Saturn 3 (1980)

Director:

Stanley Donen

Writers:

Martin Amis (writer)
John Barry (story)

Release Date:

15 February 1980 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

Trapped between unnatural love and inhuman desire

Plot:

Two lovers stationed at a remote base in the asteroid fields of Saturn are intruded upon by a retentive...

Plot Keywords:

Robot | Saturn | Space | Female Nudity | Minimal Cast

Awards:

3 nominations

Cast

  (Complete credited cast)

Farrah Fawcett	...	Alex
Kirk Douglas	...	Adam
Harvey Keitel	...	Benson

Also Known As:

Saturn City (USA)
Saturn Three (Philippines: English title)
The Helper (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

88 min | 103 min (uncut)

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby (35 mm prints) | 70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints)

Certification:

Canada:18A (Ontario) | Iceland:12 | Germany:12 | Australia:M | Norway:18 | UK:15 | USA:R | Argentina:13

Filming Locations:

Shepperton Studios, Shepperton, Surrey, England, UK

Company:

Incorporated Television Company (ITC)

Trivia:

The film was started by John Barry, but he was fired and replaced by Stanley Donen.

Goofs:

Continuity: Benson strikes Adam on the head with a lamp. It leaves a bloody gash that comes and goes during the ensuing chase scene.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Announcement: Captain James, your presence on pad 73, immediate, urgent.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Mystery Science Theater 3000: Santa Claus Conquers the Martians (#4.21)" (1991)

A little dated but nonetheless very well done...

I first watched Saturn 3 with my father when I was about 12 years old and I remembered liking it and being creeped out by it as a kid. So I revisited the film again last night. Even though it has been over 15 years since I first saw this film, I still really enjoyed it. I was very surprised to see so many negative comments here on IMDb. All in all, the film is a little dated, but it still contains some very striking visuals and original ideas. The sets used for this film were extremely well detailed and thought out, as were the costumes and props. "Hector" is perhaps one of the coolest looking cyborg/robot characters ever conceived. The scene where he is first "booted up" and filled with "cyber-blood" is just vivid and stunning. After watching this film, it was also *quite* obvious that this movie influenced some of the more modern science fiction masterpieces like Robocop, the (1st) Matrix and James Cameron's Aliens. Several of the reviews harshly criticized the acting and the story, but I however found no problems in this department. Nowadays we seldom see good films with a small cast and a simple story. Not every movie has to be as advanced and as complex as films like Minority Report. And I am sorry, but Mark Hamill and Keanu Reeves can't hold a candle to Kirk Douglas and Harvey Keitel when it comes to acting. I think people are trying to compare this film to all the super budget modern sci-fi movies. Or perhaps this movie is regarded as "crap" by many because they think Star Wars is the end all, be all sci-fi movie of all time, which in my opinion, Star Wars is MUCH more cheesy and way too light-hearted to take seriously. If you like serious, dark sci-fi flicks, be sure to check this one out. Don't listen to all those Star Wars nerds who crap on this film. Judge it for yourself. 7/10