Marooned (1969)

Three astronauts -- Richard Crenna, Gene Hackman, and James Franciscus -- are sent into space for five months to measure the effects of extended stay. There occurs a measurable decline in their performance and Head of Manned Space, Gregory Peck, barks out, "Bring 'em down." Easier said than done. Their retrograde, rebarbative, reentry valves and pfoofnik pins won't fire, so they're stuck in orbit and running out of oxygen. They try everything. The problem can't be fixed.The launch of a rescue ship from Cape Canaveral is delayed because of a hurricane and it becomes clear that no matter what measures are taken, there's simply not enough oxygen for three men. With the inestimable aid of a nearby Russian space module and the seasonable arrival of the delayed rescue ship, two of them make it.The emphasis is as much on drama as on the technical events themselves, which are mostly rendered in a lingo unintelligible to the common man. There is the obligatory scene in which the three wives are called in to say good-bye to their doomed mates in space. The weakest of the three, Gene Hackman, goes berserk, which is not Hackman's forte.In some ways the most notable element of the plot is the help given by the Russian cosmonaut. It must be remembered that this is 1969, the height of the Cold War, when the Soviet Union was an avowed enemy. It's good to see the comradeship between space explorers regardless of nationality clearly illustrated on film. Morever, the Russian guy is not a scowling, bald, sweating aardvark. The actor is perfectly normal and smiles as he feeds air to one of the men.The special effects are fine, although the drama inherent in such a situation isn't really effectively rendered. Not much acting is required of anyone. The musical score is apt -- one dreadful, ominous chord during scenes of danger.

The best thing about Marooned is Lee Grant. She's really wonderful in a tiny role as the wife of the commander.The worst thing about Marooned is that it's dated. Here's a sample line of dialogue that made me cringe: "Celia and I have been in this business 10 years. We learned that the best thing is for us girls to keep our feelings to ourselves and let the men get on with their jobs. Right, Celia?"This is a dramatic story about three astronauts stranded in orbit. Richard Crenna, the spacecraft commander, and James Franciscus, the science systems astronaut, are very good. I especially liked Franciscus. Unfortunately, Gregory Peck is kind of stiff and stoic as the man in charge. Gene Hackman is the Apollo guidance pilot and as he gradually goes crazy, I'm not sure if I didn't like his acting or I didn't like his character. Anyway, I did not enjoy watching him.The makers of this movie went to great lengths to be very accurate in their depiction of mission control, the Apollo capsule, costuming and such. Great production values all around. The storm looks really authentic too. It won an Oscar for best visual effects in 1970.David Janssen plays an Air Force colonel who wants to launch a rescue mission against all odds. He's the heroic senior astronaut on the ground who wants to fly the X-RV into space to save them. It's never before been flown into space so there are some inherent dangers. When it's finally launched, it's actually a pretty thrilling sight. It's a very quiet movie and the pacing is kind of slow. It's not bad, but overall, the movie had too much technology and perhaps too much realism - it needed a bit more storytelling and drama.

As a frequent user of the IMDb, I rarely write reviews but I feel compelled to put my 2 cents in on this one. I'm a science fiction fan, so I have seen and appreciated some very obscure works, yet I never heard of this movie. There is a big reason why... it's not good, it's not a classic, and that's why it's forgotten. First, I have to ask... why do people who rate movies like this a perfect 10 think anybody reads their reviews? You are stating this is the most superb piece of filmmaking art you have ever seen. Seriously? All you have proved is that whatever you have to say is totally worthless. This movie is from 1969, so it's important to look at it in context. They threw together a few big stars & capitalized on the two biggest fads of the era: space & The Cold War. This could have been a classic if it were a 30 minute Twilight Zone episode. It's over 2 hour runtime borders on painful. It represents Hollywood appealing to the nation's lowest common denominator by combining a fad with star power and little else. Obviously they are masters of exploiting public stupidity since there are still people tasteless enough to keep raving about this flick 40+ years later.Considered historically, it provides indisputable proof that the moon landing was 100% real, because not even Hollywood could fake it. It's award winning special effects make you wonder how the actors were able to keep a straight face while doing their zero G "acrobatics". Winning the Oscar has to be the Academy's version of dark humor considering the winner in its category the previous year was 2001: A Space Odyssey. The only reason this movie should be mentioned in the same breath as Kubrick's masterpiece is to point out how it's the opposite of everything that makes 2001 a work of art. I respect the fact that many reviewers have a soft spot for this movie because they still look at it with child's eyes. I'm a little younger so my child nerd affection goes to movies like Space Camp. Yet even though I thought Space Camp was "wicked awesome" as a kid, I won't waste your time telling you it was a cinematic masterpiece. In fact Marooned can't even stand up to other Sci-fi disappointments with big potentials and poor execution, such as The Black Hole or Star Trek: The Motion Picture. Those two stinkers don't exactly set the bar very high either. Just like Marooned is no perfect 10, it's not the very worst movie in the world either. It's got big stars and its about the space race & that can go along way. Just not a 2 hours and 14 minutes long of a way. It's a bit sub par of average in the history of Hollywood. Watch it if you wish to relive a piece of your childhood or get a slice of what America was crazy about at the time. Just do NOT expect a grand story or an amazing cinematic experience & you won't be disappointed.

Interesting and ambitious NASA what-if tale that builds in tension as it unfolds. I liked never-handsomer Gregory Peck as a space agency director who knows a rescue mission would be perilous and outrageously expensive, but PR and the president demand that he try.Gene Hackman, Richard Crenna, and James Franciscus do well as stranded spacemen who struggle from oxygen deprivation, temporary insanity, and the perhaps unlikely rescue tactics of a Russian cosmonaut bearing a flashlight and a US Air Force rocket ship.The film is extremely dated in its treatment of the astronauts' prim and demure wives, but it seems prescient in its handling of the ethics of space rescue. Weren't some of these questions discussed after foam falling from the Challenger caused its destruction during reentry?