Rating: 
Summary: A Good Yarn
Review: Suprisingly, I saw this movie for the first time just a few short days ago, even though I was old enough to have seen it when it hit the theaters. A shame I let it go so long. At the beginning of this movie, three astronauts (played by James Brolin, Sam Waterston, and O.J. Simpson) are pulled from a space flight destined for Mars. There was something wrong with the life-support system. The director of the space program (Hal Holbrook) says that they can't afford for the flight to be cancelled, so the three astronauts are coerced through threats to go through with a fake landing filmed on a closed base. A reporter (Elliot Gould) talks with a friend (Robert Walden) who claims there is something mysterious going on with the flight. Immediately after this revelation, the friend disappears with no trace of him having ever existed. The reorter begins a quest to find out what is going on. Meanwhile, the now unmanned spaceship burns up on re-entry. This means that except for the three astronauts and few head people in the space program, everyone else thinks they're all dead. This leads to the exciting last half of the movie. A similar conspiracy theory (held mostly by extreme nutcases) revolves around our own moon shots, but this movie makes the plot an extremely good way to pass a couple of hours.
Rating:
Summary: Man's first landing on Mars never happened...
Review: 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.
Rating: 
Summary: Wonderful forgotten movie - Lousy transfer
Review: What a joy to see this movie again. I had forgotten how suspenseful it was, not having seen it since its theater release. Even O.J. Simpson can't ruin it. Of course, it pushes the limits of believability from time to time...but never far enough to make it unenjoyable. Now for the bad part....this movie definitely deserves a better DVD than this. It is widescreen, but not enhanced as it should be. But worse...the picture has areas where it almost appears as if it is being projected against a dirty screen. Other areas of the movie are blurred...amplified when viewed in a large format. I can't NOT recommend this DVD...only because it is the only one available of this film. But I sure wish someone would do the movie justice.
Rating:
Summary: Good Drama And Real EMotions To See!
Review: CAPRICORN ONE is a film that when I saw it in the theatre in its original release - I was impressed. I walked out thinking that - wow, can this really happen? The film is written and directed Peter Hyams (2010: The Year We Make Contact, Stay Tuned) and has a realism about it that makes conspiracies seem real. The cast is quite good - with the exception of one person. Leading the pack is Elliot Gould as a reporter who stumbles on a story that involves astronauts James Brolin, Sam Waterson and O.J. Simpson (yuch!) in what ends up being a staged performance. There are some great performances by Brenda Vaccaro and Telly Sevalas (TV's Kojack). I don't want to give away the plot or story too much - but it has a great build up to a good strong ending. One of the best aspects of the film I enjoy most is the score. Academy Award winning composer Jerry Goldsmith does some of his best work in this film. You know his musical schemes from films like Patton, Star Trek The Motion Picture, Legend (Original Version - see my review) and countless TV and Movie Productions. Technically the film is an action and adventure. It has special effects and car chases and you must remember it is the product of the late 70's - so forgetting the period costumes of the time - the film is technically up to speed. I loved this movie and even when I watch this film now I can still feel the tension. A good action drama for everyone's collection. (8-27-02)
Rating:
Summary: The movie where OJ's the one who gets killed
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: All the President's Nasa Men
Review: 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.
Rating: 
Summary: Mission To Mars turns out to be a hoax in this classic film
Review: I'll say this much, when ITC Entertainment Group focused more on motion pictures than television series(The classic Space:1999 series for example), they definately cranked out some winners. Films like The Eagle Has Landed, Satrun 3, Green Ice, and The Legend Of The Lone Ranger for example. However, the British Television and Motion Picture really brought out a winner in 1977 with the release of the classic science fiction/action adventure/political and conspiracy thriller, Capricorn One. Written and Directed by the great Peter Hyams, and starring an astounding cast of actors that consisted of James Brolin, Elloit Gould, Sam Waterston, Hal Holbrook, Brenda Vaccaro, Telly Savalas, David Doyle, Karen Black, and countless others. Nt to mention having an explosive soundtrack by Academy-Award winning composer Jerry Goldsmith. I first saw the movie on NBC's Sunday Night at the movies, and it made me a fan of James Brolin for life. The movie tells the story of NASA's first mission to Mars, and how much NASA's future is riding on this major project. If the mission is a failure, then Congress will cut back funding on the manned space program. When the three astronauts are about ready to launch, they are immediately pulled out from the Apollo space capsule and are flown to an abandoned Air Force base in Texas. There, they are told by the cheif flight director of the project, that due to a faulty life support system, the mission would put the astronauts in peril. In order to assure the future of NASA and future space flights, they are told to fake the Mars landing on a very convincing soundstage. If they do not cooperate, their families will be killed. The astronauts have no choice nut to participate in the elaborate hoax. At the same time, one of the NASA technicians discovers that the transmissions from the space craft are not coming from the spacecraft. The technician tells a reporter friend of his, and the reporter begins to investigate. When the mission comes to n end, the capsule suddenly burns up in the Earth's atmosphere, due to a faulty heatshield, the three astronauts, knowing their lives are in jeopardy, escape from their captors into the Texas desert, hoping to expose the sensational fraud. From that point on, it becomes a game of cat and mouse for the astronauts and the NBC news reporter trying to solve the mystery and blow the whistle on the governmental conspirators involved. Definately one of the best thrillers of the post Watergate '70's, and in some ways, much like the film Hanger 18 and The X-Files television series and movies. Not only is it entertaining, and has a very solid plot, it is also a movie that referes heavily back to the old conspiracy theory of a faked Moon landing. James Brolin, as always, shines as the lead astronaut who desperately tries to reach civilization and expose the conspiracy for what it is. Elloit Gould did a good job as the reporter, yet I think either Harrison Ford or Roy Thinnes could have done a better job. Karen Black was good as the other television news reporter, yet, I also think that former James Bond girl Lois Chilles would have been a better choice. The action was really good, especially the helicopter chase sequence in the end. Definately some very good stunt work in that scene. Especially the astronauts escape from the abaondoned hanger. Sam Waterston was very humourous in his role. And as always, Hal Holbrook was good as the man caught in the middle of the hoax. His character was not a villain, his character was someone who did not realize how serious the government agaents were in pulling the conspiracy off. Telly Savalas was really a hoot as the curmudgeony crop duster who helps Gould rescue Brolin in the desert from government asassins. Definately one of my favorite movies. It may be controversial, but it still packs a whallop and delivers the goods. It would have been great if James Brolin had done more movies instead of television. He truly showed the audience that he could do movies. Interesting side note, watch the ending of the film, and you'll suddenly realize that both Brolin and Gould have something in common. Gould is Barbara Streisand's ex-husband. And Brolin is currently Barbara's new husband. Coincidence? I'll let you decide.
Rating:
Summary: Plays to the "Moon Landing Was a Hoax" crowd
Review:
Good entertainment. It plays on the old "the moon landing was all a giant hoax" conspiracy theory. There are people who still believe that, and this film is built on the same plot. The trip to Mars was a failure, and so the "power brokers" stage it with real astronauts who have to be killed in the end, and movie and television tricks.
Hal Holbrook plays the heavy (bad government guy in charge of the hoax, including killing folks). Elliott Gould is the plucky young reporter (Caulfield) who is being set up by the government because he knows too much, and suspects more than he knows. The three astronauts are played by James Brolin, O.J. Simpson and a young Sam Waterson. They are supposed to be killed when their heat shield fails on re-entry (to avoid any embarrassing leaks later), but they escape from their southwest location. Even Telly Savalas gets a part in the solution, as Elliott Gould closes in on the bad (read "government") guys who are caught red-handed in their hoax on the gullible American people (aren't they always?). This film has the whole schmeer, including the black helicopters, bad politicians (probably Republicans, of course), car chases, gun battles from airplanes, and the bad guys getting their comeuppance in the end. It's good entertainment. Joseph (Joe) Pierre
author of Handguns and Freedom...their care and maintenance
and other books
Rating: 
Summary: Amusing farce
Review: This is about as silly as SF gets, although it's a better than average conspiracy flick. Okay, you can no longer watch the scenes with O.J. Simpson without cringing, but that's not the movie's fault. The key plot device is, unfortunately, ludicrous (no, I won't give it away) because (1) NASA could not have possibly overlooked such an obvious giveaway and (2) every teenage geek and nerd in the country would have caught it way before the intrepid reporter finally puzzles it out. (Speaking as a former teenage nerd, trust me on this.)
Rating:
Summary: I Love this Sci-Fi / Action Adventure Film!!!
Review: This flick is a lot of fun. Considering they made the film on $5 million dollars, it's even more amazing. And there's quite a few stars from 1970's television and movies, so it's an all-star cast. The film has been preserved in excellent condition. The cinematography is crystal clear throughout. I own the film on DVD and I'll mention the additional features.
As you know, the guys were going to Mars when something funny happened. Like their boss asking them to fake the mission. But it's all to save the space agency. Will our heroes cooperate and cover up the fake mission? You gotta order the movie to find out! But here's a few things for you to watch for. I've never been a big Elliott Gould fan, but I like him here. He's perfect as the conspiracy-nut reporter barely able to keep his job. His boss, David Doyle (Charlie's Angels) is here as a skeptical assignment editor. Karen Black (Airport 1975) loans Gould a beautiful red Datsun 280Z 2+2 after his blue 1965 Mustang goes for a swim. Robert Walden (Lou Grant) is a NASA console operator who makes an issue about the unusual TV signals from the spacecraft. Hal Holbrook is the brother-in-law for James Brolin but I'm not sure you'd invite him to the family reunion after this flick. Sam Waterston (The Killing Fields) and O.J. Simpson (The Naked Gun) are the other two crewman in the spacecraft with Brolin (sure the spacecraft is a bit small to take to Mars, but hey, it's a MOVIE ... just enjoy it). James Brolin's character (Brubaker) has a bit of a problem with a snake in the desert ... he had a similar problem with a snake in the desert in "Westworld" in 1973 ("Capricorn One" is a 1978 film). Sam Waterston's character likes to tell jokes, though his last joke is a bit ironic. Brenda Vaccaro (Airport '77) is Mrs. Brubaker, James Brolin's movie wife. James B. Sikking ("Hill Street Blues") is here, as are Telly Savalas ("Kojak") and David Huddleston (the mayor from "Blazing Saddles"). Telly Savalas is a crop-duster who helps Caulfield (Elliott Gould) search for the missing astronauts. The chase sequences, especially between two Hughes 500 attack helicopters and a crop-duster plane are just great. The chase sequence is several minutes long and includes some dramatic low-level and close-canyon-wall flying. The camera work for the flying sequences is simply breath-taking. Perfectly executed in my opinion. Regarding the film, there is a bit of language and a small amount of innuendo, so a PG rating is about right. On the DVD you get optional Spanish subtitles, a teaser and a theatrical trailer, production notes and a bit about the cast and crew. Fortunately, the film is widescreen which is much appreciated during the flying sequences. This is a great film... Perfect for your collection. Don't let them mislead you on the picture quality; it's very, very good on the DVD I can assure you.
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