Siskel & Ebert Review Outland (1981) Peter Hyams

DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the footage I used. Copyrights belong to their respective owners. This video is covered by "fair use".

[@JasonBagherian]

I've always liked this film. Outland could be set in the same universe as Alien, with the amazing sets and music by Jerry Goldsmith. It's always good to see Sean Connery in a film.

[@josephpowelliii9169]

I don't care what these 2 "experts" say....this was a gr8 movie

[@Jolar70]

Peter Boyle was an awesome company villain, but I agree that his henchmen could have been a little sharper and more menacing to threaten Connery's marshal. However, Francis Sternhagen always blows me away as his ally. After all the Bond girls (some totally GREAT!) yet, having this age-appropriate badass expert / investigator as his partner was such a cool decision for this movie! I only wish it could have been a longer series between them.

[@Filthy_Larry]

Lmao age appropriate.

[@MrRamone420]

Wow, Gene definitely reminded me why I liked Roger better. Outland is just a wonderful film and never mentioned as a remake/retelling done right. Sean Connery is just truly an icon

[@michaelperkowski641]

The main reason to see this film is Sean Connery. He is great in this movie. Good special effects, great set designs a fun thriller science fiction movie. I saw this film on huge theater screen with great sound system in 70mm.

[@JasonBagherian]

70mm sounds awesome.

[@richspinaci8293]

I saw it back in 1981. It’s great on the big screen. That’s a marshal joke 😆😆 I laugh at that line every time

[@steelpatriot3683]

So, I just got this on Blu Ray two weeks ago, and it really holds up after all these years. Well paced lean sci fi well acted and great production design. However....... After this review why bother watching the film????? Hilarious how badly they spoiled films in these reviews back in the day 😀 As ever though Siskel didn't have a clue 😂

[@JasonBagherian]

I agree and sometimes they gave the ending away.

[@williamhowe1]

I think Peter Hyams might be one of the forgotten directors.

[@JasonBagherian]

I think your correct. I shall do a few more of Peter Hyams films in the future.

[@JasonBagherian]

@Tim Hands I love Timecop which is probably Van Dame's best film. One of the first films I ever remember watching was Hanover Street with my mum. 2010 is coming soon as I've found a decent copy of it.

[@reneedennis2011]

@@JasonBagherian I like Timecop, too.

[@steelpatriot3683]

Capricorn One is great fun. It holds up surprisingly well. Some of the Eliot Gould stuff is clunky, but overall it's still a good conspiracy thriller, and the aerial photography in the last 20 minutes is top notch (see it on a HD print....it REALLY holds up). Hyams had some game.

[@hamburgareable]

In fact i think Outland is my favorite of the whole bunch.

[@josephhuether1184]

One of the best aspects of this film was its depiction of not-too-distant-future off-world commercial activity as being just as grim, dangerous, corrupt, exploitative and dangerous as any other on-world mineral/agricultural/industrial extraction operation. “The off-world future” is not squeaky clean and romantic. It’s like building houses in 110 degree Arizona…only worse.

[@josephpowelliii9169]

Gr8 movie...gr8 performance by Sean.

[@boriskarloff598]

Movie is solid. I think Gene complaining about the amateur hitmen is Bull. At this point in the movie they're gonna do O'niell one way or another, they have men on the inside to cover the tracks. Roger great!

[@diemman70]

Yep, not even within a light year of Alien but we all knew that before we clicked play. It’s just a fun SF shoot ‘em up movie.

[@donaldduck7461]

Connery’s performance here, was so much better than his turn as an Irishman in the Untouchables.

[@hklinker]

I overlook all sorts of things in films and can still come away saying I enjoyed them. No question that firing your weapon and collapsing an environment that allows you to breathe/stay alive is too much, but it doesn’t cancel out the good things in this film, like the sets, the music, Connery, his relationship with the Dr, and the overall feeling of menace. Maybe I’ve learned to compartmentalise.

[@fujienthusiast8238]

The rig had really detailed paintwork. When it came to filming they couldn't get the lighting to work and ended up spray painting it white.

[@hamburgareable]

RIP Sean Connery (two years ago)

[@hamburgareable]

Great-ass film this is!!

[@tully667]

Saw this as a kid and loved the movie. But I agree with Siskel on one point. Even as a 12yr old, I thought the bad guys were stupid.

[@haruruben]

Wow spoilers

[@Macleodking]

This film had the same realistic set design, fashion sense, cinematography - even a score by Jerry Goldsmith - as ALIEN. They could have easily put a few alien eggs on an arriving shuttle and you would have had a plot set in motion. The problem I have is with Sean Connery in the lead. While he has always been one of my favorite actors, his Scottish accent jars heavily with the almost universally American accents around him. James Sikking as the senior deputy seems more like the type to be the lead here.

[@sirequinox4874]

Siskel's review is right on. Ebert, a critic for whom I have a lot of respect, really disappointed me on this one.

[@jamesvalentino7024]

Superb sci fi motion picture

[@NexusCool1]

6:41 ...I didn't see for a long time where host and guest are not just agree on everything and have a conversation about it.

[@MrAlsachti]

That's amazing how these two guys completely spoil the movie. But I guess this is how things were done at the time.

[@blazerocker1734]

Yes, sadly they did that. The review should have also been no more than five minutes in length in my opinion, but I also understand that this was 1981 and there were fewer movie production companies back then so there may not have been enough movies to review in a half-hour program to warrant such short reviews. They may have been stretching them out to fill their runtime.

[@Clay3613]

I don't know why Siskel & Ebert spoiled the plot so much.

[@blazerocker1734]

Back in the early 80s there weren't as many movie production companies as there are today so I'm guessing there weren't as many movies available to review each week. 'At the Movies' was a half-hour show and I'm assuming they spent as much time as they did on each review in order to fill the show's runtime, hence why they showed so much footage of the movie when they really shouldn't have. At least they didn't say anything about O'Niel's family or the secret antagonist that almost comes out of nowhere.

[@NoahSpurrier]

Good movie

[@EthelredHardrede-nz8yv]

Jerry Goldsmith said this was his worst score. I have always liked it. I had this on Laser disc, DVD, the first was done badly, a second time when it was done right. Mostly good acting, Sean's family was not good but the rest of the acting was from serviceable to pretty good. OK the exploding heads were not good.

[@rohanmarkjay]

Pretty good Scifi movie. If you want to see Sean Connery in top form in a terrific scifi epic. Lets face it its High Noon western redone in space and Connery is terrific in it.

[@nealm6764]

Takes me back to when I used to care about movies, and critics did more than just assess how woke a film and its casting were.

[@JasonBagherian]

I agree and I don't watch modern Hollywood films today. Maybe after this scamdemic Hollywood might be forced to go back to making lower budget films.

[@nealm6764]

@@JasonBagherian I used to be such a movie buff, but could care less now about the crap they churn out. People would find Outland Glacially slow today, but I loved the way the tension just kept ratcheting up bit by excruciating bit. I do agree with Siskel here, the bad guys were quite a let down. They didn't fulfill the tension that was built up. But man Connery was brilliant in this. Thanks for posting the clip and for replying.

[@JasonBagherian]

@@nealm6764 I have the same views as you about modern cinema. I've not been to the cinema since 2016 and the last film I saw was The Revenant. I think I'll try to do a few more S&E Sean Connery reviews this week. Cheers.

[@WhatsWrongWithTheStreet]

@@JasonBagherian Both of you are right on. I used to LOVE the movies! But not since 2015 or '16. I just quit going. Star Wars Rogue One might have been the last one I saw. Preachy racist tripe they churn out is sickening. I have kept my DVDs and BluRays of all my old favorites lest they become cancelled for some arbitrary offense.

[@nightowl7459]

It wouldn't be bad to see a reworking of this film with it's flaws ironed out and better special effects.

[@WhatsWrongWithTheStreet]

That thing he throws off the roof is an Amazon gift card. LOL

[@MrGloriousg]

I strongly disagree with Siskel on this review. I do agree with his review of Beyond The Valley of the Dolls.

[@arthurprado1369]

Siskel being Siskel... Always trying to rewrite the plot, or the film in general. Ebert just takes in and accepts what he sees. And than he can start to work.

[@rufus-t415]

Siskel was wrong again.

[@ricardocantoral7672]

Roger seemed to forget that the villains in High Noon were actually threatening. These guys were just goons. Overall, Outland was pretty to look at but it's ultimately a bore so it's just like every other Peter Hyams film. The only good stuff was Connery and his relationship with the genuinely well written and well performed doctor.

[@fredchester921]

Never liked Siskel. His criticisms were always way off, lame... childish... appearing 'Devil's Advocate' -- and just that. To be contrarian. Even the most well-made, well-produced, and now famous films that went on to become blockbuster hits, Siskel smeared as failures. Ebert, on the other hand, was the common sense and honest film critic, with a depth of film knowledge you could tell was formed by a love of film. Ebert not only made 'point on' perfect reviews that dovetailed with your own assessments of the films (that you saw), but it balanced the pros and cons. Not once in the decades of watching Ebert "at the movies" did he miss on any review. That's because Ebert was one of the best, if THE BEST film critic ever.