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List Price: $14.98 | | Label: Warner Home Video
Salesrank: 97820
Released: November 27, 2007 |
| Our Price: $9.82 |
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MPAA Rating: R (Restricted)
Media: DVD |
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Editorial Review:
"This science-fiction epic delivers all the goods" (The Creature Features Movie Guide) A federal marshal on an outer-space mining colony uncovers deadly secrets, triggering a showdown. Oscar(R) winner Sean Connery lays down the law in Peter Hyams' sci-fi sizzler. Year: 1981 Director: Peter Hyams Starring: Sean Connery, Peter Boyle, Frances Sternhagen
Outland Reviews:
Excellent movie, poor transfer 
2008-06-28 - As nearly everyone who has written a review of this video has observed, its transfer to DVD is not up to standard. But the film itself is a class act and an overlooked gem. The atmosphere and suspense are riveting, and the acting and production design are excellent throughout. Often derided as "High Noon in Space," the film is actually much more: a detective thriller, a sci-fi action movie, an existential drama, and a story of love and loyalty. While that sounds like a lot to cram into less than two hours, it fits very comfortably and is brilliantly paced. Sci-fi fans may quibble over a variety of details, but all in all it is a very satifying piece of work.
Like the prototypical "High Noon," "Outland" is about an idealistic sheriff in a company town who refuses to be bought. Set in a mining colony on a moon of Jupiter, the film pits a steely-eyed marshall (Sean Connery) against a corrupt boss (Peter Boyle) and his murderous henchmen. It has crackling dialog, particularly in the scenes between Connery and Frances Sternhagen, who plays a crusty doctor and his only ally. Connery's acting is as natural and believable as Gary Cooper's was stiff and leaden. He makes us care about him as he outwits the evil conspirators who are bent on killing him. Highly recommended.
DON'T BUY THIS - WAIT FOR WARNER BROS. TO REMASTER IT !! 
2008-01-14 - I've seen some f**k-ups in my time, as a dvd enthusiast, but when I saw this on the shelf at Fry's in new packaging -- I assumed Warner Bros. had at least struck a new telecine or comparable transfer in anamorphic.
No dice. This has always been and remains the worst dvd released by a major studio. I can only imagine how p***ed off director Peter Hyams, and actor Sean Connery are about this. Connery has often remarked that he "adores" this movie. Maybe this dvd transfer is why he retired in lieu of reprising his role in Indiana Jones IV. I don't blame him.
Agreed - a horrible transfer...
2007-12-23 - I bought this thinking a new transfer would make this chestnut watchable all over again.
Wrong. It's easily the worst looking DVD I have ever seen. Avoid like the plague.
Outland - Mini Review
2007-12-12 - In the distant future, a police marshal stationed at a remote mining colony on the Jupiter moon of I/O uncovers a drug-smuggling conspiracy, and gets no help from the populace when he later finds himself marked for murder.
WARNING - still the same terrible, unacceptable transfer
2007-12-01 - This is the same terrible, highly compressed transfer that you could buy for $9.95 a couple of years ago. I returned two of those hoping that I just got a bad disk. No improvement with this release. And, it is interesting to see that Amazon deleted all the bad reviews and started all over again. Unless you know this film, and need it for a classic Sci-Fi film collection, the quality will drive your eyes crazy. If you need an example for teaching what poorly done MPG video high compression can do - this is an excellent example. Indicator lights, sign lettering, horizontal lines in the background, are continually "squirming" and slightly changing position, flickering around in almost every scene. They squeezed widescreen on one side and put 4:3 P&S on the other.
For the film itself, four and one half stars: **** */2.
The story is great, it is "High Noon". The music is very good. The acting and directing is fine. The WARNER BROS DVD still stinks. They just re-released the same bad master with a higher price. Buy a used one. I'm asking Amazon for my money back. It is obvious that Warner Bros cares only about short term revenue and trying to catch a few more suckers.
