I just saw this film for the first time and was surprised by how much I enjoyed it and how exciting and suspenseful it was filmed. I would've given this a 10/10 if it weren't for that stupid slow-mo reunification shot with the cheesy sentimental music for background at the end. But other than that, I loved how the suspense and revelation of things were filmed here, like:
-the journalist realizing the hoax watching the family film
-the capture of astronaut Willis after climbing that cliff bare handed
I also liked the dialog and humor between:
-2 journalists Caulfied and Drinkwater
-Caulfield and Albain the pilot
-Caulfield and Laughlin
-Peaker in the beginning
The only other weak part I thought was Mrs. Brubaker's nonchalant attitude about her husband's death and if the eldest boy knew about it at the swimming pool, him too.
I can forgive the obvious dummy during the dog fight as it was understandable, they couldn't put a real person there while flying at that speed.
I gave this a 9/10 rating.
Global Warming, it's a personal decision innit?

Nigel Tufnel

The dialog and basis for the movie was clear, intelligent, and stands up to the questions scientists continue to avoid to answer.
Okay it sounds as if you think there may be a
real life
basis for this particular story, and there I'm afraid we'll have to part company.
Here's an article I think you might like (or hate; okay, probably hate). But this particular study leaped to mind when I read your post.
http://www.dailydot.com/parsec/facebook-conspiracy-theory-study/

I agree. The topic was of course controversial/conspiracy based in any things we do know now and understand even better. The cast was great, the cinematography was nicer than what we have to deal with in 2016. The dialog and basis for the movie was clear, intelligent, and stands up to the questions scientists continue to avoid to answer.
Merovingian Goddess
Gentlemen, you can't fight in here! This is the War Room!

8.5, maybe even a 9. (ONE gets a 9!)
It' is a near-perfect adventure film and one of the best "movie-movies" ever made.

The first 30 minutes were great. Everything else. Not so much.

anyone who votes this film lower than a 7 is a pervert!
two points have to be taken off for OJ's
acting
a cardboard cutout of him would have more life to it than his effort in this film
and one point needs to be taken off for silly lapses such as the astronauts talking on the Mars "set" about not going through with the TV broadcast the next day and not having the presence of mind to realize that someone would be listening to them, as the bad guys were of course
also included in the one point deduction is the snatching of Elliot Whitter (Robert Walden's character) from the bar where he has just told Robert Caulfield (Elliott Gould's character) about the difference in time in the signals from Capricorn and Caulfield then gets a phone call from someone calling him at the bar and knowing he is a reporter and knowing he'd be at the bar when the call is something just for the Assignment Desk (which means it was something like a local junior high play or something like that not something a reporter like Caulfield would ever cover) and in the minute or minute and a half it takes for the phone call and for Caulfield to walk back to the pool table, Whitter is gone, vanished and Caulfield doesn't ask any of the other bar patrons if they've seen where Whitter went or anything some good investigating from a reporter there, huh? lol
also, and perhaps this can be explained and I just haven't paid close enough attention or something like that, if they are using a tape of a practice run as a substitute for the actual flight so that all the "machinery" at Houston will show what appears to be an actual flight to Mars, then how can the heat shield come up as failing upon re-entry? if it's a practice tape then it would be a successful re-entry they were going to put the capsule in the ocean far off course and then the recovery ship would have a long trip to pick up the astronauts giving NASA plenty of time to get the guys back in the capsule, etc i mean the ship didn't actually make the entire trip to Mars and back and then re-enter, right? or orbit around earth the entire time and then re-entering when it's time? perhaps i missed something or am not remembering something in the plot that explained this and need to rewatch it but perhaps someone can explain this as to whether i am mis-remembering or if it was a mistake in the film
there are a few other little glitches but those are the ones that really stick out in my mind
overall though this is certainly one of the best movies of 1977 i saw Cap-One at least twice when it was in the theatre and maybe even three times i liked it that much of course there were some good movies out that year Star Wars of course Close Encounters (which i did see four times at my local small town theatre which i think was about 50 cents back then) High Anxiety, a Mel Brooks classic Saturday Night Fever, which if you could tolerate the music without vomitting, was actually a good dramatic movie Smokey and the Bandit, a fun car chase with Burt Reynolds and Jackie Gleason The Deep, a Peter Benchley story starring Nick Nolte and jacqueline Bissett Slap Shot, need i say more lol The Hills have Eyes, a good creepy low-budget movie Equus, i found and read the play from my high school library and did a report on it after the report i went back to reread if later that year and found they'd removed it from the library my first experience with 'small town book burners' Oh, God, a weak little movie that did big box office starring George Burns and John Denver i think my mom made me go with my brothers just kind of blah when it could have really been an exciting exploration of the subject matter The Turning Point, Anne Bancroft and Shirley McLaine, about two women dealing with an old wound lots of great ballet scene with Barishnikov, etc and Bancroft was great Fun with Dick and Jane, a fun romp with the underrated George Segal Semi-Tough, Burt Reynolds, Kris Kristofferson, Jill Clayburgh a weak film based on a pretty good football book and whatever happend to Jill Clayburgh? she was famous for a few years and then kind of dropped off the edge of the earth The Choirboys, off-beat cop movie starring Charles Durning a much forgotten and underrated film imho Which Way Is UP?, Richard Pryor playing three different roles and another forgotten film i haven't seen it since the one time i saw it as the third film of a triple feature at the local drive-in but i remember liking it and thinking Pryor did a great job with the roles
so i've babbled on and on and will wrap it up here anyway i like Capricorn One and think it's still worth a watch, and now nearly the entire family can watch it since it would be rated around a G or low PG
take care,
cormac
"One star in the sky
so I named it Otis Redding"
John Hiatt

This message has been deleted.

While I agree with most of you, and have championed this film for decades when most reactions to my nonsense are "What? A space movie with OJ? Are you kidding?", there is one major flaw in this little gem. Hyams' obvious nostalgia for the classical Hollywood style (which was on a major nostalgia surge during the '70s) jars badly with the excellent part of the picture - the '70s government conspiracy.
There are moments in the film that rival and even surpass the grim paranoia generated in The Conversation, The Parallax View and All the President's Men, and I feel the film as a whole is better that the totality of Three Days of the Condor. However, Hyams' screenplay struggles with a self-imposed [apparently] tendency to pay corny homage to newspaper films from the '30s. Karen Black's only purpose in the film is to have two conversations with Elliott Gould, where they rattle off mile-a-minute world-weary self-deprecating witticisms at one another (his dialogue with his editor on both occassions is riddled with the stuff, too). A film which contains such a stunning, depressing, "I no longer trust my government" moment as the final moments of screen time for Sam Waterston doesn't need fan-boy generated Katherine Hepburn screwball comedy dialogue butted up against it.
OK. But seriously, this film needs a higher rating. It deserves no less than a 7.
"Rampart: Squad 51."

Totally agree.Brilliant film.One of the best films of the 70s.

6.8 with 10367 voters. I gave it a 7.

"Capricorn" rising: Now it's at 6.7 with 8,608 votes, so it's not so spooky. I just gave it 8/10.
This is a solid sci-fi conspiracy thriller with an excellent script, cast and premise.

at the time of this writing, it's currently 6.6, with 6,666 votes. Spooky

Can't tell if sarcastic or really stupid.

"I suppose Mr t, can be put up there with morgan freeman.
Or Mike tyson compared to Sidney poitier."
well 1st off Mr. T is a good actor but he is no O.J.
and Sidney Poitier has to be the most overated ham actor ever to come out of hollywood. he was Black and good looking at the right time. when hollywood finaly felt ( as way over due as it was) they needed a black leading man .
Sidney happend to be in the right place at the right time go back and watch his movies and you will see that he is no better than O.J.
Hearts will never be practical until they can be made unbreakable.

I really want to see this, because I've read nice things from critics (plus, I don't see how it could possibly be a thriller; faking Mars landings?), but I keep missing it (it's on FLIX every few days).

You speak about a remake as though it's a done deal. I didn't see anything about a remake anywhere on IMDB. Where did you get your information from ?

Amazing! How can you watch a movie and type on imdb boards at the same time??? I wish I could do that too!

What, is he standing behind you with a knife?
"They sucked his brains out!"

He cannot compare to any of them in any type of acting role.
I suppose Mr t, can be put up there with morgan freeman.
Or Mike tyson compared to Sidney poitier.
The fact that he can run those yards has no merit on his acting ability, you must of missed his trialshis bad acting skills were on show for all to see then.
I do know one thing though, he can drive a bronco well, but hey that is just pure speculation
don't point that beard at me, it might go off Groucho marx

You forgot double murderer and convicted felon in your description.

"He is no sam l jackson , denzel washington jamie fox of even will smiththey are great actors. "
I think O.J. is right up there with those guys . plus he also ran for 2.000 yards in on season. lets see Jamie foxx do that. Denzel does all his acting without being able to fly through an airport. none of those guys had rickets as a child like young O.J. suffered with.
Hearts will never be practical until they can be made unbreakable.

yeah right
He is no sam l jackson , denzel washington jamie fox of even will smiththey are great actors.
don't point that beard at me, it might go off Groucho marx

FREE O.J. FREE O.J. FREE O.J.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
to see O.J. on screen is to see the face of god! a finer athleet /actor/ nfl corespondant/ businessman/ fantastic dancer/dad/ freind to all/and most importantly a truly wonderful humanbieng..The point is if you don't love O.J. you don't love yourself and keeping "the JUICE" out of you're life is a life mistake in witch you will hurt only yourself. Life is just to short no to invite O.J. in to it
Hearts will never be practical until they can be made unbreakable.

You know I'm not sure if you're serious or being sarcastic sblackmagicwoman. Stranger things have truly happened on IMDB. Certainly hope you are joking, certainly hope so.