TiVo recorded this as a "suggestion" recently, and I realized that I
had never seen the film before. MAROONED was released in the
science fiction film dark age that stretched between 2001 and
STAR WARS, so I wasn't expecting much. In fact, MAROONED is a
gripping film from the beginning. The cast, headed by Gregory
Peck (geez, do we miss positive male authority figures like him!) is
uniformly outstanding. We get to see a young Gene Hackman,
years before his breakout in THE FRENCH CONNECTION, and
career-best performances from David Jansen, Mariette Hartley,
Richard Crenna, and James Franciscus.
The production values are first-rate, and the scenes set in NASA
facilities on the ground are the most realistic ever filmed, better
even than APOLLO 13. NASA apparatchiks sling around enough
acronyms to fill a family-sized box of Alpha Bits, and die-hard fans
of space travel won't be disappointed in the technical detail.
The pan & scan print I saw on Cinemax was superb; it looked
brand new. The sound was pretty much what one would expect in
an average flick from the late 1960s.
I have rated this film as an '8', a grade I rarely give. I would have
ranked it higher but for a draggy ending with cheesy EVA effects. I
still recommend this film highly, even for those with no particular
interest in space travel or science fiction. The dramatic core is
what drives this film, and there is no disappointment there.
