Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

Marooned Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov April 23, 2022

John Sturges' "Marooned" (1969) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Via Vision Entertainment. The supplemental features on the release include new program with film historian and author C. Courtney Joyner; new audio commentary recorded by entertainment journalist and author Bryan Reesman; new program with critic Kim Newman; and vintage trailer. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

Space technology has evolved so dramatically in the last couple of decades that today virtually all of the dilemmas the three astronauts face in John Sturges’ Marooned seem unrealistic. Could a modern spacecraft run out of oxygen? It is extremely unlikely. It is not impossible, but it is extremely unlikely because modern spacecraft have all sorts of different safeguards that would effectively prevent such a development. If a modern spacecraft is running out of oxygen, and very quickly, it is almost certainly because it is already falling apart. Also, an emergency rescue mission in outer space would look very different now. Indeed, today many nations operate powerful satellites with advanced capabilities that can quickly be moved around to assist astronauts in trouble. The U.S. military has a lot of secret satellites and spacecraft that can do things few people believe are possible as well. But Marooned is still a fascinating film because it offers a realistic depiction of a situation that could have taken place around the 1960s. Possible and impossible meant different things back then. After July 20, 1969, there were many new expectations about space exploration as well. In other words, Marooned is a unique time capsule that has to be seen and judged as such.

American astronauts Buzz (Gene Hackman), Jim (Richard Crenna), and Clayton (James Franciscus) have spent a couple of months in their spacecraft and are showing signs of fatigue that is beginning to impair their abilities to perform crucial duties. In Houston, NASA director Charles Keith (Gregory Peck) and his colleagues evaluate the potential risks and decide to prematurely terminate their mission. Shortly after, the astronauts begin preparations to return home, but an engine failure leaves them stranded and with enough oxygen for no more than forty hours. The President (John Forsythe) urges NASA to organize a rescue mission as quickly as possible, but Keith warns that there are too many risks that could create a much bigger disaster. On top of this, a powerful hurricane develops in the Gulf of Mexico and threatens to sabotage any efforts to launch a rescue spacecraft. But veteran astronaut Ted Dougherty (David Janssen), who has known and worked with Keith for years, volunteers to operate a rescue spacecraft through the eye of the hurricane and straight to his stranded colleagues.

The abundance of detailed technical information and the manner in which it is presented create a very special atmosphere that one can easily argue is the biggest strength of Marooned. There are indeed some quite impressive visuals as well, but they are not utilized to create excitement of the kind that a similarly themed film like Armageddon produces.

In an exclusive new program that is included on this release, critic Kim Newman speculates that Marooned behaves a lot like a Michael Crichton project precisely because it does plenty to legitimize its drama with as much proper technical information as possible. Crichton projects are typically incredibly well researched and constructed so this is certainly interesting speculation, but Sturges’ management of the information effectively invalidates it. Indeed, Marooned is a ‘slow’ film that provides plenty of time for its audience to process the information and then absorb all of the human drama that is attached to it. Crichton projects move faster and rarely miss an opportunity to move beyond what is considered possible, so not only is the human drama in them very different but also frequently impossible to describe as realistic.

Except for Hackman who slightly mismanages the nervous breakdown of his character in the second half, the cast is really good. Peck exudes great confidence and easily convinces that his character is indeed an extremely knowledgeable professional who understands perfectly all of the risks that come with a rushed rescue operation in outer space. Crenna and Franciscus reveal a perfect range of emotions after Pack confirms that they may never be able to return home. Janssen’s persistence is managed very well, too. Nancy Kovack, Lee Grant, and Mariette Hartley are terrific as the overwhelmed but hopeful wives of the stranded astronauts after they are welcomed at NASA to observe the rescue operation.

Marooned was the final film to be lensed by Oscar-winning cinematographer Daniel Fapp, whose credits include such classics as West Side Story and The Great Escape.

Marooned Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Marooned arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Via Vision Entertainment.

The release is sourced from an older master that was supplied by Sony Pictures. Even though some of its limitations become easy to recognize, it still provide a very pleasing organic presentation of Marooned. I projected the film and thought that the overwhelming majority of it looked really, really good, including the darker footage where crucial nuances should have had a difficult time appearing as they should. There are no traces of problematic digital corrections. However, if the film is eventually fully restored in 4K, and regardless of whether it is made available on Blu-ray or 4K Blu-ray, grain exposure would be superior. On this master, there are a few areas where grain begins to appear a tad noisy, which is why some small density fluctuations become more pronounced as well. Highlights are usually handled very well, but the overall balance could be improved. The color grading is very nice. The footage from outer space looks particularly good, though oddly enough this is the footage where the age of the master begins to show the most. (On the other hand, keep in mind that some of the ancient special effects actually exacerbate the sporadic unevenness, so a new 4K master will almost certainly make these fluctuations even more obvious). There are no stability issues. I noticed a few white specks. blemishes and tiny dirt spots, but there are no distracting large debris, cuts, warped or torn frames to report. My score is 3.75/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your location).

Marooned Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: LPCM 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature. When turned on, they split the image frame and the black bar below it.

The audio is clear and stable. It is clean, too. Dynamic intensity is quite nice as well. However, there are a few areas where I felt the audio became a bit too thin. It is nothing serious and you do not have to worry about it, but if one day the film is restored in 4K, I feel confident that in these areas some very specific optimizations will be made to make the audio better rounded. I did not encounter any encoding anomalies to report in our review.

Marooned Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Kim Newman on "Marooned" - in this new program, critic Kim Newman discusses the exact period in which Marooned was conceived and shot, some of the expectations the film was supposed to meet and why, its visual style and tone, and the evolution of the sci-fi genre over the years. In English, not subtitled. (21 min).

• "The Troubled Master" - Inside the Final Films of John Sturges - in this new program, film historian and author C. Courtney Joyner explains how John Sturges' style evolved over the years and specifically his treatment of star actors, the shift from a personal to more objective point of view that occurred in the director's later films, his crucial relationship with Steve McQueen, and the production of Marooned. There are some really good comments about Chino, Hour of the Gun, McQ, and The Eagle Has Landed. In English, not subtitled. (13 min).

• Commentary - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by entertainment journalist and author Bryan Reesman. It is a predictably excellent commentary with plenty of excellent information about the era in which Marooned was made and of course the history of the Apollo 13 mission, the style of the film, the technical dilemmas that fuel the drama in it, John Sturges' style and career, etc. If you enjoy the film, find the time to listen to the commentary in its entirety. You will like it and learn plenty from it.

• Trailer - presented here is a vintage trailer for Marooned. It appears to have been sourced from a VHS. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• Music & Effects Track - presented as LPCM 2.0. You will have to use your remote control to access it.

Marooned Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

If placed in a proper context and examined as the time capsule that it is, Marooned is impossible not to describe as a very good film. I was particularly impressed with its depth of knowledge, even though it is pretty easy to tell that some of it is quite outdated now. Needless to say, John Sturges was the right man to direct Marooned and he met the challenge as best as he could have. Via Vision Entertainment's release is sourced from an older but nice organic master that was supplied by Sony Pictures. It features three very good exclusive new programs as well. I always appreciate C. Courtney Joyner's contributions to these releases, so it was great to see that he was invited to do another program. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.