Outland (1981) Is One of the Best Sci-Fi Westerns Despite Its Plot Holes

The mashing up of movie genres can be a viewer’s delight or an awful concoction, like oil and water. Both the sci-fi and Western genres have a dedicated fanbase that usually is pretty protective and quick to point out faults that go against the grain in a way that takes away from the genre. This is the reason why sci-fi Westerns have always been tricky to nail; for every Mad Max: Fury Road, a Wild Wild West is waiting to offset fans’ opinions of this particular mash-up.

Released in 1981, Outland, starring Sean Connery, is a bit of an oddity. It exists as one of the best Sci-fi Westerns despite having numerous plot holes and borrowing heavily from a classic Western. We will examine how the movie has stood the test of time, why its appeal goes beyond sci-fi and can resonate with fans of Westerns, and how it is still loved by a cult following of fans despite its many, large plot holes and inaccuracies.

Outland Plot and Cast

Outland follows William O’Niel (Sean Connery), a Marshall assigned to the mining colony “lo,” on one of Jupiter’s moons. It is during his time here that he uncovers a drug-smuggling operation that is seeing some of the miners facing severe psychological breakdowns and fatalities while taking the synthetic drugs. As he begins to investigate, William finds his process hindered by systematic corruption and interference from the mining operations that want to keep the drugs under wraps while simultaneously profiting from the illegal distribution.

Sean Connery plays William O’Niel (and yes, it is spelled that way), the Marshall looking to bring justice to the mining colony. Sean Connery is a household name, playing one of the most iconic versions of James Bond. Still, around the filming of Outland, the actor starred in a string of sci-fi features, having recently finished filming Asteroid and following up this performance with Time Bandits the same year. Playing the antagonist to Connery’s William O’Niel was Peter Boyle, who played Sheppard, one of the head figures of the mining colony. Boyle is a beloved veteran of the screen, but most modern audiences will instantly recognize him as Frank in Everybody Loves Raymond.

The cast is rounded out by Frances Sternhagen, James Sikking, Kika Markham, Clarke Peters, Steven Berkoff, and John Ratzenberger. The movie was directed by Peter Hyams, who, outside of Outland, is known for other sci-fi titles like Timecop, the sequel to 2001: A Space Odyssey, 2010.

Why Outland Is One of The Best Sci-Fi Westerns

Outland draws heavy influence from the standout 1952 Western and Gary Cooper classic, High Noon; with a number of similarities, some have even called Outland“High Noon in Space.” Of course, for Western fans, this is not necessarily a bad comparison, and there are some key differences beyond the space setting. Notably, the structure is different, with the film’s last third falling more into the groove of High Noon; there is a modernization dealing with drugs and corporate greed; O’Niel takes a while to develop as a character and is not instantly the ‘lawman’ figure like Gary Cooper’s Marshall Will Kane.

This slight tweak to a familiar story ensures several thematic elements will appeal to fans of classic Westerns. The lone hero archetype is the primary draw here, with the movie also echoing High Noon in its exploration of individual responsibility/courage and a challenge to morality in the face of a more significant threat. The archetype of the lone hero/lawman common in the Western genre is still here despite the space setting, and Sean Connery’s performance embodies that classic persona. This also comes through in the dialogue, with an abundance of memorable one-liners.

For those interested in the “High Noon in Space” analogies, the closing half of the film does offer an entertaining take on the same climax as High Noon, with Sean Connery’s William O’Niel awaiting to battle against a series of hired killers being comparable to the tension and excitement of Gary Cooper’s conflict with incoming outlaws. Additionally, the isolation of a remote space colony ruled by corporate greed echoes the same challenges faced in a hostile frontier landscape ruled by lawlessness.

The Many Plot Holes of Outland

Outland could be a treat for those looking for space Westerns echoing the same themes as a classic Western, and the movie has certainly developed a cult following. However, that is not to say that the movie was a critical darling. On Rotten Tomatoes, the movie stands at a 54% critic score with 28 reviews and 54% audience with over 5,000 reviews. The movie fares better on IMDb with 6.8 out of 33k user ratings; the movie is far removed from the best sci-fi movies, according to Rotten Tomatoes.

This is partly due to many disliking how close it is to High Noon, teetering on that line of homage versus rip-off that can get many viewers up in arms, but the other shortcoming of the movie is its ample plot holes and some bad science. While this was less scrutinized in the past, the movie has a few elements that sci-fi purists will scoff at nowadays, including the use of gunfire in a pressurized vessel having no consequences and the disproved (despite what we all thought as kids) head explosion when exposed to a space atmosphere.

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Plot-wise, the production shows a lot of concepts that don’t make sense when taking a step back. The distribution of drugs seems like a logistical nightmare that should have been unearthed long before O’Niel appeared. There is also the question of the validity of the drug being used to enhance the performance of the miners with its side effects being so violent and uncontrollable. The setting of a massive space colony is too large for one man to oversee, with O’Niel’s investigation becoming a series of good luck appearing at the right place and time. The logistics of bringing hired killers to a remote, secure facility is also just shoehorned into the plot to lead up to the climax, not making sense with all the info about the facility that came before it.

For much of Outland to work, the viewer has to assume that things are taken care of behind the scenes despite their implausibility. Still, fans of the movie have been okay to look over these plot holes and inaccuracies; not even the best ’80s sci-fi movies often found praise for their plausibility and sticking to science. Outland is available to rent on Apple TV, Amazon and YouTube.