44 Years Later, One Of The Great, Unsung ‘Alien’ Copycats Just Got A Huge Upgrade

Among the ever-growing list of Alien copycat movies, Outland remains an underrated gem. Unlike the run of 1980s creature features like Forbidden World, Creature, and Leviathan, which tried to capture the magic of the xenomorph, this sci-fi thriller focused its attention on Alien’s working-class grit. Returning with a 4K Blu-ray restoration this month, it’s ready to find a new generation of fans.

Released in 1981, Outland stars Sean Connery as the new federal marshal for an isolated mining colony on Io, one of Jupiter’s moons. Taking cues from the 1952 western High Noon, it’s a brutal tale of murder and corruption in a frontier community — with a cynical edge of anti-capitalist commentary, borrowed straight from the dystopian corporate worldbuilding of Alien.

When Connery’s character William O’Neil arrives on Io, he finds himself in a tough environment where life is cheap and working conditions are harsh. The company boss brags that his miners are bringing in a record haul, but we soon understand that this isn’t sustainable. When two workers die under suspicious (and grotesque) circumstances, O’Neil begins to investigate, uncovering an amphetamine ring that endangers the lives of everyone on the base.

Known for his long career of sci-fi movies (Capricorn One, Timecop) and action thrillers (Sudden Death, The Hunter), writer/director Peter Hyams played to his strengths with Outland. Likewise this was an ideal project for a late-career Sean Connery, cast as a macho hero who seeks justice in an unjust land.

Opening with a gruesome spacesuit death that wouldn’t look out of place in a John Carpenter movie, Outland thrives on grimy visual storytelling. Workers sleep in cage-like bunks in squalid dormitories, in a moon base that echoes the blue-collar setting of Alien’s Weyland-Yutani corporation. For exterior shots of the mining platform, production designer Philip Harrison used elaborate miniature models perched upon a desolate lunar landscape. The costumes, meanwhile, come from science fiction royalty: John Mollo, the primary costume designer for Alien and the first two Star Wars movies.

How Was Outland Received Upon Release?

Outland earned a relatively positive reception for a film of its type, with critics praising its production values and the space western connection to High Noon, but casting doubt on its somewhat thin script. It wasn’t hailed as high art, but contemporary viewers certainly recognized its strengths.

In the New York Times, critic Vincent Canby wrote that Outland was “a movie of unexpected pleasures, including some uncommonly handsome science-fiction sets,” complimenting the “wonderfully effective chases through the darkest interiors of this huge, hermetically sealed moon camp.”

The legendary critic Pauline Kael was less flattering. Writing in the New Yorker, she said that Peter Hyams’ script “deadens everything,” from the impressive set design to the well-shot action scenes. She also complained that the story’s political backdrop felt implausible, questioning why miners weren’t already fighting back against their bosses: “Hyams expects us to believe that the marshal can’t arouse them (or their union leaders) to indignation about the way they’re being exploited by amphetamines—or even to anger about the gruesome deaths of their buddies.” A fair point, but this really doesn’t feel like the type of film that would conclude with a proletariat uprising.

Why Is Outland Important to See Now?

Along with being a lesser-known Sean Connery vehicle, Outland’s most compelling quality is its tactile, evocative production design. While some storytelling choices feel predictably dated, you can really see the love that went into its sets and practical effects, representing a bygone era of genre filmmaking. It’s a textbook example of a vintage mid-budget movie that looks a million times better than many A-list blockbusters today.

From an Alien standpoint, Outland also offers a fascinating glimpse into Ridley Scott’s impact on sci-fi filmmaking, piggybacking off his political and aesthetic ideas just two years after Alien’s original release.

What New Features Does the Outland Blu-ray Have?

For a film that relies so much on visual worldbuilding, a high-quality restoration is crucial. Re-released by Arrow Films (one of the go-to outlets for B-movie genre classics), this new Blu-ray arrives in 4K resolution in HDR10 and Dolby Vision.

This disc also offers a wealth of special features for movie buffs, including an archival commentary track from Peter Hyams (which was available on earlier home releases), new analysis and commentary from modern film critics, and new interviews with Hyams and other members of the film’s creative team:

• Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
• Archive audio commentary by writer-director Peter Hyams
• Brand new audio commentary by film critic Chris Alexander
• A Corridor of Accidents, a newly filmed interview with writer-director Peter Hyams
• Outlandish, a newly filmed interview with director of photography Stephen Goldblatt
• Introvision: William Mesa on Outland, a newly filmed interview with visual effects artist William Mesa
• No Place for Heroes, a brand new appreciation by film scholar Josh Nelson
• Hollywoodland Outland, a brand new visual essay by film historian Howard S. Berger
• Theatrical trailer
• Image gallery
• Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Pye Parr
• Double-sided foldout poster featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Pye Parr
• Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing by film critics Priscilla Page and Brandon Streussnig

Outland is available on 4K Blu-ray now.