Capricorn One (1978) -After discovering that the planned Mars expedition can not succeed, a plot to fake a landing is set in motion. The three-man crew face threats against themselves and their families if they don’t go along.
Directed by Peter Hyams
Starring – James Brolin, Sam Waterston, Elliott Gould, Hal Holbrook, Brenda Vaccaro, O. J. Simpson
Why I Liked It – If you turn your brain off, there’s some fun to be had.
I am not responsible if you watch this movie with your brain engaged. This is your warning. In many, many, many ways, this is a dumb movie. Like making it very clear that the radio signals between Ground Control and the spacecraft take over twenty minutes to get from one end to the other. Normal conversations are not possible! Then having the wives of the three astronauts sit down for an in real-time chat with their hubbies.
This movie’s primary problem is nonsense like that. The script is a mess. Is this a serious thriller? Is it a parody? Director Peter Hyams also wrote the script and you can tell he had fun writing the lines for Sam Waterston’s and Telly Savalas’ characters. They’re snappy and funny, and completely out of place in this movie. “Capricorn One” needed another spin or two around the polishing wheel.
Which is too bad because the direction is ok, and the cast has more than enough talent to carry the story. The problem is there’s so much going on that no one gets much time to develop. Simpson is without any interest here. He’s stiff, and can’t play on the same field with Brolin and Waterston. The best scenes are the two brief interludes between Gould and Vaccaro. The rest of the cast consists of wonderful character actors whom late 1970s audiences would have instantly recognized. Karen Black, Telly Savalas, David Huddleston, David Doyle, Denise Nicholas, Robert Walden each have small, underdeveloped characters that they do the best they can with. Nicholas gets the short end of the stick with a role as Simpson’s wife that’s every bit as underwhelming as his.
On the other hand, there’s a pretty cool car scene, a very cool airplane chase sequence, and a semi-interesting concept that plays well today. The movie is about valuing money and power over truth and science. It all feels a little familiar, yes?
On the other other hand, it’s inspired by a stupid conspiracy theory (redundant, I know) about the Apollo moon landing. (For the record, yes, we made it to the moon. It’s been photographically verified by non-U.S. sources, including the Chinese.) The script suffers from all kinds of holes and isn’t funny enough or thrilling enough to quality as comedy or thriller.
It could be worse, but it could be so much better. I give it a barely hanging on by its fingernails “Worth A Look”
You can stream “Capricorn One” on Amazon Prime, Tubi, Peacock, Roku, Fandango, and Plex (among many others)
Rating- *** Worth A Look
Perfect trailer! Every bit as dumb as the movie!
Stories Are My Life 
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