A spaceship, manned by three astronauts, is returning from a first landing on Mars. On the last day, a discovery is made of a civilization on the red planet. While investigating, a spray/explosion comes out of a sort of pod. The men are rendered unconscious for an hour or so. Because of a lack of oxygen and a deadline for departure, they must leave their discovery behind. Unfortunately for them, they allow a substance on board. This is shades of the first Alien movie. A series of mechanical problems occur, during which irrational behavior begins among the three. The ship heats up to near intolerable levels. One of the astronauts actually sees an extra-terrestrial in a chameleon-like state. The plot then turns to coming home and the implications of that voyage. This is a psychological thriller, engendered by the science fiction angle. Unfortunately, this same thing has been done numerous times in various offerings. It is not without tension and spark.
5 Reviews
Good but not new plot, good acting, terrible cgi
habren3 January 2011
Warning: Spoilers
Because each Outer Limits episode is a story on it's own, with new actors, the ending of an episode cannot be predicted using guidelines of other series, like the main characters never get permanently injured or killed. This is refreshing to me compared to other TV shows.
Unfortunately the plot for this episode was far from new, even though it was a good story. The actors did a good job.
At first I had a hard time distinguishing who was affected by the alien goo and who wasn't. I thought the contact with the home world and the paranoia creeping in was especially well done. However, the main characters seemed flat to me. I hardly felt any compassion for them.
I was not impressed by the alien appearance. The graphics were badly rendered, the sounds and movement predictable and unconvincing.
Unfortunately the plot for this episode was far from new, even though it was a good story. The actors did a good job.
At first I had a hard time distinguishing who was affected by the alien goo and who wasn't. I thought the contact with the home world and the paranoia creeping in was especially well done. However, the main characters seemed flat to me. I hardly felt any compassion for them.
I was not impressed by the alien appearance. The graphics were badly rendered, the sounds and movement predictable and unconvincing.
"Alien" meets "The Thing"
Bored_Dragon20 January 2019
From the title you can conclude that the story is totally unoriginal, but it's nicely developed in just 45 minutes. The episode is well acted and quite tense and unpredictable, but it is a spoiled by completely unnecessary and very bad CGI. It should have been left as an SF psychological drama-thriller, without a poor attempt at horror.
"The true measure of a hero is when a man lays down his life with the knowledge that those he saves will never know."
6/10
"The true measure of a hero is when a man lays down his life with the knowledge that those he saves will never know."
6/10
One of my favourite season one episodes
crazybexy13 January 2020
This episode is one of the highlights of season one for me. It's probably my favourite after Quality of mercy. I was on the edge of my seat throughout the entire episode. Only downside is the CGI as the aliens do look really bad. The ending though completely makes up for it. Always tough not to feel emotional.
This Is A Solid Nine
caf-1918 February 2021
Warning: Spoilers
Because of the acting and plot lines. Definitely one of the better Sci-Fi productions available for our viewing pleasure. Kudos to the actors and the script writers of Outer Limits for their efforts and energies in this under-rated television program that nobly lasted a good Seven seasons.
The three actors in this episode, The Voyage Home, chosen as US Astronauts actually look like they could be astronauts. All granite jawed and buff - and faced with a dilemma that NO space explorer ever wants to consider... a matter of saving their home planet... or....?
Yes, the costumes and special effects are often a bit lame. That's because they are on a budget TV production level. Yes, Outer Limits does tend to generalize all aliens as close relations to The Creature From The Black Lagoon. Yes, most of the episodes lack the gymnastic, explosive, laser-light-show fight scenes and Special Effects so hungrily craved by Gen X, Y, Z, and the Mils. But that's not OL's mission. Their goal is to say "What if....?" (You found yourself on a returning space capsule from Mars with an Alien Life-form that had just taken over your two partner's bodies; but the alien seems to be pretty cool and promises to show earth the cure for cancer in the deal, if you'll just cooperate and let him/it land on earth with you, AND the capsule is touching earth within the hour? What would YOU do?).
Outer Limits 2.0; with excellent drama techniques, tries to get the casual television viewer to stretch his or her brain cells and ponder more than the mundane thoughts of everyday life.
The three actors in this episode, The Voyage Home, chosen as US Astronauts actually look like they could be astronauts. All granite jawed and buff - and faced with a dilemma that NO space explorer ever wants to consider... a matter of saving their home planet... or....?
Yes, the costumes and special effects are often a bit lame. That's because they are on a budget TV production level. Yes, Outer Limits does tend to generalize all aliens as close relations to The Creature From The Black Lagoon. Yes, most of the episodes lack the gymnastic, explosive, laser-light-show fight scenes and Special Effects so hungrily craved by Gen X, Y, Z, and the Mils. But that's not OL's mission. Their goal is to say "What if....?" (You found yourself on a returning space capsule from Mars with an Alien Life-form that had just taken over your two partner's bodies; but the alien seems to be pretty cool and promises to show earth the cure for cancer in the deal, if you'll just cooperate and let him/it land on earth with you, AND the capsule is touching earth within the hour? What would YOU do?).
Outer Limits 2.0; with excellent drama techniques, tries to get the casual television viewer to stretch his or her brain cells and ponder more than the mundane thoughts of everyday life.
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