While I only remember seeing the movie on TV growing up ( missed it in theatrical release), I screened it on a 7 ft/2 meter screen via my HD digital projector in a darkened room for this review, to give it as close to a theatrical presentation as possible. I intend to review “Capricorn One” as a movie, not a docudrama. Writer/director Peter Hyams ( “Outland,” “2010: The Year We Make Contact”) has crafted a cynical, suspenseful, well-acted thriller with just enough action, humor and adventure to make the inherently ridiculous premise go down that much easier. With that out of the way, the primary focus of this column is sci-fi/fantasy entertainment, and in that regard, “Capricorn One”-despite its inherently ridiculous premise ( which I’ll get into later)-is a very entertaining movie with a solid cast, and some of the best ( practical) aerial stunt footage prior to “Top Gun: Maverick” (2022).
A mission to Mars is faked in “Capricorn One” the movie that added fuel to the fire of many conspiracy theorists… I’m a firm believer in the manifold accomplishments of global space programs, so I don’t subscribe to nutty conspiracy theories. As longtime readers of this site might’ve gleaned over the past six or so years, I’m a longtime, passionate fan of real-life space exploration, having been a member of The Planetary Society for nearly 30 years. I am not, nor have I ever been someone who doubts the validity of the Apollo manned lunar landings. One thing though, try to watch it in widescreen - somehow they showed the 4:3 full-frame version on TV here, which was a major drawback considering the movie's original 2.35:1 aspect ratio.I feel the need to preface this review/analysis of 1977’s “Capricorn One” with a bit of personal opinion, since we live in an age where easily verifiable and demonstrable facts are currently called into question ( i.e, the rise of Flat Earth and anti-vaccination movements). So much for the plot, the rest is yours to find out about. They figure that now that they're all supposed to be dead, the government will have them killed for real. That is, until their real-life landing capsule disintegrates while re-entering the earth's atmosphere. Things go somewhat well and although the astronauts really begin to resent the big swindle they were drawn into, nobody really notices. It's got everything in place to fool the public about an actual Mars landing. Upon arrival, they are told that they'll have to play make-believe using the facility's very own "Mars" sound stage. When three would-be Mars astronauts are secretly pulled out of their capsule just minutes before liftoff due to a malfunctioning life support system that would have meant certain death, they are quickly transferred to an abandoned air force base out in the desert.
Unmistakeably based on the real-life "moon hoax" pseudo-conspiracy, it takes the issue one step further and explores just how far your government might go to cover up its own incapacity and silence everyone who gets in its way (Ironically enough for that matter, the moon landings are portrayed in this movie as a non-hoax and really did take place).
This movie is indeed a noteworthy sci-fi/conspiracy flick, even after all these years.
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