Alan Fudge, Brenda Vaccaro, David Huddleston

Classic conspiracy tale about the first manned mission to Mars. All appears to be going well until the astronauts are pulled off the ship just before launch by shadowy government types and whisked off...( read more  read more... ) to a film studio in the desert. It transpires that the space vehicle has a major defect which NASA just daren't admit. At the studio, over a course of months, the astronauts are forced to act out the journey and the landing to trick the world into believing they have made the trip. Meanwhile, a Journalist (played by Gould) is getting suspicious and every clue he uncovers seems to result in an attempt on his life! The astronauts are just about to splashdown when a further twist to the tale occurs, leaving them with no choice but to try to escape.

Flixster Users

57% liked it

1,302 ratings

Critics

59% liked it

17 critics

PG, 123 min.

Directed by: Peter Hyams

Release Date: January 1, 1978

Invite friends to see

DVD Release Date: March 15, 2000

Get It:

Stats: 301 reviews

Get movie widget Recommend it Add to Favorites

Your Rating



clear rating

Flixster Reviews (301)


  • September 25, 2009
    An excellent conspiracy thriller with a brilliant cast. Classic!
  • July 2, 2008
    James Brolin heads a team of astronauts who're pulled from their capsule seconds before the launch and told they must help fake a Mars landing in order to save the space program. Meanwhile Elliot Gould is a reporter whose friend that works in the Houston command centre tells him ...( read more)of a discrepancy in the telemetry. This friend promptly vanishes and he finds someone else living in his apartment, so he sets about discovering the truth. This hugely entertaining conspiracy theory thriller from Peter Hyams delivers an interesting premise told with boy's own panache. Elliot Gould does what he does best as the smart mouthed reporter and gets all the best lines in some witty quickfire banter with his editor and love interest, and the action is provided in the astronaut's escape from the NASA compound. Hyams makes great use of the desert locations and there's an exciting finale in the form of an aerial chase through it's canyons between two black ops helicopters (cleverly given a kind of faceless, malevolent personality through formation flying) and a barnstorming crop duster played by Telly "Kojak" Savalas. Occasionally a little far fetched, but it's funny, intriguing and exciting, and great fun.
  • August 13, 2007
    it was alright, too long though
  • November 9, 2006
    Engaging conspiracy film. Capricorn One concerns a US cover-up of a mission to Mars, attempting to claim the astonauts' journey resulted in a accident costing them their lives. Regretting their decision to lie for 'the sake of the nation', the actor/astronauts try to escape the g...( read more)overnment's clutches by trekking home through the desert. A reporter meanwhile, suspects something is afoot and makes an investigation, one that nearly gets him killed on several occaisions. An intruiging and entertaining thriller, Capricorn One is bolstered by fine work from Gould and soem dazzling camerwork, most notably the crane shot illustrating the astronauts parting ways and the POV shots when Gould's car develops a mind of it's own. Unfortunately, the second half of the film descends into typical adventure territory, with a daft dogfight, and a silly deus ex machina involving a snake. These factors stretch the believablity of the film, and of course affect its prescience (recent investigation into disproving the 1969 moon landing).
  • February 27, 2009
    Moments before the launch of NASA's first manned mission to Mars, the astronauts of Capricorn One are secretly taken out of their spacecraft, and whisked away to a secret airfield in the middle of nowhere. Once there, they are told that their life support system on the ship was d...( read more)efective, and they would've died within 3 weeks. Instead of scrubbing the costly, and high profile mission, the decision is made to fake the entire thing. The astronauts are forced to go along with it, under threats against their families. When a catastrophic accenident destroys the spacecraft on its return to Earth, it's decided the astronauts must die before they can reveal the truth. What follows is a tense cat and mouse game where the astronauts attempt to get back to civilization before it's too late. James Brolin, Sam Waterston, and...gasp...OJ Simpson are the astronauts, Hal Holbrook is the dangerous head of NASA's space program, and Elliot Gould is an investgative reporter who suspects that things are not what they seem with this "historic" mission. Great performances all around, and a tense script by writer/director Peter Hyams make for an exiciting trip that is obviously based on the legendary conspiracy theory that man never really landed on the moon.
  • September 11, 2009
    I?ve heard all the jokes about this movie, but decided to watch it. Never saw it or a glimpse before. And you know what? It wasn?t bad at all. In fact, it is a very creative take on the story and political conspiracy movies of the time (If you haven?t seen the Parallax View, that...( read more) was the best and I feel groundbreaking for its time). Sure it?s got OJ, sure it?s been knocked on the show Friends, and sure they never take those freaking space suits in the scorching heat, but despite its flaws in logic, it?s not bad. But you gotta love the pattern of music and sappy slow-mo for endings that was US movies in the 70s.

    One note of importance to me, the POV shots of the car and the air chase are brilliant. Those were pretty amazing shots and I wonder what were model doubles and what were real filming because it is great. Bullit is always skewed for me because the lack of realistic SF geography in the chase annoys me. This one, though fairly obvious in its staging and result, was still pretty amazing.
  • June 5, 2009
    This was a bit ahead of its time and beautifully exploited the conspiracy mindset.
  • May 6, 2009
    Yes, it has some logic gaps here and there, but Hyams' direction is solid enough to keep you glued to the screen from start to finish. Add in a funny cameo by Savalas plus that brilliant Goldsmith score and you get a near great blend of sci-fact/fi, drama and even a bit of action.
  • March 28, 2009
    A little far-fetched but still a good watch. The cast was a real treat. I had to crack up at the end when James Brolin and Elliott Gould are running together toward the camera... Couldn't help but think of Barbra Streisand.
  • February 28, 2009
    I am surprised that I missed watching this movie until now. The entire story is plausible. I just had a hard time feeling any empathy for O.J.

Critic Reviews


Comments


This board looks lonely. Be the first to talk about "Capricorn One" !

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

More Like This


Click a thumb to vote on that suggestion, or add your own suggestions.

  • Marooned
    Marooned (100%)
  • Outland
    Outland (100%)
  • The Parallax View
    The Parallax View (0%)
  • The Long Goodbye
    The Long Goodbye (0%)

Theater Showtimes & TV Listings


Capricorn One Trivia


  • Which zodiac sign was a 1970's sci-fi film?  Answer »
  • In capricorn one,why were they being chase?  Answer »
  • What Movie is this Plot Line from? This movie is about a NASA conspiracy to fake a Mars mission, making assassination targets of the unsuspecting astronauts involved.   Answer »
  • What accused murderer appeared in "Capricorn One"?   Answer »

Movie Quizzes


No quizzes for Capricorn One. Want to create one?

Most Popular Skin


No skins yet. Interested in creating one?