Outland (Widescreen/Full Screen)

I sought out this movie because I heard CBC's Jesse Wente name it among his 'Top Five Movie Remakes' films, in the same company with 'The Magnificent Seven'. He claimed it was a remake of 'High Noon', the Gary Cooper western classic. So I went online and found a used copy. My wife and I watched it together and for the first quarter of the film it is a stretch to see the connection to High Noon. As the film progressed, it became evident that it is, indeed, the same story. Just set in a mining colony on a moon of Jupiter instead of a small western town. Post-Bond Connery is great, even though one wonders why his character set about baiting the bad guys so soon after his arrival in the mining colony. This film is engaging and intriguing. The future, as seen in 1981, holds up not too badly once you get past all the Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) displays. Almost a hundred years ago, futurists visualized the citizens of the late 20th century whizzing about in their own personal flying machines - made of sticks and fabric, like the very first flying machines that the futurists of the day could not see beyond. Well, the future doesn't hold any CRT displays, and doubtless there will be viewers who will pick other holes in the Outland sets. Nevertheless, this is a very good film, worth watching for its storyline and Sean Connery's performance, as well as Peter Hyams' directing. Too bad about the letterbox widescreen presentation. It's too small, and when zoomed in, the sets are just right to create annoying moiré interference patterns. You'll have to play with the zoom setting to minimize these. I think this film will be worthy of re-mastering in a new HD DVD, but it may take a resurgence of interest in Peter Hyams' films, or in Sean Connery's career before that happens. For now, in my opinion this older DVD production is worth finding and watching. Very enjoyable.

Classic Sci-Fi spin on High Noon, with a great cast lead by Sean Connery (need I say more). Saw it on the big screen when it was first out, still holds up well. Only real concerns was what's up with the future and shotguns. Otherwise the disk is good, nothing fancy, but well worth it.

I'm a big fan of 'High Noon' and when I heard that this movie was a) a remake of it b) directed by Peter Hyams I had to get it. I was intrigued how it would be updated to set it in space... except the 'High Noon' connection is more tenuous than I was led to believe; it's really only the last part of the film.

Like a lot of Hyams work it feels dated now, the special effects in particular. All the model shots, for example, have been filmed too fast; they needed more frames to give a sense of scale. This is mystifying because it was made post 'Star Wars'. Indeed the influence of 'Star Wars' and especially 'Alien' is felt throughout. I guess the production didn't have enough money. That said, it uses its budget wisely and by repeating the various sets over and over (from different angles and with a variety of lighting) you get the sense of a big colony - a trick I guess was learnt from Ridley Scott.

One thing limited budget can't excuse is the script. In places the dialogue is toe-curlingly stilted. The characters also lack depth and there's very little in the way of motivation for either O'Neill or Lazarus. Although the last line is neat, the ending is rather inconclusive.

Despite all this there are some virtuoso moments. The chase through the colony is exhilarating - a perfect example of mobile camerawork in an age when that was easier said than done.

Not a classic - but an interesting curio and worth a watch for that.