Capricorn One
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Movie Reviews of Capricorn One
Movie Review: The movie where OJ's the one who gets killed
Summary: 4 Stars
I first heard about this film on the ...FOX special "Did We Really Go to the Moon?" Interested, I went and bought it. I was not disappointed. It goes like this: NASA discovers that there's a problem with the Mars spacecraft's life support. NASA kidnaps the astronauts and fakes the mission so the government won't cut off their funding. A reporter (Elliot Gould) picks up on the story and tries to follow it up, only to see his informants mysteriously vanish. When the real spacecraft burns up, NASA attepts to kill the astronauts, who make a run for it.This movie is deeply rooted in the various conspiracy theories. If you liked "JFK," "The X-Files," "The Philadelphia Experiment," or the Showtime movie "Roswell," you'll enjoy "Capricorn One." Even if you don't like conspiracy movies, you can enjoy "Capricorn One" for being a suspenseful thriller. The ending is amazing and it is reminiscent of a great scene from "You Only Live Twice." Telly Savalas has a memorable role as a foul-mouthed cropduster pilot.
Space buffs will either be drawn to this movie or disgusted by the film's blatant use of Apollo hardware for the Mars ship and lander. But this movie is just a fantasy and isn't meant to be realistic. It strives to create a paranoid fantasy where an oppressive and corrupt government tries to kill its honest citizens just to save face.
Give this forgotten flick a try. You won't be disappointed.
Movie Review: Classic sci-fi crying out for a remake
Summary: 4 Stars
The story of a faked mission to Mars, "Capricorn One" is the ultimate '70s conspiracy movie and, by a twist of fate or marketing genius, its release on DVD is perfectly timed to capitalize on a resurgent interest in claims that the moon landing was staged. Very much a product of its day, Hyams' 1978 feature is crying out for a remake with a tighter, more sophisticated script, greater suspense, livelier characters, updated music (though Jerry Goldsmith's overblown score is a classic of '70s sci-fi) and a more satisfying ending - Hyams drops the curtain just when the drama is about to escalate to an entirely different level. But for all its faults, the film's sheer strength of concept still carries it through. The performances are strangely stilted, but even veterans like Elliot Gould are bad in this, so we can presumably blame the direction. Only Hal Holbrook stands out with a wonderful soliloquy in the opening act: it's four-minutes long, but he has you hanging on every word - which nicely disproves the Hollywood theorem that big slabs of dialogue just don't play.Movie Review: Man's first landing on Mars never happened...
Summary: 4 Stars
Writer/director Peter Hyams (Outland, End of Days) drew on the popularity of All The President's Men and the USA's love of conspiracy theory (notably that the moon landings were faked) to create a wonderful little thriller in Capricorn One. When it is discovered that the life support system will not support life for the duration of the trip, the power that be (played by Hal Holbrook) decides to fake the mission. The crew of Capricorn One (Brolin, Simpson, and Waterson) reluctantly play along (it must have been the emplied threat on their families that did it). All seems to go well, until one techinician discovers that the signals from Capricorn One could not come from space. That techinician vanishes, but not before stating his suspicions to a friend (a news reporter played by Elliott Gould) and Capricorn One burns up as it enters into the Earth's atmosphere. Leaving three very much alive astronauts to dispose of. The chase is on! Capricorn One is a fun, thrilling ride of a movie that also features a nifty score by the legendary Jerry Goldsmith. Recommended.Movie Review: All Star Cast 70's Conspiracy Thriller
Summary: 4 Stars
I remember watching this on tv some time back and have finally managed to get it on dvd.
The plot involves the proposed first manned landing on mars...however before the rocket is even launched the Nasa realises that the mission is doomed. In order to ensure that the 'space programme' funding is secure they convince the astronauts (played by James Brolin, Sam Waterson and yes...O.J Simpson) to participate in an elaborate hoax. So far so good...all goes to plan until months later on return to earth something goes wrong on re-entry... which means the 3 astronauts holed up in the desert are also doomed.
The film builds the suspense slowly and purposefully and although now it may seem somewhat dated...I'm sure at the time of release it played nicely into the hands of the 'conspiracy theorists'. Elliot Gould gives a good performance as the reporter who uncovers the hoax and persues the truth. Brenda Vaccarro gives a nicely modulated turn as one of the wives and there are cameo appearances by 70's stalwarts Telly Savalas and Karen Black.
Movie Review: All the President's Nasa Men
Summary: 4 Stars
A nifty adventure that fits in well with many of the 1970's paranoid thrillers (i.e. Marathon Man, Three Days of the Condor, etc.).CAPRICORN ONE stars James Brolin (THE AMITYVILLE HORROR, WESTWORLD), Sam Waterson (tv's LAW AND ORDER), and O.J. Simpson (THE NAKED GUN) as the three astronauts who reluctantly agree to stage a fake landing on Mars when Nasa determines the mission is unsafe and that the government does not want anymore failures. However, the astronaut's attitude does not sit well with an unscrupulous mission controller Dr. James Kelloway (Hal Holbrook-MAGNUM FORCE) and plans to kill them. Then, they must escape and expose the truth. Director Peter Hyams (2010: THE YEAR WE MAKE CONTACT,TIMECOP) does a pretty good job in the suspense and action while handling a delicate and very interesting plot. Good support roles especially Eliot Gould as the investigative reporter trying to find the truth, Brenda Vaccaro as one of the astronauts wives, David Doyle (tv's CHARLIE'S ANGELS' 'Bosley'), Robert Walden (tv's LOU GRANT, SHIRTS/SKINS) and Telly Savalas.