OUTLAND and RED PLANET in 4K: Arrow Goes to Space

OUTLAND and RED PLANET (4K UHD)

Arrow Video

Review by Mr. Bonnie, the Butt Nugget😸

In addition to taking place in the near future on distant worlds, these two films have something else in common: We here at Free Kittens feel they remain underappreciated and undeservedly forgotten (at least compared to other sci-fi films of their eras). But Arrow Video does right by both titles with a couple of new 4K editions.

Sean gets sassy.

OUTLAND (1981/109 min) - I always hated the term, “lost classic,” because it’s basically an oxymoron. But if I were to ever use it, 1981’s Outland would certainly make the list. This is gritty, violent, adult sci-fi that’s often been called High Noon in space. Sean Connery plays a weary law-enforcer assigned to keep the peace on a mining colony on Io, one of Jupiter’s moons...only nobody really wants him to enforce the law. This becomes clear after several miners go apeshit and kill themselves due to their addiction to a synthetic drug created to boost production, but the powers-that-be (led by Peter Boyle) send assassins to kill Connery. 

Outland is similar to Alien in look and tone, but essentially a cop drama that happens to be set in outer space. Like a lot of equally-underrated movies written and directed by Peter Hyams, it's fun, fast-paced junk food with decent special effects, witty dialogue and well-conceived characters. It also features a terrifically understated performance by Connery.

I’m of the opinion that Hyams has never really gotten the accolades or respect he deserves. But in addition to the outstanding 4K restoration, this set boasts bonus features that spotlight his quietly impressive film career (including a great interview where we hear it from the horse’s mouth). Other material includes a few commentaries (one that’s new), a critical analysis and an interview with the FX supervisor who discusses the process known as “Introvision,” which was new and innovative at the time. However, whoever designed that godawful new slipcover deserves to be fired.

EXTRA KIBBLES

INTERVIEWS - A Corridor of Accidents is an excellent 50-minute interview with writer/director/cinematographer Peter Hyams, who discusses his career from his beginnings through the early ‘80s. This is easily the best of the bonus features; Introvision: William Mesa on Outland features the FX artist discussing his use of Introvision; Outlandish is an interview with cinematographer Stephen Goldblatt, who’s candid about his mostly symbolic film credit.

NO PLACE FOR HEROES - This is a visual essay by Josh Nelson, who goes into detail about Outland being a western (not really all that revelatory, since most of us already knew that).

HOLLYWOODLAND OUTLAND - A visual essay about Peter Hyams, by Howard S. Berger.

2 AUDIO COMMENTARIES - 1) By Peter Hyams; 2) By critic Chris Alexander.

2 TRAILERS

IMAGE GALLERY - Mostly stills from the film, with a bit of promotional artwork.

"Based on what I just stepped in, I think a dog beat us here."

RED PLANET (2000/106 min) - This was a critical and box office bomb back in 2000, which also contributed to Val Kilmer’s freefall as a bankable leading man. Further sealing its fate was another sci-fi film released just a few months earlier (Mission to Mars) that was conceptually similar. While Brian De Palma would go on to find more work (sort of), Red Planet remains director Atony Hoffman’s only film. 

But it ain’t that bad. Sure, the thing’s got its share of narrative issues, such as waaay too much upfront exposition offered by voice-over narration, and perhaps more plot than the film actually needs. In the future, Earth is slowly dying, so efforts are being made to terraform Mars by growing oxygen-producing algae. But when the experiment begins to fail, a mission is sent to investigate. However, a solar flare damages the ship, so most of the crew are trapped on the surface and running out of air.

You could actually jettison most of the Earth-in-peril stuff and still have a fairly gripping survival tale. In addition to suffocation, the landing partly must deal with a scary-ass rogue robot that’s turned homicidal and is hunting them down. Those scenes are pretty cool, but sometimes undermined by the episodic nature of the story, which presents one new crisis after another. Still, the performances and cast are decent (including Kilmer, Carrie-Anne Moss, Tom Sizemore and Benjamin Bratt), while the special effects and production design are excellent. If nothing else, this is a great looking film that’s been nicely restored on 4K and comes with a smattering of bonus features.

EXTRA KIBBLES

INTERVIEWS - The Martian Chronicles is an interview with FX supervisor Jeffrey A. Okun; Suit Up is an interview with helmet & suit designer Steve Johnson.

ANGRY RED PLANET - A visual retrospective by critic Heath Holland, who discusses the good and bad aspects of the film.

DELETED SCENES

TRAILER