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Capricorn One

Capricorn One

List Price: $9.98
Your Price: $6.99
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Classic sci-fi crying out for a remake
Review: 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.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Fascinating premise undone by formulaic chase scenes
Review: Conspiracy theories abound over whether we really did land on the Moon. The most commonly entertained of them is the one claiming that an empty rocket was sent into space while the actual Moon landing was conducted in a Hollywood sound stage. "Capricorn One" puts that theory into film with a slight change in premise being that the mission is supposed to be to Mars instead. The flight director (played by Hal Holbrook) removes the astronauts (played by James Brolin, O.J. Simpson, and Sam Waterston) from the space capsule just prior to launch and has them come with him to a sound stage in the desert somewhere. It seems that the life support systems the astronauts were to use on Mars were extremely faulty, and rather than risk having the Mars program shut down or risking the lives of the astronauts, the flight director cajoles them into faking the landing, right down to the first steps upon Mars. The plans go awry when the real capsule, containing no one, burns up on re-entry. Since the astronauts are presumed dead as a result of that, the flight director has no choice but to order the deaths of the real astronauts, lest his dirty little secret get out. Up to this point, "Capricorn One" is quite compelling, if not totally believable. Unfortunately, after this point, the movie degenerates into nothing more than a series of formulaic chase scenes that plagues far too many movies in the 1970's. It's another case of where the director only thought the story through halfway and resorted to stock scenarios fill the other half. The astronauts manage to escape into the desert before being executed. Since they don't know the correct direction to civilization, they decide to each go in separate directions to find help. Of course, except for the astronaut played by James Brolin, they are hunted down and killed. The movie ends simply with Brolin running to his wife at his funeral. Had the director not chosen this cheesy, cop-out ending, I could have forgiven the movies formulaic aspects and still given it a positive review. However, with any sort of denouement showing the consequences and fallout from this scandal, I was left flat and disappointed. As a result, I am left with no desire to watch this movie again.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: classic
Review: A must have classic movie about a Mars mission hoax. Red planet meets Wag the Dog.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: One of my favourite movies of all time!
Review: This really is a terrific movie. It is full of suspense and is in a league of it's own. Telly Savalas is brilliant and nothing like his "Kojak" character. There is also a scene where the character played by Elliott Gould car's brakes fail which sends him on a nightmare journey through the streets at high speed. I am not a fan of sci-fi or space movies, this film is neither and never fails to entertain me. However, sci-fi fans will also love this film. This movie is a must to have in your DVD library!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Capricorn One DVD review
Review: The movie Capricorn One is a classic. However, I'm disappointed that the studio did not give me a choice in the DVD format. I do not own a wide screen TV, therefore, in my opinion, the "Wide Screen" format is worthless. I've seen other DVDs that have both formats contained on one DVD. I really hope that Hollywood gets the message.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Great Way To Spend A Couple of Hours
Review: i remember seeing this movie at the theatre when it was initially released. It is because of this movie that I began to love action films with great characters, great chases and with scenes that kept you cheering for the hero 'til the very end. The DVD isn't too bad - much better than the VHS version - and gives new life to every scene. I highly recommend this to anyone who is into action films, science-fiction films or drama films. Sam Waterston has a great part as the comically sarcastic astronaut. This film runs the gamut with emotions it extracts from the viewer. Watch it, then tell your friends to watch it.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A bad movie... yet pretty entertaining
Review: Capricorn One is a movie that if it's script had been a little tighter and more carefully thought out, could have been an outstanding movie. It's a shame really, because there was a lot of potential in it. As it is, it's an entertaining and utterly unrealistic adventure movie about a bunch of astronauts who are blackmailed into faking a landing on Mars.

The movie started out well, but as it went along, more and more loose strings began to show up, until there were so many it almost became a joke. What started out seeming to be a serious thriller, end up being an adventure movie, with bits of action so implausible that even NASA's phenomenal training program couldn't explain it's astronaut's amazing feat of hinging from a biplane's guidewires while it did loops.

The movie drags at points too, spending 5 minutes to follow one of the astronauts on the run in the desert, telling a really lame joke to himself, then being caught. There was no point to it. At all.

Ok, so now that I've trashed the movie, I'll admit that I really did enjoy it. I have it on tape and I pull it out a couple times a year for a bit of fun. It's implausible, silly, but it's fun, both for the actors and for the action antics and cracked plot.

If you haven't seen it, I'd say go for it. Despite its flaws, it's a good ride.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A good movie
Review: This is a great movie, and I would definately recommend it. This is an original idea, and a good plot, with a good ending. What I get confued about is how they were able to cover up the missing Nasa scientist, and "erased" his identity, including his apartment, which was then rented by a housewife who has no knowledge of the guy or what is going on. Other than that, the scenario is very realistic. The DVD has no special features, other than the trailer. But a definate must for you DVD collection.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Fun but don't take it too seriously!!!
Review: If there weren't so many plot holes and preposterous turns in this story it could have worked much better. But it's a fun summer movie and that was how it was meant to be seen when it was released.
It's also really cool to watch for the famous faces involved, notably O.J. Simpson, Telly Savalas and Hal Holbrook. Plus if you're a fan of Brenda Vaccaro or Elliott Gould's, you'll be happy to see them here at their finest. If you're like me, I'm all smiles when I see Elliott Gould. And I always liked Brenda's throaty voice!!!
But get ready for some great suspense and, even more surprisingly, great music!!!!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A Classic B Movie!
Review: What a treat - an innovative story line that makes you wonder about government power and a movie that keeps you watching to the very end (although it quickly becomes predictable). Good acting by familiar faces and the only movie in which both of Barbra Streisand's husbands (the first, Elliot Gould and the current, James Brolin) appear together in leading roles. Also, a small part for O.J. Simpson who has a couple of lines and grunts and groans the rest of the time.


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