thing even if it means losing his family and possibly his life.
I've read many times it's "High Noon" in space. I haven't seen that iconic film (but now want to) so I can't comment but it sounds appropriate.
If you want a great drama that happens to take place in space, see this film (on a smaller screen due to the DVD problems, or shrink the picture). If you want aliens and SFX, rent Aliens 2.
Very good film. Three and half stars. Horrible, horrible DVD: 0 stars.Horrible DVD transfer - IPSC_DVC
I like the movie itself, but this is probably the single worst DVD transfer I have ever seen. It looks like they took someone's well-worn VHS tape and copied it. The colours are all washed out, the frames seem to jump/skitter like the tracking was off, and the sound is muted. Both 1997 and 2007 versions are equally bad. Someone needs to take this and give it the "Star Wars" treatment - take it back to the negative, restore, reprint, and transfer.A Great Space Western - MovieProf
Federal Marshall O'Neil (Sean Connery) puts on his best impression of Marshall Will Kane from "High Noon" in this delightful sci-fi action thriller from 1981. Not that Connery is trying to emulate Gary Cooper--it's just that the subject matter bears so strong a resemblance.
The time is the future, the setting a mining operation on Io, one of Jupiter's moons. O'Neil is the mine's new marshall, having only been on the job for two weeks. He quickly discovers a dangerous secret: miners are taking an amphetamine that allows them to work like supermen (the good), but also causes them to have horrible side effects, such as suicidal tendencies (the bad). When O'Neil realses General Manager Sheppard (Peter Boyle) is in on everything, he informs the general manager he will not turn a blind eye like the other deputies on hand do. Sheppard calmly tells him, "You're dead, O'Neil," and O'Neil he knows he is in for the fight of his life.
"Outland" apparently didn't make much of a profit, and reviews at the time of its release were mixed. This disappoints me, as I have always loved this film. The lawman who stands alone in the face of injustice is a theme that works well in westerns, and I think it works equally well here. Perhaps over time more people will learn to appreciate this little gem.
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great movie; horrible DVD - Jason70
I don't usually review movies unless something compels me. Well, this one does just that. I put the DVD in, with great expectations because of the many "sci fi movies you haven't seen but should" lists that include this film.
The picture as "flickering" ...Horrible DVD transfer - IPSC_DVC
I like the movie itself, but this is probably the single worst DVD transfer I have ever seen. It looks like they took someone's well-worn VHS tape and copied it. The colours are all washed out, the frames seem to jump/skitter like the tracking was off, and ...A Great Space Western - MovieProf
Federal Marshall O'Neil (Sean Connery) puts on his best impression of Marshall Will Kane from "High Noon" in this delightful sci-fi action thriller from 1981. Not that Connery is trying to emulate Gary Cooper--it's just that the subject matter bears so strong ...