Outland (1981) Retrospective / Review
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Outland (1981) Retrospective / Review
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I feel the relationship between Connery & Frances Sternhagen, who plays the doctor, elevates this film to a classic sf gem.
pdshiff Her cranky, bad-tempered but courageous character as Connery’s sole ally willing to help him was a hoot - she’s excellent in this role and film.
The doctor is a smart arse to everyone, then Connery comes around and says he'll 'kick her arse all over the room'. I would have loved to have seen that happen.
I always thought Outland was a great movie.
A good example of how sharp the writing is in this is that the marshal was specifically brought to the station because they thought he was corrupt and would play along. When he realizes this he hates who has become and turns against it. Most writers would have just made him a paragon of virtue from the beginning with no flaws. An idealized hero that is barely human.
I don't remember that part. I thought they just wanted to get rid of him by sending him somewhere where he wouldn't be a nuisance. I will have to watch it again.
porcupineracer2 You are correct. He was sent to this crappy isolated mining colony because he was a pain in the ass to the management in his past assignments. That's why Shepard was questioning him in the beginning of the movie to make sure O'Neil was going to be cooperative.
This really is one of those criminally underrated films. The effects look a bit dated (some of the bluescreen shots stick out) and the pace is a very slow boil, but the cast is excellent (with special mention to Peter Boyle in what I believe is one of his few villainous roles), the story rock solid and the performances all hitting the right notes. As a sci/fi film it may feel you leaving a bit wanting, but as western/crime drama, it's damn near pitch perfect in my opinion. :)
@Russ Gallagher Thank you. Fixed it.
Yes it is a western in space.
I find this movie to be pretty average. It’s not good or bad it’s just “meh” relative to other similar films from that era like Alien, Aliens, Blade Runner, Total Recall, etc.
@@sonnyblack0870 It's certainly on a slower burn and more low key than the ones you mentioned. And that can test the patience of some. No hate if you don't dig it. Just not your jam and there's nothing wrong with that.
I love Outland. It owes much to high noon but this is a plus point. This sort of slow burn is very much out of fashion these days, more’s the pity. The pacing is very ‘Arrival’ by Villeneuve and like the first 75% of sunshine, which is a triumph before slightly losing its way.
A sci-fi movie made 100% for adults, just like "Alien" and "The Thing". Not very common anymore.
exactly, now all block buster movies are created for kids and china
We need a return to these days.
We need a return to these days.
Let's not forget that there was a fair amount of crappy sci-fi movies in the 80's, too.
@@richardmalcolm1457 , yes, but those crappy movies back then were created with a budget of like 50k $. Today they can't create a good movie even with all the money in the world.
This movie was BADDASS. I feel like Total Recall, Alien, Blade Runner and Soldier were all in the same universe.
I just found out about this film yesterday and watched it today, god damn it's awesome! Classic hard science action movie that belongs in the collection with those films!
Youre right they are in the same world, except for the Total Recall. but that is somethin one can overlook imho. Its almost there.
Soldier is actualy set in Blade Runner's universe (officialy).
NorthPrime Production & Design With except of total recall alien soilder Blade runner are in same universe
@@francoisgermain3991 I always loved the fact that Kurt Russell has "Tanhauser Gate" listed as one of the battles he fought in.
"My men?................................My men are shit" (walks away in disgust). Epic line delivery!
Oh, Lord!
You can imagine these guys mining the ore the Nostromo was hauling in Alien
Fun fact: The salvage crew that is picking up Ripleys escape pod in the beginning of Aliens are actually wearing the spacesuits from Outland.
In my head it is so the same universe :)
As well as both films sharing similar production design, the general moral nihilism of the characters in Outland suggests that they could quite easily be Weyland-Yutani employees.
I've must've watch this movie a 1,000 times back in the day when HBO had like 4 movies a month and each one would air several times a day. It was awesome.
This is one of my favorite scifi films. I especially like that there weren't any aliens.
Why
It was a nice change from the average sci-fi (as much as I love Alien, some of the plastic creature shots (or later franchise CGI) take away from the mystery). We need to live as if, until proven otherwise, the Fermi Paradox is true. This story sets that precedent.
this movie also has two of Sean's best quotes (apart from bond) - "I'd like it really soon. Or I might just kick your nasty ass all over this room." and "my men? My men are shit!"
One of the greatest films ever made. Also one of the most under-rated.
Definitely under-rated but not one of the greatest. I can forgive some of the special effects (heads exploding, cheap version of a zero-G chamber) but the kid who plays O'Niel's son was near-worthless. Peter Hyams had to have known how bad his performance was upon first viewing. Why the kid wasn't replaced and his scenes reshot is a mystery to me. It wouldn't have taken much time or extra money considering how few scenes he was actually in. I'm going to guess that he's only in the movie because Hyams owed one of his parents a favor and couldn't replace him.
For me, his odd performance strengthens the fact that the kid has been born and raised on space stations and has never set foot on Earth. He's obviously immature for his age and socially inept due to his upbringing.
Not even close.
100%! Outland is by far my favorite film, however I have to say that Paris, Texas is my favorite film of all time because it contains the greatest scene of any movie i've ever seen.
@@ElectoneGuy Yeah, I see the same
This is a great "late night with the lights off" sci-fi thriller. This flick is like a perfect stylistic bridge between Alien and Aliens: Special Edition (the extra scenes of the mining colony at the beginning).
Saw this at the theater when it came out. Thought it was GREAT. Space flick with SHOTGUNS...now that's real and gritty. This one is is high on my all time list.
Shotguns ... More realistic... Btw- Riggs used one in Aliens (2)
Peter Boyle, so awesome. You guys realize the bad guy is Ray Romano's dad from Everyone Love Ray right?
And Connery's female sidekick is Cliff's mom from Cheers.
@@StromBugSlayer and the guy who's head blows up at the start is Cliff from Cheers!
He’s Taxi Driver too
NOOO... I thought it was another Peter Boyle
Young Frankenstein
Good observations in regards to Shepherd!. Cheers for the feedback. :)
Now that you've covered Peter Hyams, you should do 2010 next. Very underrated film.
AND Capricorn One.
I just watched Outland for the first time last night. It's a very well made film. It could be described as a space western that has a strong central performance from Connery and solid special effects. I would recommend a watch if your a fan of Sean Connery, westerns and the sci-fi genre.
I liked this movie a lot, visuals, acting and overall atmosphere of the movie is really great. Well worth watching.
yer I loved this movie, really under rated.
High Noon in Space.
Awsome....
I think that was the tagline for a Full Moon flick called 'Oblivion'.
Thank you very much!. yes definitely check out ' Outland ' and make sure you watch it on blu ray. It received a great remaster.
I feel like Alien, Outland and Bladerunner all coexist in the same cinema universe. Bladerunner for Earth, cislunar space, Outland is like the colonies,
Alien like the overarching reach of humankind going out to the stars.
Same set decorator and costume designer as "Alien". ;-)
@@redadamearth OK, that makes total sense!
Thank you.I enjoy all of your reviews. I have had Outland for many years and like you, have watched it countless times and have never grown tired of it. Frances Sternhagen is priceless
I saw this last month. Very atmospheric and tense in places with a commanding turn from Connery. I wish he was more like this in the disappointing Never Say Never Again.
The score by goldsmith is terrific!
Nice positive review. It has its flaws but overall is very underrated. Nice to have a sci-fi without relying on alien invaders or robots (although I love them) for a change.
Informative retrospective. I will have to revisit this 80s classic.
As a young, ten-year old boy and HUGE Alien fan, Outland was a sure viewing.
It was very gritty, violent/bloody and tensely scary! I really felt for Connery's character.
High Noon in Space. I absolutely LOVE this movie.
It would be awesome if this was in the same universe as the Alien films. I could totally see it. The set designs are extremely similar, both stories have a nefarious but distant corporation pulling the strings, and even the uniforms appear very similar, down to the logo designs.
They could be set in the same universe :)
Late reply, but it probably wouldnt surprise you that the Costumes in Alien and Outland (and Event Horizon) were all desingned by the same guy, John Mollo.
It's interesting to note that the spacesuits (minus the helmet) from this movie were later worn by the salvage team that rescues Ripley at the start of Aliens.
@@rubencastro811 Then like the art directer of Soldier said that the art places it in the Blade Runner Universe, this IS the same Universe as Alien!
Art, Set design, Model construction and design, even the music were all done by the same crew that made Alien. the director and cast were the only thing that really changed.
I always loved outland. Great review
When star wars first aired on "ontv" it was one of the three they played galaxy of terror, star wars: a new hope, then Outland, it was a great retelling of high noon
I remember seeing this movie in an old picture theatre, close to my area, in 1981 on a Tuesday morning session. They even had a wurlizter organ playing before the feature.
This appeared in a graphic novel format in Heavy Metal Magazine in 1981 as well...
love this movie.
This was one of my favorite Movies...I remember the SciFi Magazines with OUTLAND o front page, and Alien. The late 70s and mid 80s were a great time for scifiadventure. This was a very unique view of a space movie...with out lazers and monsters...loved Connery.
He was a convincing Space Marshal.
Finally got a copy of this underrated Film, gotta love book off
the sound at the beginning, simply awesome!
This is one of the first movies I remember ever seeing in my life as a toddler in the 80s. The scene where the guy goes down the lift into open space was the creepiest shit I've ever seen and scared the hell out of me.
I watched this film more than 10 times so far. One of my favorite Connery movies.
Great movie! Great review as always. I just have a problem with the Jupiter moon Io in a movie which has a very realistic feel to it. It is virtually impossible to colonize due to its intense geological, tidal and volcanic activity, the other three large Jupiter moons have different issues - certainly not ideal for mining...... A fictional Planet and moon would have been better. Yep, sometimes the less one knows about a certain subject, the better... I apologize for the nerdy talk. I don't want to spoil the movie for anyone. I simply ignore astrophysics in most sci-fi movies anyway. I still recommend this movie though. Sean Connery holds it all together and is just great here.
Well, I think the socio-economic hypothetical aspect of what mining on any PLAUSIBLE body in the solar system (such as an asteroid, or a safer moon, such as Titan) is well thought out here; abusing miners for the sake of easy profits is an old tyranny that could arise again under isolated circumstances, for colonial government taking advantage of isolation to get away with crimes is an equally old tyranny.
As for the ridiculously exaggerated decompressions, which would be overboard anywhere the film was set, I think that arose from the macabre sensationalism surrounding a deep sea decompression accident a few years earlier where several sailors did, indeed, die like that, prompting Hollywood to conclude that all decompression was the same. Thing is, there is considerable difference between suddenly dropping from 9 atmospheres to 1, and from just 1 to 0. That's my nitpick for the day.
+Ryan Schneider True! Sometimes ignorance is bliss.... I myself always have an issue with non-musician actors playing a musical instrument. It will never look realistic to me and throws me off. Russel Crowe in "Master and Commander" clearly had training (the bowing looks quite accurate) but I have seen way too many pro violinists to spot after one single frame (LOL) that he has no clue. For starters: his "coach" forgot to teach him vibrato. Crowe holds his left hand dead still while we hear the glorious vibrato of the violinist who actually recorded the track. Oh well...
yes definitely do. Make sure you watch it on Blu-ray. The remaster is fantastic.
One other bit of merchandising was a novelization written by Alan Dean Foster, who also wrote the novelization of "Alien". It's a well-written book, which gives some background on life at the mining colony, as well as filling in a couple of plot holes (like why O'Neil doesn't call the space station for help with the killers).
Those decompression death scenes always scared the hell out of me.
One of my favorite Sean Connery films next to Presidio.
Good concise look back at this under-rated sci-fi thriller which relocates the rough frontier mining town to the outer solar system. Frances Sternhagen is excellent in her supporting role and it's worth noting just how underplayed Peter Boyle's performance is, perhaps too underplayed - calm and even-toned delivery of lines you'd expect him to deliver in anger.
I had to track this down a few years ago and got lucky to find it on DVD. Not bad, I was a kid when it came out but remembered parts of it.
I love this film. The font is unusual. A mixture of upper and lowercase letters.
cheers buddy, glad you enjoyed the video.
I remember seen this as a teenager on TV. One of the few movies in my life that was really memorable - what a fantastic movie role for Sean Connery. So him, yet so not him (in his usual roles). You have made me go rent this again. Thanks!
When you watch it make sure you watch it in HD!. The picture quality of my review is from that source. Cheers for the feedback bud.
This is one of the best channels on RUclips!
Ages ago i have seen it, it must have been at my peak interested in Bond back like twenty years ago! Need to revisit it!
Peter Boyle is amazing in this. His best performance?
one of my favorite movies. classic western in space story. thanks for the review! !
Here is a fresh comment - Very and truly underrated Sean Connery gem! Nostalgic for me first finding it on VHS, then on TV and now Blue-ray. Great story and acting from just about everyone.
I enjoyed this movie very much on several viewings. You can see it borrows it's mood and atmosphere a lot from Alien and a couple of others like the 1972 classic 'Silent Running', but it has a voice of its own. Good hommage to 'High Noon'.
This movie is timeless, it's one of the classics for me. No doubt about it.
Great Video
I remember watching my dads video of this a lot when I was little, I guess I should re watch because I remember really liking it :)!
Thank you Scott. Yeah its a movie I never get tired of.
yeah i did hear Jerry had a tough time on ALIEN. The editor Terry Rawlings and Ridley had temped a lot of the movie with Jerry's older music and wanted to use that. They went into detail about the score on the DVD/ Blu ray documentaries.
Frances Sternhagen's performance is also great!! Imagine her character aboard the spaceship in Alien. Perfect match.
Really good movie.The soundtrack is amazing also.
Pretty accurate review. It also has some of that "one good cop in a rotten barrel" vibe and the usual crutch of drugs as a plot-driving device.
You can count the number of 80's sci-fi films that still hold up well on both hands - and OUTLAND is one of 'em. Not as groundbreaking as BLADE RUNNER, not as iconic as TERMINATOR, nor as taut as ALIENS, OUTLAND still manages a surprisingly compelling take on HIGH NOON in space. The effects still largely hold up, even if the science is more careless; but it's Connery's performance that still rides over any weak spots.
Rest In Peace ✌️ Sean Connery 1930 -2020
They reused some of the sets that were recycled from Alien. This was filmed in the same studio in London. It does have that creepy atmosphere too.
In my top five best space westerns...and yes it fits into the Weyland/Yutani corperate Universe well. The suits alone reminded me of Alien.
Found it on VHS some years back. Another case of a great movie nobody ever heard of.
You know what's really cool...the enemy in the film is man...not mister making everything almost everything about the film...possible to occur
It's very rare to see the villain not some truly evil guy. They do that in nearly every film. It's lazy writing to make the good guy who kills him and henchmen work. Basically everything in hollywood is the good guys vs Hitler and the Nazis. When there's a film about killing Nazis then no one questions why they're killing Nazis. They don't show them as humans, just purely entertainment fodder. That's what villains are in most shitty films. In real life most enemies are complex and make good points about WHY they're doing what they're doing, and the good guy struggles with deciding on how to handle the situation until the bad guy out of desperation crosses the line and forces his hand.
I really like when there's a powerful bad guy who makes killing someone a really huge part of his life, like the mafia don who keeps giving a guy chance after chance, because it's real, when that guy vanishes then the heat will be on him! The villain doesn't have to be cold-blooded like his henchman, he's the thinker/boss that keeps those lunatics in line. But in shitty films they make him even more deadly and sinister! It's like when a General is leading the charge with his army. Total bullshit. He's the tactician and too valuable to be getting his hands dirty. It just buggs the hell out of me.
Even watching this as an 12 yo pimple faced youth still on my Star Wars high this film truly effected me on a dramatic level .
This was one of my first sci fi drama experiences and i was enthralled from the first frame. The tension in almost every scene is palpable and it just builds to this understated but suspenseful crescendo .
I think it may have only done modest box office biz because it didn't feature monsters or aliens or a fantastical Mars setting, it was all very realistic
Great Film ....Glad to see this film get some recognition over the yrs.
Looks and sounds like another gem I've gotta watch. Great stuff as always, Oliver Harper.
haha. go buy it!. its probably cheap!. Comes with a commentary from Peter Hyams!. Great remaster as well.
I would say this could be a prequel to Alien. It is not as far into the future as Alien, and closer to home, with no interstellar travel. In this story humanity's farthest reach is merely Jupiter, not other solar systems.
except for one tiny thing.....
both films are owned by different movie studios
DrQuagmire1
Yes, obviously not an OFFICIAL prequel, but the plot follows well, and nothing contradicts Outland taking place years before Alien in a VERY similar universe.
RetroRobotRadio true. if anything, a movie like this could be considered a side-quel. meaning it takes place in the same universe, while not directly connected to the series itself. especially since the late great Jerry Goldsmith did the music for both this and "Alien.
There is also similar themes of a cut throat corporation with off world interests
that see's it's personnel as expendable.There is also tension between the government
personnel (Federal Marshal/Colonial Marines) and the corporate representative.
The film could take place around the time as Alien.Even during the time of Alien,there had
to industrial activity close to home in the Solar System and star flight is likely very expensive.
It would make sense that older,proven forms of interplanetary spaceflight,while slow,would
still be the most efficient mode of travel.
Not to mention the very similar sets and costume design. It basically looks like "Alien" without the Alien. :)
Another fantastic review, Oliver! Funny to think Pay Roach trying to kill Sean Connery's character in this and then Last Crusade, only a few years later.
I just watched this on STARZ, I’ve never seen it before. It has Lots of action and Sean Connery being Sean Connery, which I love. I love good Sci-fi westerns. And I really enjoyed the ending.
Thank you for this. I saw this movie when it first came out in the theatres and I loved it from the beginning. I still watch it from time to time and you're right -- you never get bored with it.
One of my favorite sci-fi movies, great cinematography, music, lighting, and acting. Very engaging and has memorable scenes that will stay with me forever (like one of the drug dealers walking through the quarters and the way he looks around and moves)
What a magical time for movies. Late 70's to late 80's. Nothing compares and ever will.
I just came across you reviews. I thought it would be good if you reviewed Outland then saw this. I think Outland is a very under rated film. I love the atmosphere and tension created throughout, especially shots of the countdown clock signalling impending showdown.
A rare sci fi movie that feels like the real world. The new TV sci fi series 'The Expanse' feels very similar.
Whenever I see Peter Boyle in this I feel like he's Rob Reiner.
I especially enjoy the part of this movie that shows that Sean's character is a bit of an A-hole but for righteous reasons and he's stuck on a crap assignment because he wouldn't go along with corruption. So he's actually a true hero.
I saw this movie with my family as an 11year old. It was my first rated R movie. My dad wanted us see Escape from New York, but it was already done with theatrical run. A great flick. One of my high school science teachers made references to the idea of decompression in space.
The Outland comic looks very cool. It's a good story concept, and not a bad sci-fi movie. It's kind of the beginnings of the cool 80s sci-fi tech in the movies. Like Aliens, RoboCop,and others.
Still love this movie,Brilliant on blu ray & bought the full length cd soundtrack,love Jerry goldsmith & miss his music,he’s one of a kind.
Good post Joe!.
I always have up on this film but after watching this piece I'm going to watch it properly. Looks good and gritty and great to hear Goldie!
Just watched my Blu-Ray of this film I just purchased. So cool. I haven't seen it since watching it as a kid on SelecTv back in the 80's.
you had me at High Noon in space
I think it does exist in the Alien universe. I always saw a Trinity of movies: Blade Runner showing what the future looks like on the Earth, Outland showing how resources are obtained, and Alien showing how they are transported to Earth.
I would not call the movie great, but it is definitely solid. Totally agree with your review, the Alien "look" is all over this movie, a nice little reference to Weyland-Yutani would have been great in this. Sometimes i think that Alien, Outland and Blade Runner take place in the same universe...
Grift76600
Alien and Blade Runner ARE in the same universe.
Cheers Drew!
Love ur reviews and like the fact that u don't do the usual top movies but cover a wide range of genre.
There must be something said about the stellar supporting performance of Frances Sternhagen as Dr. Lazarus. She clicked with Sean Connery and really made her role vital in the film. She had also been previously compared to Sigourney Weaver’s character of Ellen Ripley of Alien but I feel Sternhagen’s character of Dr. Lazarus would be more similar to an Army combat surgical nurse like Sally Kellerman’s role in M*A*S*H (1970 movie) or commander of a military medical hospital.
I have always placed Outland in the Alien universe in my head canon. I also feel the creators of Isolation felt this too as the law enforcement on the station are referred to as Marshals and their uniform and insignia bear a resemblence to those in Outland.
I watched this movie many years ago but never gave it much attention, you reckon I should give this a second try ?
I know it's been three years since your post, but I believe Outland is worth viewing more than once. When I was itching for a Bluray to buy I picked this one despite having only seen it once, and that was maybe two decades earlier. I bought it, watched it and never regretted it. Despite a few minor issues the movie just feels *right*. It has a great atmosphere, great music and nearly every actor turns in a solid performance. I watched it a few months back late one night and I expect to watch it once more within a few weeks. Everything that's right about this movie really holds up to repeated viewings in my opinion.
One thing you didn't realise was that the character of Dr. Lazarus was written for a male actor. They changed that to Frances Sternhagen but didn't change a single word of the script. Not a lot of people know that.
Thank you Oliver, for another excellent review! One of the greatest aspects of "Outland" is that it is realistic. No aliens, no fantastic FTL ships. It is a gritty movie that could easily become reality on a mining outpost. One of the taglines is "Even in space, the ultimate enemy is man." - which is probably the case (other than the deadly environment. Corporations care nothing about their employees as long as the employees get the job done. And with Earth's population increasing it's easy to see people wanting a space mining job no matter what. That acting is excellent. Great movie (IMHO).
The best sci-fi adaptation of the classic western "High Noon" starring Gary Cooper and Grace Kelly. "Outland" is another of the criminally overlooked sci-fi movies from the fabulous 1980's.
The conflict between Sean Connery and Peter Boyle is central to the film's effectiveness. Substituting the Dr. Lazarus character (Frances Sternhagen) for Grace Kelly was inspired. The late Jerry Goldsmith's score for the movie was also great.
Great film with absolutely superb production design/art direction and the entire look of the piece is stunning. Features a memorable foot chase and a solid Connery performance although the final climatic high noon showdown is fluffed after a long build up to it.
Excellent review, as always, Olly. This is a real hidden gem that more people need to discover. We need more low key sci-fi thrillers like this nowadays.
Fantastic review as always Olly!
I've still not seen it but this has made me want to get it ASAP!! (Lol at the heads blowing up)
Thanks buddy, really good review!!