It's worth noting that the cast includes both of Barbra Streisand's husbands: She was married to Gould from 1963-71 and has been married to Brolin since 1998. With the exception of Simpson, they all do solid work, which is all the script requires. As such, it doesn't require big stars and so the cast features actors like Gould (who worked with Hyams earlier in the comedy Busting), Hal Holbrook (the project leader), James Brolin (who heads the astronauts' team), Brenda Vaccaro (Brolin's wife), and O.J. (Parts of the car scene were later recycled in the TV series The Fall Guy.)Ĭapricorn One is what Hollywood moguls now call a high-concept film. That leads to the film's two best scenes: a nerve-racking sequence in which Gould can't stop his car as it speeds through crowded metropolitan streets and an aerial chase between a crop-dusting biplane and two military helicopters. The latter storyline implies that the shadowy people behind the deception have limitless power and will stop at nothing-even murder. Hyams propels the plot by cutting back-and-forth between the astronauts and a news reporter (Elliott Gould) who learns that something isn't right about the Mars mission. Hyams provides just enough detail to make his story work, such as the ingenious plan to send the space capsule off-course as it lands back on earth-thereby providing enough time to insert the astronauts into the capsule before the recovery team's arrival. Therefore, if you could manipulate that media, then you could deceive the world. Writer-director Peter Hyams' central premise is that most people believe real-life events viewed through the lens of the news media. Made in 1977, Capricorn One is an entertaining thriller inspired by moon landing conspiracy theories. When the astronauts refuse to go along with the massive deception, the project director expresses concern about the safety of their families: "There are people out there-forces out there-with a lot to lose." In other words, the three astronauts do not have a choice. James Brolin's astronaut learns the truth. That would be accomplished in a TV studio complete with a Mars set and a replica of the landing module. However, it would be necessary for the three men to "act out" certain scenes, such as the Mars landing. A recording of an earlier simulation would give the illusion that the astronauts were still on-board the rocket. They made the decision to fake the mission. With Congress already concerned about the Mars program's $24 billion price tag, certain individuals feared that a rocket launch cancellation could mean the end of federal funding. As the empty rocket blasts off, the project director explains to the bewildered astronauts that he learned of a critical fault in their life support systems three weeks earlier. Hidden from view, they are whisked away to a remote desert facility. Until then, I'll wait and hope that he learns some tips from Ridley Scott.Moments before the launch of a manned mission to Mars, Capricorn One's three astronauts are secretly pulled from the rocket. He needs to really show me he is actually capable of making something entertaining. The idea sounds so cool that I want this to be good, but right now I'm just not sold on Moore. Hopefully he didn't get caught up in the video game movie stigma with Max Payne either. So far he's been rather mediocre when it comes to war ( Behind Enemy Lines), action ( Flight of the Phoenix), and horror ( The Omen). The premise sounds promising and I'm curious whether Moore will be better at sci-fi than anything else. Not much more is known, but it sounds like a fun project.Īlthough I'm not at all familiar with the original film, I usually take an interest in anything sci-fi given my love for the genre. Moore's version is described as an updated, reimagining written by Eragon and Jurassic Park III writer Peter Buchman. Elliott Gould and James Brolin starred in the original. When their rocket's life support fails last minute, NASA pulls them and the ship is launched unmanned, but NASA requires them to fake the landing and stay in hiding to prevent public humiliation. The original film is a 1978 sci-fi thriller about a group of astronauts who were supposed to be sent on NASA's first manned mission to Mars. Filmmaker John Moore, of Behind Enemy Lines, Flight of the Phoenix, The Omen, and Max Payne, has been attached to direct a remake of Capricorn One.
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