Outland: The Best Sean Connery Movie You Never Saw

[@gracecarlin7849]

frances sternhagen is/was my grandma, she died a couple days ago and I’ve been discovering a whole new world of her work that I’d never seen since. what a good review, thanks for putting me onto this movie, too, i’m definitely gonna have it in my heart from now on :)

[@richardvinsen2385]

She absolutely stole this movie. What an amazing performance.

[@iKvetch558]

This has always been a favorite of mine. In 1981 I was so deep into anything high tech or "hard" scifi, so I went and saw Outland in the theater when it first came out. Such an underrated and terrific movie. 👍💯

[@jeffrussell777]

yea me 2 ....really saw the Future in this !

[@StevenAbney]

So glad you covered this one, Chris! Gotta love an increasingly desperate 80’s era Connery in High Noon in space. Best line: “My men are shit.”

[@johnleggett5054]

'Hot Water' remains a pulsating, classic track by the awesome, much-missed Jerry Goldsmith!

[@nel1962]

And it seems that Goldsmith had quite a track record with scoring Connery movies. The Wind and The Lion, Outland, The Great Train Robbery, Medicine Man, The Russia House, First Knight...

[@markgriffiths8786]

Love that track

[@markgrant9064]

I would get my kids to begrudgingly watch my old favorites, this being one one of them, and they would be shushing me up cuz they were so into it. Kids now 23 and 24. Midnight Run another family favorite.

[@Skydrag.V60]

Great film. My dad introduced it to me years ago when I was going through an “Alien” phase. Outland really feels like it could be another story told in another part of the galaxy in the Alien universe.

[@Eazy-ERyder]

I first saw this about 10 years ago and LOVED it so much that I've seen it over a dozen times since. It's absolutely great. Such underrated sci-fi classic.

[@bgm1975]

One of the first DVDs I ever bought..I remember seeing this as a kid and being scared of an Alien appearing because the film looks like it's set in the same universe. I've watched Outland hundreds of time since then and love how unique it is... basically a space western.

[@harrisoncastleberry458]

I saw this theatrically when it was first released in Megasound and it was awesome. So glad that the bluray is greatly improved over the laserdisc (and the DVD (which I used to own both of which were horrible transfers filled with aliasing galore). The score by Jerry Goldsmith is bloody awesome. So happy that Film Score Monthly released the complete score!

[@markgraves4156]

I was lucky enough to see this movie when it first came out in the theaters, I absolutely loved it, there are so many movies after the bond series that Sean Connery did that were great, but this is definitely one of my favorites.

[@DemonslayerRyuu]

I saw this movie a couple years ago and this movie was so good. It’s very underrated. Connery was good in this. And that “final shootout” and “final confrontation in the bar” was awesome. It was a good sci-fi mystery. Loved it!

[@bigneon_glitter]

Yes! One of Connery's best (and uniquely vulnerable) performances, best films, & the second entry in the early '80s _Alien_ -> _Outland_ -> _Blade Runner_ "shared universe" trilogy. _Outland_ also features early electro tracks from Japanese synth-pop pioneers Logic System. And the mature, realistic camaraderie between Frances Sternhagen's doctor & O'Niel does indeed steal the show.

[@boblowes]

I've never bought into Alien and Blade Runner being a shared universe. The Androids of Alien vs the Replicants of Blade Runner feel like completely different technologies. The world of Blade Runner feels like completely the wrong fit for the world of Alien. The corporate shenanigans of the Alien universe don't feel like they fit in Blade Runner. The only thing linking the two, are the reuse of some graphics from Alien, a blink-and-you'll-miss-it in-joke that James Cameron put in Aliens, and Ridley Scott insisting that they're linked. Thematically, in some ways, maybe. Fictionally, no. It's not as if Ridley Scott is the sole author of either work - and none of the other people involved intended that. You might as well claim tha Star Wars is set in the same universe as 2001: A Space Odyssey, since one of the Discovery's pods appears in Watto's junkyard; as well as the universe of E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, because George Lucas stuck some CG ETs in a shot in the Republic Senate. A much more convincing shared universe could be made for Soldier & Blade Runner, and for Alien & Outland. Hells bells, there several movies that feature the fictional nation of Val Verde, including Die Hard 2 and Commando. And there's a James Bond movie that features a cameo from a real-life traffic warden, who used to feature regularly on a BBC documentary series. Sometimes a joke is just a joke.

[@robsmall6466]

​@@boblowesThe Solidier/Blade Runner link came from a co writer of the films I think. Maybe if Soldier was a better film I could accept it more but I think there was some piggy backing going on there. They chucked in a ship that was docked in the Blade Runner sequel that was obviously from the Alien universe but again apart from the near future settings it's all a little tenuous and screams a bit of Disney/Marvel/DC money making. But then the comic world gave us Robocop v Terminator. Outland and Alien are nicely close though. They shared set dressing and personel

[@boblowes]

@@robsmall6466 Yeah, most of the production crew from Alien worked on Outland. You can easily imagine the crew from the Nostromo stopping off at the Io station. And Con-Am and their shady business practices tallies nicely with the likes of Weyland-Yutani and Seegson. They could easily be a subsidiary or a minor competing company.

[@robsmall6466]

@@boblowes I do miss the gritty way these films were made. Recent Alien films for example have been a bit too shiny for me. Guess it's the legacy of proper film and the large amount of practical effects

[@bigneon_glitter]

@boblowes "Never bought into the _Alien_ / _Blade Runner_ shared universe" Tyrell Corp vs Weyland/Yutani = Apple vs Microsoft

[@Malum09]

The comic adaptation by none other than Jim Steranko is really good. Gorgeous as anything he draw.

[@chrisperry7963]

Just rewatched this recently! Great movie from the underrated Hyams, with fine performances across the board. Love the look of this one, really nails the tired, sweaty working environment.🎉

[@the_sixxness]

Outland has been rumored to take place in the A L I E N universe and it definitely fits.

[@laurenalexander4438]

One of those movies I discovered late at night on HBO when I had nothing to do. Severely underrated. I haven't watched it in a while.

[@cintula82]

Same. Watched it first at HBO too. Somehow it scared me more shitless than Alien.

[@mrcat3493]

I love this movie. My brother and I watched this so many times on a VHS we bought from Sun Coast Motion Picture Company. I feel so old. Lol

[@boblowes]

Absolutely love Peter Hyams films. Capricorn One is magnificent. And Outland is utterly fantastic. It's such an underrated gem. No surprise it looks so good - half the crew of Alien went straight from working on that production to this. And I'm utterly convinced it's intended to sit in the same universe as Alien. You can easily imagine the crew of the Nostromo stopping off at the Con-Am base on Io on their way home. I don't think it's a coincidence that in the sublime video game Alien: Isolation, there are Colonial Marshals, same as O'Neil in Outland, wearing very similar uniforms.

[@JoBloOriginals]

Might do Capricorn One in a few months.

[@boblowes]

@@JoBloOriginals Please do! And more John Badham stuff, like Wargames, which is just such an amazing movie.

[@JoeHusosky]

One of the last movies I saw with my Dad. I have always loved this one.

[@onemancinema4642]

One of my favorite slow burn Sci-fi romps. Only Connery can carry a shotgun in space. The art direction and set design are awesome.

[@slicktheslickster]

Completely forgot about this movie until I saw these clips! I remember it as being worthy and now I must check it out again...thanks!

[@JeffreyDeCristofaro]

Saw this on VHS in my mid-teens - RIP Sean Connery, there was always more to you than just being the first James Bond. You gave me some of the best moments of my developing cinephilia.

[@FreeLancerLondon]

Saw this in 1981 at the cinema here in the UK. I really enjoyed it. Well acted with a good pace and realistic space scenes for its day. One of Sean's best, I think 👍😎

[@peterlundskow4061]

I was one of the ones that really enjoyed your 2010 video & saw the film when it first came out. Same with Outland as seeing it when it came out & that it holds up well!

[@JoBloOriginals]

Thanks man. On a Peter Hyams kick. Should rename the show the Best Peter Hyams Movie You Never Saw.

[@torturebear]

Awesome pick... and even though it is not so usual with Sean... I love the relationship between the female physician and him as partners. A good chemistry. A nice detail.

[@faifai0714]

Just saw this movie today, I really like the set designs, too bad this movie never got nominated an oscar for best production design

[@PhilAndersonOutside]

Criminally underrated. This movie is so well shot, the sets look great, and it's well acted. The chase scene alone has fantastic camera work and is a Hyams signature. You can follow the action, and envision where they are in every shot, no fancy close-ups or cutaways.

[@ericjohnson7632]

Saw this movie as a kid as a Saturday afternoon flick it always stay with me as a underrated classic in sci fi. I found it on VHS at the local Walmart and have added a blu ray version from Amazon to my collection recently. Great movie!!!!

[@myrnalaboy2840]

R.I.P. Sean Connery and Peter Boyle

[@peppermintspacecapsule9898]

i *LOVE* Outland! It's like Alien, but without the alien!

[@samanthab1923]

Reminds me of Alien Nation

[@peppermintspacecapsule9898]

@@samanthab1923 - Yes! Another great movie that I love! "What'd he say?" "Your mother mates out of season!"

[@samanthab1923]

@@peppermintspacecapsule9898 Good one 😆

[@boke75]

The only monsters are some men.

[@peppermintspacecapsule9898]

@@boke75 - As is often the case! 😉😄

[@mikes4865]

I saw this at the theater when it first came out. I always liked it as a scifi western knock off. Great choice and keep up the great work.

[@randallphobia8698]

I think that my parents rented this on VHS in the late eighties, & let middle school aged me watch it with them. I’ve seen it a couple of times since, but I couldn’t remember the name. “What was that cool, atmospheric sci-fi movie starring Sean Connery?” Thanks for making this. I need to revisit Outland.

[@azohundred1353]

I highly recommend you watch High Noon (1952) starring the legendary Gary Cooper, one of the finest Westerns ever made. It's well worth your time. One of my Top 10 favorite films. As the video stated, you'll definitely like High Noon if you like Outland as it's essentially a sci-fi remake of it.

[@JoBloOriginals]

Yup

[@JustWasted3HoursHere]

I remember catching this one on Cinemax at around 3 in the morning back in the day: Stayed up until the wee hours of the morning watching it. Effects, as you say, are respectable for the time, but honestly I have never been too bothered by cheesy effects as long as the story and characters are compelling enough. That's what imagination is for! To fill in the details when they aren't there. In fact sometimes missing details actually helps a movie. Look at how successful "Jaws" was for this reason!

[@bluv6430]

My Dad took me and my brother to see this in theater on summer vacation. Really cool and believable on the big screen. I did get the DVD, I haven't noticed anything amiss. Great review of this great film.

[@ianbauer4703]

Saw this one, it was a big hit for us Gen X'ers.

[@tylerbrunton7696]

SPACE: The Imagination Sation. Loved that mention, what a glorious channel back then.

[@andyking7621]

I pretty much agree with everything, particularly Frances Sternhagen's work. Great set design, camera, story, soundtrack. Solid film making. A cracking film that I always recommend to people who love a proper genre flick from the era..

[@tomhahnl1927]

Watched this one many many years ago on TV, I guess it's time for a rewatch since I was still a kid back then.

[@diogocatalano9557]

One of his best movies in my opinion. It´serious sci fi, no bullshit. Connery is great as usual, .and the cast, too.

[@alg11297]

Saw this when it came out. I remember how well the sound was and good story

[@gregnatsch8787]

I saw this in the theater when it came out in 1981. I loved it!

[@carloscolon3781]

Saw it in the theaters when it came out and loved it ever since!

[@GrandFunker]

Maybe it's because I saw the movie in the theater when I was only 7, but I've always found the last act terrifying 😂

[@hezfez6173]

Love this movie! I’ve been watching it since I was a kid. Still have the VHS!

[@354Entertainment]

This is such a underrated jam of a movie! I got damn love it!

[@goldenager59]

I'm glad you chose to highlight this film, as it's one I've enjoyed a good deal for quite a long time. However, it's worth pointing out that SF author Harlan Ellison, who never suffered fools gladly, absolutely _excoriated_ this movie - as well as Hyams's whole career, at least in SF film - in a blistering article titled "Outland: Out of Its Mind But, Sadly, Not Out of Sight", which was published in *Omni's Screen Flights / Screen Fantasies* (Doubleday/Dolphin, 1984), an omnibus of commentaries by noted SF authors, critics, and filmmakers on many great (and plenty of not-so-great) science fiction motion pictures. ( _Omni_ was a magazine that ran for some two decades and more, mixing SF with straight science for the inquiring literary aficionado). Ellison, among many other choice barbs, suggests that _Outland_ has a "screenplay that demonstrates Peter Hyams has the plotting sensitivity of a kamikaze pilot with eighteen missions to his credit" and says that Hyams's "abilities as a plotter of sf-oriented ideas" reminds him of "the rhetorical question, 'If you nail a duck's foot down, does he walk in circles?' " Just a little something to look up, if you're of a mind to. 😒 😆

[@JoBloOriginals]

I will for sure. Sounds like an interesting article even if it’ll inevitably one I’ll disagree with.

[@goldenager59]

@@JoBloOriginals Great! ...and, by the way, Mr. Ellison also wrote the Introduction to the book - a highly entertaining (if lengthy) capsule history of cinematic SF up to that time, where he has some especially pointed comments on the *Star Wars* p*h*e*n*o*m*e*n*o*n (sic) and its on-the-whole unwelcome effect on "the public image of what _is,_ and what _ain't,_ sci-fi (an image as twisted as one of Tod Browning's freaks)." 😁

[@itsguncledave]

Saw this when it came out in cinemas and have loved it since that day - particularly the interplay between Connery and Sternhagen. Lazarus had every reason not to help O'Neil but she did it anyway. And Sternhagen perfectly played the resignation, reticence, and fear we all (okay me) would have felt in her shoes.

[@Regirs]

Literally discovered it like 2-3y ago when of my brother in law (that is quite a SF buff) digged it up to even his surprise that he never stumbled upon it before. What a movie, amazing characters/ dialogues already watched it 4 times also with directors commentary such a pity that it got buried due to lack of supernatural/ alien life forms in SF movie.

[@JoBloOriginals]

Discovered it on the Space Channel in Canada

[@Hardtarget87jcvd]

Good to see this gem mentioned. This is a great film!

[@sulrich70]

Discovering this on late night tv would be awesome. Great movie, hyams is a fantastic filmmaker

[@wannabkain4400]

Got this film on dvd, I love it. Weirdly I don’t like western movies but somehow I like this even tho it is basically a Wild West movie in space.

[@shainewhite2781]

The shotguns used in the movie are Browning 2000 automatic shotguns.

[@h2489-m2l]

Yes! You beat me to it. Underrated guns.

[@markelijio6012]

Obviously, the film's sound mixing crew was nominated for a 1982 Oscar for their efforts.

[@calicops951]

Thank you for this review. I just shared it with my daughter. What a classic Western in space!

[@andrewgardner8972]

Timecop, end of days, running scared, the presidio, narrow margin remake, and sudden death were the best Peter hyams movies I’ve seen.

[@jamespeters9522]

High Noon on Io! Loved this movie, the story, and the acting.

[@Murrlin27]

Ahh yeah. I have fond memories of this movie. For a time in the 80s, it felt like it would be on tv every time my parents and I did a yearly visit to some relatives. One time in particular, I got pretty much every one of my cousins hooked on it! Happy times, And, does part of Total Recall remind anyone else of Outland?

[@goldfing5898]

Who says I never saw "Outland"? I saw it on TV many years ago already (in the 1990s I think), rewatched it several times in the meantime, and love it!

[@brianchristian5598]

Nice! My dad and I saw it in the theater first run. Great movie!

[@supastar25]

I watched this for the first time just the other day! A very good thriller...Peter Hyams is a director that was on a streak back in this period

[@jasonp.1195]

Outland is one of my top rewatchable films. Truly my favorite Sean Connery role. Best unintentional prequel (Alien / Aliens universe) ever filmed. So much better a world building match to that universe than Prometheus.

[@asifkhan4822]

I actually enjoyed this movie, 🍿 which is a great Sci-Fi remake of High Noon. This & The Presidio are 2 really solid and only collaboration with Hyams & Connery. If you go to continue with forgotten Hyam Science Fiction movies you should cover Time Cop next. The only Peter Hyams movie with the muscles from Brussels based on a obscure comic book 📚 from Dark Horse Comics

[@bobscanlon5212]

Love this movie. Solid, and paced perfectly

[@Biomechanicalzombi]

I actually saw this at the cinema in Sydney. The cinema had just installed a new sound system. It was the loudest experience I’d ever had in a cinema but the movie was fantastic.

[@GeeVanderplas]

I love this movie! These dark lived in, realistic sci fi films are my favorite.

[@belindasharp764]

lol, I was just flicking through a list of his movies trying to find this one!!

[@kuribayashi84]

I'd totally believe that this Movie is set in the "Alien"-Universe. The used-future Production Design of "Outland" is *very* similar. And the Costumes for both movies were designed by the same guy, John Mollo.

[@daveerk6573]

Remember people don't EXPLODE in a vacuum. Still damn FANTASTIC movie

[@jeffthompson9622]

I enjoyed this in its theatrical release and have rewatched it a few times since then.

[@jdsantibanez]

I have seen it MANY times. Excellent movie!

[@RDJ134]

I saw it back in the day on VHS, great movie.

[@goobfilmcast4239]

Saw this when it first came out....in the biggest theater in my little town (now closed, sadly). Loved it !! Yes...has that OG Alien visual aesthetic but in an Homage-y way .... not a ripoff

[@arbitrarychemistry]

this movie is so much fun. Great story even tho it's a space version of the western High Noon. The relationship of Marshall to the doctor is fabulous!

[@dennisdecoene]

I did see it, when it came out AND again recently. Good stuff.

[@craigkirsch9699]

All the ones you’ve share the clips from are good

[@snakeplisskin8696]

Old enough to have seen this in the theater. Good movie. Grounded. Believable. Well made.

[@davidjamesduprey]

I've loved this movie since I first discovered it in the 90s. I love space movies and I love westerns and this is both!

[@MauiMark1]

I agree the actor playing the doctor did a very job filling this role. She actually reminded me a little bit of Dr. McCoy from Star Trek. Kind of a snarky quick witted actor that doesn’t take a lot of crap. Another added gem that doesn’t get displayed very much possibly because he was at the beginning of his career is one of the minors that goes crazy and gets shot by the deputy sheriff. He plays the heavy in Beverly Hills cop. Sorry I don’t have all the names. Thanks for doing the video.

[@silvereagle2061]

I love this movie and watch it every now and then.

[@stefanpp1155]

I loved it when I was young, want to rewatch it now.

[@BanthaPooDoo64]

I believe I’ve loved this since it came, out one of Sean’s best films

[@jogarthehutt]

Love outland! I add it to alien, bladerunner, predator !

[@kidkong637]

Very gritty, authentic. Worth a look.

[@jon545]

I saw the movie and have seen it multiple times and I always say it's a classic . Sci-fi at it's best :)

[@Hogtownboy1]

Thanks for the warning about the DVD version

[@danandkiko]

Love this one. The writing, drama, and action are so realistic. Yes, you're right: Avoid the first DVD transfer. I have it. It's terrible video quality.

[@berendharmsen]

Outland took decades to drop off my list of 'best sci fi movies' and I always saw it as part of the Alien/Blade Runner universe; I used to combine all three at movie nights back in the 80s

[@54BiZZuRKS]

In 97-98 my high school was new so they didn't have anyone to teach graphic design. My best friend and I volunteered. We were horrible, but I spent a lot of time in the computer lab where I noticed a program, AVID. I was the only one to edit my final RTF project on a non-linear system. I taught myself AVID which came in handy a couple years later when I was working at TV stations in the Army.

[@sgtjarhead99]

Great movie. Still holds up today IMO.

[@101Waylander]

Love this film. I’ve even got the novelisation which I read on a regular basis.

[@blackamerican40]

I always thought it was like a poor man's Alien because it came out two years afterwards and space movies were really big that time. RIP Sean and Peter 🙏🙏

[@FreihEitner]

Looks cool. Thanks for the recommendation.

[@ScipioAfricanusI]

This is one of my favorite movies. I was big into role playing games. my favorite is/was Traveller which is a 'realistic' science fiction game. I still think that this is a great scenario for that game.

[@mirkovic]

This High Noon in Space, very underrated movie

[@Exodus26.13Pi]

That Space Foreman was coldblooded.

[@raystaar]

Oh, but I did see it...several times in fact. Twice in a theater and many more times on home video. It was one of the first examples of 'future grit' science fiction. Fascinating flick, and one of Connery's finest outings.

[@jakewhit9000]

OMG I LOVED THIS MOVIE... found it for rent at " all video " vhs back in 97... paid a dollar and watched it 3 times...GREAT MOVIE

[@kurtdewittphoto]

6:00 the hard cut to "hookers are nice.." after talking about crying gave me a chuckle lol.

[@jeremyherndon2974]

What is really crazy is I own this on my Vudu account and watched in on Friday night and was telling my friend about this movie and Moon 44 just the other day.

[@jorge6207]

One of my favourite movies ever