The Good

A solid movie that boasts an interesting plot.

The Bad

I wish this disc would have looked at the conspiracy theorists who think that the US actually didn't go to the moon.Capricorn One is a very interesting science fiction, takes place on earth film about the possibility of a US landing on Mars being a hoax. In this conspiracy film the head of NASA that's in charge of the mission realizes that it can't happen. With the wheels for it already being set in motion, an elaborate ruse is created via an old air force base where the mission is staged for TV cameras. When the astronauts involved realize that they must shuffle the mortal coil at the conclusion of these proceedings, they decide to escape only to have the perpetrators of this staged event come after them.

While I don't know how well a movie like this would play in today's market, Capricorn One es a lot of interesting questions about space flight and the public's need to have heroes at any cost.

Features

Audio Commentary

Director Peter Hyams does the commentary duties here as he discusses the making of this film. He talks about how the movie came into existence, what the production was like and working with the actors. The fact that this is the same guy who did Running Scared, 2010, Time Cop and The Star Chamber (among other movies) really says a lot about the style, grace and ability that Hyams brings to every project.

"Flights of Fancy" Featurette

Video

16x9 Widescreen. 2.35:1 DVD Screen Format. This DVD has the blown out, overlit look that Hyams seems like, yet, it really works here. Sure things look dated in regards to what can be done in cinema now, it is exciting to see the ideas at work in this movie. The DVD transfer was crisp and clean.

Audio

5.1 Dolby Digital. English Closed Captions. English and Spanish Subtitles. The audio on this movie was good. I think that Hyams often switches off between making big budget spectacles and mid-range character pieces. This all works well to create a film that gets us into the character's heads but never leaves us there.

Package

An astronaut is shown against a space background with an image of a movie crew shown in their helmet. The back cover features more shots from this movie, a description of this film, a Special Features listing, technical specs and a credits list.

Final Word

In all honesty, the ending of this movie is the ending that The Perfect Storm should have had. I know that that is impossible but I just felt the need to express it here. What makes Capricorn One so enjoyable is the fact it merges the late 1970s with science fiction in a way that makes nothing about it seem futuristic. Factor into that having James Brolin, Sam Waterston and the recently convicted OJ Simpson at the helm and you literally end up having a movie for the ages.