‘Outland’ finally earns its place in home theater libraries with a stellar 4K Ultra HD debut

Director Peter Hyams’ 1981 thematic homage to “High Noon” as sci-fi neo-Western starring the distinguished Sean Connery finally debuts in the ultra-high definition disc format in Outland: Limited Edition (Arrow Video, rated R, 2.35:1 aspect ratio, 109 minutes, $49.95).

Mr. Connery stars as federal Marshal William T. O’Niel who is assigned to a titanium ore mining outpost, Con-Am 27, on the very bleak, inhospitable and sunless Jupiter moon of Io.

A series of worker deaths leads the marshal to investigate and finds the no-nonsense lawman at odds with the general manager, Mark Sheppard (Peter Boyle), a minion of the mega-corporation Con-Amalgamated that controls the entire operation.

After confirming a drug smuggling operation that feeds illicit substances to workers for increased production and approved by Shepphard and his bosses, Marshal O’Niel’s attempt to stop the flow of drugs leads to a showdown with a pair of assassins arriving to kill him, with help only coming from the outpost’s female doctor, Marian Lazarus (Frances Sternhagen).

Someone walking into the first 30 minutes of “Outland” might think they were watching an “Alien” movie with the spacesuits, lit helmets, shadowy, sterile corridors and catwalks with embedded air ventilation piping popping out — and even watching an unlucky miner’s head exploding in his helmet.

However, viewers ultimately get a solid action thriller touching on the Western themes of a moral hero standing alone against the bad guys in a celestial wild frontier.

The narrative also leads to a pretty exciting final battle that includes a fight in spacesuits on the side of the mining outpost walkways and watching what happens when humans are exposed to the vacuum of space.

4K in action: The claustrophobic and gloomy confines of Con-Am 27 shine, thanks to a brand new 4K restoration from the original 35mm camera negative that highlights the work of cinematographer Stephen Goldblatt and production designer Philip Harrison.

Their work accentuates the often dimly lit and sterile grayish-white detail of the outpost’s interior as well as the surprisingly impressive space scenes.

For clarity, just study the numerous close-ups of Connery with his reddish-bronzed skin, well-earned age lines, greying beard and slightly bloodshot eyes, impeccably realized in the 2160p format.

Now for vibrant color, check the scene of a drugged-out miner threatening to kill a prostitute in a room bathed in red and yellow light contrasted by deputies in deep-blue uniforms and bright-gold badges.

Equally examine the model making and special effects (using the groundbreaking technology called Introvision) that bring the rocky landscapes and the exterior of the mining outpost to life.

Realistic-looking structures with descending elevator shafts, towers and textured building supports and ramps, all with the mighty orangish planet of Jupiter hovering behind, stand out. Those detailed close-quarters fights in space feature the destruction of the outpost’s massive, glass greenhouse.

Best extras: Arrow does it again with a release that adds an abundance of digital goodies to clearly appreciate the making of the film and its legacy.

Start with a vintage director’s optional commentary track, previously recorded for the 2012 Blu-ray release, offering a pointed and workmanlike dissection of his production.

Mr. Hyams’ discusses creating the original soundtrack, favorite lighting schemes, story origins, production design and magic behind the effects with a mixing in of fond memories of working with Connery and the cast.

A second, newly recorded track offers film critic Christopher Alexander as he delves wholeheartedly into an analysis of the effort while also adding obligatory information on key cast and crew, including credits, the exploding heads and dissecting scene narratives.

He also makes a point of mentioning that he is not reading from a preplanned script, just riffing as the movie plays and is willing to go off on tangents such as filmmaker Roger Corman’s influence in cinema and the trend of exploding heads in 1980s cinema.

Next, viewers get three new meaty interviews with key crew from the movie.

First, a generous 52-minute, black-and-white, very detailed interview with Mr. Hyams has the director discuss his life and career, touching on family, being a red diaper baby (born to socialists and people who were blacklisted); becoming a drummer (played with Miles Davis, John Coltrane); working as a journalist for CBS in the 1960s; his love for “Lawrence of Arabia”; and early screenwriting work.

He then breaks down most of his film legacy, including discussing his shooting style and favorite production moments and how the amalgam of music, photography and politics influenced his career.

Mr. Hyams even mentions as an oddly weird fact that he is the only director in the history of cinema who worked with two lead actors who were tried and acquitted of the first-degree murder of their wives (O.J. Simpson in “Capricorn One” and Robert Blake in “Busting”).

Next, a 30-minute interview with cinematographer Stephen Goldblatt takes viewers from his still photography work with Jayne Mansfield through the Beatles. He finally settled down in the cinema to work on films such as “The Hunger,” “The Cotton Club” and “Lethal Weapon.” His second film, “Outland,” offered him enormous on-the-job training, in particular, with special effects focused on the Introvision process.

The final interview features 34 minutes with visual effects supervisor William Mesa discussing his background in still photography and the use of the Introvision system.

At its simplest, the front projection effects technique allows a director to compose shots in camera while seeing all of the pieces of the shot, such as a miniature set or matte foreground and backgrounds. He methodically explains the camera effects and technologies used on the movie, down to scene specifics and his teamwork with Mr. Goldblatt.

Finally, two visual essays about the film are included. The first essay starts with 18 minutes of film scholar Josh Nelson diving into the comparative film “High Noon” and the western genre; Mr. Hyams’ love for Ridley Scott’s “Alien”; the director’s fascination with corporate corruption and negligence, the themes of heroism; and the overall visual landscape.

The second essay from historian Howard S. Berger offers a 21-minute retrospective and exposé on the director, considering him a rebel auteur fighting against Hollywood’s corporate entertainment machine. Mr. Berger explores his filmmaking process, movie project choices, his visual styling towards sci-fi and horror comics and touches on comic book art legend Jim Steranko’s serialized pop art version of “Outland” as seen in Heavy Metal magazine.

The package includes a double-sided, foldout mini-poster (13.5 inches by 17 inches) highlighting newly commissioned artwork by Pye Parr and original movie poster art; and a 44-page full-color illustrated booklet with new essays by film critics Priscilla Page and Brandon Streussnig.

For those building their home entertainment cinema libraries, Arrow Video continues to lead the way with a 4K release that always comes packed with interviews, featurettes and essays that help reveal the history of movie making through first-person sourcing and critical analysis.