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Outland

Play trailer Poster for Outland R,  1981,  1h 49m,  Sci-Fi/ Action/ Crime/ Drama/ Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist 63% 30 Reviews Tomatometer 54% 5,000+ Ratings Popcornmeter
63% Tomatometer 30 Reviews 54% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
Thriller about an honest marshal in a corrupt mining colony on Io, Jupiter's sunless third moon, who is determined to confront a violent drug ring even though it may cost him his life. After his wife angrily deserts him, he waits alone for the arrival of killers hired by the company to eliminate him. Futuristic remake of High Noon.

Critics Reviews

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Jake Cole Slant Magazine Nov 2, 2025
Heavily indebted to Fred Zinnemann’s High Noon, Outland updates the earlier film’s Red Scare paranoia with a more topical anxiety about growing conglomeration and capitalist power. Go to Full Review
Variety Staff Variety Mar 26, 2009
While there are several mile-wide plot holes and one key under-developed main character, the film emerges as a tight, intriguing old-fashioned drama that gives audiences a hero worth rooting for. Go to Full Review
Dave Kehr Chicago Reader Jun 5, 2007
The failure of director-writer Peter Hyams to put any weight whatever behind the moral issues (crude as they are) makes this merely violent nonsense. Go to Full Review
Noah Berlatsky Everything is Horrible (Substack) Aug 23, 2026
A movie with stylish futuristic special effects, a love of the Western genre, and a garbled, ambivalent relationship to its own Reagan/Thatcherite present. Go to Full Review
Matt Brunson Film Frenzy Dec 16, 2025
2.5/4
It’s impossible to find any review that doesn’t short-hand Outland as "High Noon in outer space," but that designation actually only covers the second half of this picture. Go to Full Review
Jeff Beck The Blu Spot Nov 3, 2025
3.5/5
Utilizing thrilling action sequences, intriguing production design, and impressive special effects, it ultimately becomes a rather compelling sci-fi outing that deserves a second look from those that have been dismissive of it over the years. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Luke W Jan 26, 2019 This is 1 of the 2 great films Sean Connery had starred in 1981.
Hagrid S Dec 13, 2018 Satisfying for a space drama with a strong lead and great production design
Abraham S Mar 30, 2018 Sean Connery and science fiction. What more can you ask for. Good movie.
Rey L Dec 29, 2017 A pretty solid, late night watching, B-movie.
Harry R Dec 12, 2017 A bad cop good cop space cowboy shootout movie
Hagrid W Nov 7, 2017 After The Star Chamber I decided to give it a try on Outland starring who else, Sean Connery. While Peter Hyams isn't everybody's favorite director in the world, he does get s&%t when he tries to make his films more memorable and not something bland. Years ago in the morning when I was watching The Star Chamber waiting to watch the chase scene at the end I was falling asleep. It never happened to me before. But I'm sure it doesn't do a same thing to Outland, and yeah, I didn't fall asleep but it sure is mediocre. I liked the chase scenes in this like in The Star Chamber. It sure has some gory scenes and it really did had some scary moments. This sci-fi thriller is sure looks like the space like in Alien. Even the music score is familiar, he's name is Jerry Goldsmith and he did make the score with the space look so similar, okay, not in the ship but in the Jupiter where drugs exists. It's been run by Sheppard who's been selling drugs in space. No matter how I try, this movie is dull and mediocre to say the least. Yeah, the writing isn't all that great and, hell, even all the Peter Hyams films ain't all that great! Outland is a really forgettable movie and it sometimes has nothing for sci-fi fans to get into, well, they can just manage it to be okay at least. If you are a huge sci-fi fan, go check out the Alien films and Star Wars films. Surely you can get some enjoyment out of them. See more
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Outland

My Rating

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Movie Info

Synopsis Thriller about an honest marshal in a corrupt mining colony on Io, Jupiter's sunless third moon, who is determined to confront a violent drug ring even though it may cost him his life. After his wife angrily deserts him, he waits alone for the arrival of killers hired by the company to eliminate him. Futuristic remake of High Noon.
Director
Peter Hyams
Producer
Richard A. Roth
Screenwriter
Peter Hyams
Distributor
Warner Bros. Pictures
Production Co
The Ladd Company
Rating
R
Genre
Sci-Fi, Action, Crime, Drama, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
May 22, 1981, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Oct 24, 2008
Runtime
1h 49m
Sound Mix
Surround
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