ianchris-60131 Although Saturn 3 is clearly a low-key effort I think it really manages to be an entertaining picture.Regarding sci-fi movies people seems to always expect too much on the basic elements associated to the genre, like special effects and scientific accuracy.Since the movie doesn't try to explore deeply the latter the special effects are the real story here.It is dated alright, but there are great movies that were made decades ago that we considere dated and don't hold any prejudice against them like the Christopher Reeve-Superman films which are still the best out of the Superman movie franchise.If we watch a movie even if its inept in some aspects but we still try to understand what the makers of the film were trying to tell us them we can start appreciating a movie that in other way we would most likely look down without trying to give it an open-minded view.I was open-minded enough to see how the robot Hector was one of the most menacing space robots ever and how dark and claustrophobic the movie was.Do not expect a rumination about future, space or other common themes expected in sci-fi movies here this is basically a slasher film with a robot as villain that only happens to be on space, but that doesn't mean it's not entertaining, cause it is.It has the legendary Kirk Douglas but still the movie is so dark that even Spartacus himself is unable to defeat the enemy ( Hector the robot ) without sacrificing himself in the process.The movie has a bizarre almost dream-like feel I think it's part of the films ineptitude that helped it being atmospheric, and i'm not being sarcastic here.If you remember Alien that was released the year before Saturn 3 that movie was dark Ripley being the sole survivor along with Jones the Cat but at least she was able to escape from Nostromo and after a brief terrifying final encounter with the title character she escaped to safety.In Saturn 3 Kirk Douglas and Farrah Fawcett ain't that lucky their spacecraft is destroyed by Hector while they're trying to escape trapping all three together in the space station in Saturn's third moon ( hence the title ) and by doing so one of them will have to sacrifice himself ( the man, of course ) to save it's companion ( Fawcett ). Well I would like to see Lieutenant Ripley in that kind of situation at the end of Alien, who she would sacrifice except her? Jones the Cat? I gotta say that this movie tried to be visually poetic at times for example Kirk Douglas imolation taking Hector with him with explosives was so visually grotesque.They exploding together inside on the water, slow motion, human flesh and robot parts flying with water splashing all over so grotesque it reminded me of the infamous nauseating death of the great white shark in Jaws 4 : The Revenge.Actually this scene specifically seems to be influenced by a similar scene from Michelangelo Antonioni's Zabriskie Point.Overall this movie is inept, bizarre, grotesque, incomplete, ugly, laughable and unfocused, but is also ambitious, dark, cruel, unsensitive, cold, nightmarish, violent, transgressive and allucinating.It is not as sharp intelligent as Alien but still if your'e looking for a science fiction film that doesn't talk about science fiction but crazy murderous robots on the loose and Kirk Douglas giving a bizarre hilarious speech before killing himself, then this is certainly a great messy fun.

Leofwine_draca As far as killer robot stories go, this one isn't bad. It's not up there with the classics of the genre - films such as THE TERMINATOR, WESTWORLD, and 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY, but there are some genuinely spooky atmospherics as Douglas and Fawcett are chased around some dingy corridors by a psychotic robot. Although the set design and action seems to have been partially lifted from the previous year's popular ALIEN, this film still has enough different slants to keep you watching.For a start, there are only three main actors in this film (apart from a supposed blink-and-you-miss-it cameo from Ed Bishop) so they have a lot of work to do between them. This isn't helped by having some major miscasting - namely the role of the film's masculine hero, Adam, being played by a far-too-old Kirk Douglas. We're supposed to imagine that old-man Douglas is capable of strenuous physical activities and getting his head smashed in to little effect. The film really needed an actor twenty years younger to fill the part. Douglas also feels a little too over-qualified for a simplistic thriller like this, as both he and Fawcett have little to do apart from fighting the unstoppable robot.Fawcett herself is little better. I'm sure she's a good actress and all, but she never becomes more than two-dimensional here. The camera enjoys lingering on her naked and scantily-clothed body (and, more disturbingly, Douglas' too) so perhaps that's the reason for her casting. Thankfully, at least there is one effective actor on screen, a young, menacing Harvey Keitel as a murderer who eventually falls foul of his own creation. The film kicks off with Keitel murdering the real captain and taking his place (sucking him through an airlock and blowing him apart outside, quite literally), then travelling to one of Saturn's moons where Douglas and Fawcett reside. We never do learn of his past, or his motives, and this makes his character even more mysterious. Despite Keitel simply doing his patented twitchy routine, he's still very effective and a little frightening.The killer android itself is a mixed bag. For a start, it's a good head taller than the other actors, to allow for an operator to fit inside, of course. It certainly looks good on the outside, a mixture of hydraulics, crushing pincers, and some cute little lights for a head. On the downside, it's not exactly a difficult foe to foil, seeing as it gets repeatedly pushed into pits of water, electrocuted, and disassembled during this film's length. There are some brief gory bits to add to the horror, including a decapitated dog and the robot "wearing" the battered head of Keitel, as well as cutting Keitel's hand off, but I would much rather face this slow-moving enemy than an alien or a velociraptor, for example.I did like the ending, which is kind of clichéd but has a good bit where Douglas realises he has been partially assimilated by the robot when he discovers a hole in the back of his neck. The final destruction of the android is a huge explosion, shot by apparently throwing buckets of water about along with some body parts, and it's very arty. Please don't ask me to explain the epilogue, which shows Fawcett watching a spaceship return to Earth, as I have no idea of it's relevance. This isn't a brilliant film, but it passes the time nicely.

puursulus The picture "Saturn 3" is important picture; it was one of ten movies nominated for price "Razzie Awards" for the year 1981. The performance of the main actress, Farrah Fawcett, was the subject of interest at proposal for price "The Stinkers Bad Movie Awards" for the year 1980 and for price "Razzie Awards" for the year 1981.They are said that are three degrees of weakness: debility, characterized weakness of mind, imbecility, characterized feeble-mindedness, plus finally idiotism, signifying obtuseness and idiotism. This picture is according to mine lay opinion - I'm not a doctor - third grade of the degree scale. Suitable for the audience that watch in a similar excesses.

Woodyanders The aging Major Adam (an able and robust performance by Kirk Douglas) and his much younger distaff partner Alex (sweetly played with charming naiveté by Farrah Fawcett) are stationed on a lone station located on one of Saturn's moons where they are working on ways to grow food for the starving masses back on Earth. Their idyllic existence gets ripped asunder by the intrusive presence of the depraved and unhinged Captain Benson (Harvey Keitel in fine menacing form) and his equally dangerous robot helper Hector.Director Stanley Donen offers a chilling vision of a cold, grim, and hedonistic future, relates the dark and compelling story at a steady pace, and generates some real nerve-wracking tension in the harrowing last third. The intelligent script by Martin Amis addresses such pertinent issues as overpopulation, depletion of precious resources, invasion of privacy, and the dehumanizing impact of advanced technology on mankind's soul in a thoughtful and provocative manner. Moreover, this film makes a valid point that technology is only as good or bad as the purpose it's put to use for. The lavish set design and snazzy special effects are pretty impressive (the towering Hector in particular comes across as genuinely imposing and frightening). The fact that Keitel's trademark New York accent was dubbed by Roy Dotrice with a more "continental" voice adds to the character of Benson's overall creepiness. Elmer Bernstein's spare pulsating score hits the moody spot. The glossy cinematography by Billy Williams provides a pleasing polished look. A neat and unjustly maligned movie.