Saturn 3 (1980)

Two lovers stationed at a remote base in the asteroid fields of Saturn are intruded upon by a retentive technocrat from Earth and his charge: a malevolent eight foot robot.

Directors:

Stanley Donen, John Barry (uncredited)

Writers:

Martin Amis (screenplay), John Barry (story)

Stars:

Farrah Fawcett, Kirk Douglas, Harvey Keitel

5 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Farrah Fawcett	...	Alex
Kirk Douglas	...	Adam
Harvey Keitel	...	Benson

Storyline

Two lovers stationed at a remote base in the asteroid fields of Saturn are intruded upon by a retentive technocrat from Earth and his charge: a malevolent eight-foot robot. Remember, in space, no one can hear you scream.

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Plot Keywords:

killer robot | female frontal nudity | camp | space ship | malfunctioning android | 

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Taglines:

Trapped between unnatural love and inhuman desire

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Genres:

Adventure | Horror | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Certificate:

18A

Did You Know?

Trivia

Harvey Keitel had one other movie out in the same year as this one, Death Watch (1980), and like this movie, it was also a science fiction movie.

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Goofs

When Adam jumps into the wastewater with Hector, it is clearly a stuntman wearing a bad wig.

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Quotes

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

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Alternate Versions

A scene of Adam and Alex taking a recreational blues pill was cut from the original UK cinema version in order for the film to receive an 'A' (PG) certificate. The scene was restored for the later 15-rated video version.

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Connections

Featured in Sneak Previews: The Last Married Couple in America/Cruising/Just Tell Me What You Want/Hero At Large/Saturn 3 (1980)

User Reviews

Flawed with fantastic ideas

Two lovers stationed on a remote moon base of Saturn are intruded upon by a murderous man and his malevolent 8-ft robot.

Its production issues, changing of directors (one of which was the late great John Barry) and budget cuts aside for a film that was made in 1980 it feels like late 60s/70s. That said, the sets that take a leaf from Alien (1979) are partially effective and the blue ominous lighting works but is sadly used sparingly.

The late Farrah Fawcett is still a major draw and although there's a cringe worthy age gap between leads it is fitting to the narratives themes. Acting legend Kirk Douglas is a little inconsistent and not on form possibly due to the script or production woes. Harvey Keitel has been unconventionally re-dubbed which is a shame, but he still is effective as the homicidal sociopath, off beat, boorish Earth Captain Benson. Although choppy, there's some great setups with the interestingly designed Hector robot and Elmer Bernstein's score if fantastic.

It's not purposely ambiguous, but it leaves many questions and loose ends. It's by no means the worst science-fiction movie, John Barry's story offers some great ideas and has clearly influenced subsequent scifi's notably the Matrix (1999) plug-in.

It's flawed and inconsistent but still worth viewing for the concept alone.

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

8 May 1980 (UK)

Also Known As:

Saturn 3

Filming Locations:

Shepperton Studios, Shepperton, Surrey, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

GBP10,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$9,000,000

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$9,000,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

ITC Films, Elliott Kastner Productions, Transcontinental Film Productions (London)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

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

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1