release year: 1981
genre: sci-fi/drama
viewing setting: home laserdisc, 8/13/97
what I expected: entertaining sci-fi flick (I'd seen it before)
what I got: more drama than action - I even dozed off a couple of times
synopsis: Something's wrong on Io, fourth moon of Jupiter. Workers at the mining station there are bugging out and committing suicide in bizarre ways. Enter the new marshal, who's determined to get to the bottom of whatever's going on, despite the risks and costs.
impressions: For its first half, this movie is a cop/detective/drug-dealer story; then it turns into High Noon in space. It has slow moments, but as I said, it's more of a drama than an action movie, most of the time.
acting: Sean Connery makes a good take-no-shit marshal, and pretty much dominates this movie.
final word: Good movie, but not a necessary collectible for everyone. Your mileage will vary depending upon what kind of sci-fi fan you are.
rating: C+