Outland: Peter Hyams' Classic Sci-Fi Thriller Comes to 4K (Limited Edition 4K)

The Film:

In 1981, a little sci-fi thriller called "Outland" was released into theaters from writer/director Peter Hyams, who had previously given us similar genre films like "Capricorn One," and would go on to deliver other sci-fi & horror outings like "2010: The Year We Make Contact," "The Relic," and "End of Days." "Outland" wasn't exactly a hit with the critics, though it did receive positive notices from The New York Times & Variety, and performed respectably at the box office, making a few million over its $14 million production budget.

However, the film has built up something of a fanbase over the decades as a tense & thrilling outing that can be appreciated for attempting to transfer a classic story to a completely different and unexpected setting. With its 45th anniversary right around the corner, Arrow Films is celebrating by giving it a remarkable 4K upgrade and packing it with almost entirely new bonus materials, so as usual, it's time for us to go back and see what this somewhat-dismissed cult classic has to offer.

The film centers on Federal Marshal William O'Niel (Sean Connery), who is assigned to a titanium mine outpost on the moon of Io. He brings along his family, consisting of his wife Carol (Kika Markham) and son Paul (Nicholas Barnes), but they soon leave because Carol wants her son to live on Earth, though they hold off on making the final departure in hopes that William will join them. Meanwhile, William finds himself entangled in a mystery that sees several workers at the facility go crazy, with two killing themselves and another threatening to kill a prostitute. He soon discovers that all of it is linked to a productivity-boosting drug that involves the General Manager of the outpost, Mark Sheppard (Peter Boyle), putting him right in the middle of a financial conspiracy that will soon have him going head-to-head with some very dangerous people.

As mentioned, the film may have not been received all that well upon its original release, but there were those that were able to see what it was trying to do and that it actually did it decently enough, as well as those later on that would discover the same. Superficially, one might think that the film is simply a mystery about what's going on with the workers on this remote mining outpost, with a new marshal thrown right in the middle of it. Looking at it from that viewpoint, it's understandable why the viewer might be a little disappointed because it doesn't actually make much of a mystery out of its mystery, with it having William uncover the details rather quickly & easily, but for those who stick around and look a little deeper, it's revealed that the film is actually about something a little different.

At this point, you've probably already realized that the film is basically a re-telling of the western classic "High Noon," with Sean Connery taking over Gary Cooper's role as the sheriff, who must stand up for what's right against terrible odds. What Hyams has done here is transplanted the story into a sci-fi setting and re-tooled the details to give his own rendition of it, a goal that he ends up being mostly successful at. Sure, you could argue that it perhaps lingers a little too long at nearly two hours ("High Noon" ran a rather brisk 85 minutes, pretty much telling the story in real time), but this allows for a little more interplay between the characters, particularly William and his one ally, Dr. Marian Lazarus (Frances Sternhagen), as well as the addition of a few more action sequences to give it some extra thrills.

In the end, it wraps up rather nicely, having delivered those thrills on top of the initial mystery that pulls you in from the film's start, leaving one to think that most of the critics were indeed a little too harsh back in '81, and not making it much of a surprise as to why many have come to see it as a rather satisfying sci-fi outing in the nearly 45 years since its release. With its brand new 4K upgrade, we can only hope that this trend will continue, with more discovering that "Outland" has a little more to offer than initially thought, leading to more fans discovering a classic that deserves a little more recognition.

Video/Audio:

"Outland" comes to 4K in a 2.35:1, 2160p Ultra High Definition transfer of marvelous quality. The new 4K restoration from the original 35mm camera negative has cleaned the picture up beautifully, giving it a sharp & clear look that perfectly highlights the film's intriguing production design and extensive visual effects. Likewise, the 5.1 DTS-HD MA & 2.0 Stereo audio tracks are fantastic, giving you all of the dialogue, sound effects, and music in excellent quality. Overall, Arrow Films has done a wonderful job in both areas for the film's new upgrade.

Special Features:

Audio Commentary by Writer-Director Peter Hyams

Audio Commentary by Film Critic Chris Alexander (New)

A Corridor of Accidents (52 Minutes) (New): An interview with writer/director Peter Hyams.

Outlandish (29 Minutes) (New): An interview with cinematographer Stephen Goldblatt.

Introvision (34 Minutes) (New): An interview with visual effects supervisor William Mega

No Place for Heroes (18 Minutes) (New): An appreciation by film scholar Josh Nelson.

Hollywoodland Outland (21 Minutes) (New): A visual essay by film historian Howard S. Berger.

Conclusion:

Peter Hyams' "Outland" may not seem like much at the start as it unravels its little mystery on a remote mining outpost on Io, but we soon discover that there's much more to this fascinating transplanted re-telling of "High Noon" that has one man standing up for what's right against terrible odds. Utilizing thrilling action sequences, intriguing production design, and impressive special effects, it ultimately becomes a rather compelling sci-fi outing that deserves a second look from those that have been dismissive of it over the years.

Score: 3.5/5

Available on Limited Edition 4K starting today.

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