Hadn't heard much good about this so was expecting it to be laughable, dull and dated, but actually really enjoyed it. Not as great as Alien or Blade Runner, but sits fairly comfortably in the same kind of tonal ballpark.
Hey space sheriff, since you're in a contained environment, and since, according to this movie, contact with the outside vacuum causes instant head explosion, why not try enforcing justice with martial arts, a baton, a taser, or perhaps even a gun smaller than what you might use to hunt gorillas or elephants?
Solid and enjoyable sci-fi flick. Gritty vision of future with mega corporations where only profit matters and one guy wants to do the right thing (Sean Connery's acting was awesome).
It's kinda sorta a blatant ripoff of High Noon if we are being honest. Connery is still fun to watch and the worldbuilding is decent but if you're a major fan of the western then I'm afraid there is simply no comparison.
Outland probably didn't need to be set on Io, as it's essentially a cop drama about Sean Connery investigating drug-related deaths in an outlying mining station. It could have been set in the Great White North or on an oil rig, for example. But seeing as it IS set on one of Jupiter's moons, they (eventually) make the best of it and give us a finale that makes full use of the deadly alien environment. This is definitely a movie informed by Alien's success, with industrial spaces, financial concerns, and gory violence, but it's a more grounded, human story. I like Connery's motivation, going up against a corrupt system for personal rather than ethical reasons (and yet, it's not what I just made it sound like), but the real MVP is Frances Sternhagen as a cantankerous doctor who is called to help our hero in his hour of need, whether she likes it or not. And maybe she likes it. Explosive decompression is silly and unscientific in this movie, but the effects are generally good, especially the compositing in "space walk" scenes. It won't change your life, but Outland is a well-constructed SF thriller.
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Comments 1 - 10 of 10
sushantv10
I guess they tried to do a "High Noon" in space ....a decent effort.the3rdman
Pretty good space western with excellent set design. Seems to have flown under the radar but it's well worth checking out if you're into sci fi.badblokebob
Hadn't heard much good about this so was expecting it to be laughable, dull and dated, but actually really enjoyed it. Not as great as Alien or Blade Runner, but sits fairly comfortably in the same kind of tonal ballpark.sureup
@sushantv10 exactly what I thought. Decent film.greenhorg
Hey space sheriff, since you're in a contained environment, and since, according to this movie, contact with the outside vacuum causes instant head explosion, why not try enforcing justice with martial arts, a baton, a taser, or perhaps even a gun smaller than what you might use to hunt gorillas or elephants?Earring72
Underrated movie!!! Still holds up.samfenn
Classic 80s sci-fi. Connery is very good at that, isn't he?Puchoo
Solid and enjoyable sci-fi flick. Gritty vision of future with mega corporations where only profit matters and one guy wants to do the right thing (Sean Connery's acting was awesome).DisneyStitch
It's kinda sorta a blatant ripoff of High Noon if we are being honest. Connery is still fun to watch and the worldbuilding is decent but if you're a major fan of the western then I'm afraid there is simply no comparison.Siskoid
Outland probably didn't need to be set on Io, as it's essentially a cop drama about Sean Connery investigating drug-related deaths in an outlying mining station. It could have been set in the Great White North or on an oil rig, for example. But seeing as it IS set on one of Jupiter's moons, they (eventually) make the best of it and give us a finale that makes full use of the deadly alien environment. This is definitely a movie informed by Alien's success, with industrial spaces, financial concerns, and gory violence, but it's a more grounded, human story. I like Connery's motivation, going up against a corrupt system for personal rather than ethical reasons (and yet, it's not what I just made it sound like), but the real MVP is Frances Sternhagen as a cantankerous doctor who is called to help our hero in his hour of need, whether she likes it or not. And maybe she likes it. Explosive decompression is silly and unscientific in this movie, but the effects are generally good, especially the compositing in "space walk" scenes. It won't change your life, but Outland is a well-constructed SF thriller.