"Operation Ganymed" is sci-fi for thinkers, those with imagination, and those who enjoy looking beyond the obvious. Returning Russian and American crew finds their hook up for re-entry strangely absent. After four years in space they seem to have been forgotten. After landing somewhere in Mexico, they must try and survive on Earth. Their challenge is not an easy one. Everything appears as desolate and deserted as the planet Jupiter which they have just returned from. Gradually, individual dynamics and desperation, overcomes discipline. Flashbacks in the form of hallucinations unfolds a tragic story of exploration, and a savage hopelessness prevails. Despite marginal special effects, the story is excellent. - MERK
15 Reviews
Disoriented with promise
drystyx6 December 2014
Warning: Spoilers
At the time of my review, the other reviews are all either raves or pans. Mine is somewhat between.
This Russian style movie doesn't translate too well, but the communication problem looks to be more sever than that. It's about six astronauts on a doomed mission. One dies in space in an accident, leaving another with guilty feeling flashbacks during the return trip.
The return trip also goes badly, as the remaining five are stranded in the desert. This is before cell phones, internet, all that jazz, and no one knows they are there. Sort of like the Twilight Zone episode.
The movie is more or less about the breakdown of these professionals in the wild.
That had promise. However, it looked very slipshod in editing, and we aren't sure what happens to a couple of characters in a very bizarre, disoriented chain of events. One problem is that we only get a point of view of three of the characters, yet one of the other two becomes a mutineer.
This could have been a good film, on the order of SILENT RUNNING or ROBINSON CURSOE ON MARS, but it is too disjointed, and it can't be blamed on budget, because the fact is that the plot and events are left with gaping holes that could be rectified without any budget at all.
It isn't as great as some say, nor as bad as some say. In an evaluation to give a person an idea of what to expect, I can say that although it is not action oriented, it does flow fairly well, with enough drama and suspense, enough scenery and atmosphere, to cover for lack of action itself. The monotone style of speaking of the characters may be because of dubbing, but I think it is intentional for effect. I've been more bored by many high octane action movies, but also more entertained by less action. It falls somewhere in between.
On the plus side, it sticks with you. After many years, I still find much of it very impressionable, and memorable, for good or bad.
It should have been better, but it won't disappoint completely. I think it is a movie that bears watching.
This Russian style movie doesn't translate too well, but the communication problem looks to be more sever than that. It's about six astronauts on a doomed mission. One dies in space in an accident, leaving another with guilty feeling flashbacks during the return trip.
The return trip also goes badly, as the remaining five are stranded in the desert. This is before cell phones, internet, all that jazz, and no one knows they are there. Sort of like the Twilight Zone episode.
The movie is more or less about the breakdown of these professionals in the wild.
That had promise. However, it looked very slipshod in editing, and we aren't sure what happens to a couple of characters in a very bizarre, disoriented chain of events. One problem is that we only get a point of view of three of the characters, yet one of the other two becomes a mutineer.
This could have been a good film, on the order of SILENT RUNNING or ROBINSON CURSOE ON MARS, but it is too disjointed, and it can't be blamed on budget, because the fact is that the plot and events are left with gaping holes that could be rectified without any budget at all.
It isn't as great as some say, nor as bad as some say. In an evaluation to give a person an idea of what to expect, I can say that although it is not action oriented, it does flow fairly well, with enough drama and suspense, enough scenery and atmosphere, to cover for lack of action itself. The monotone style of speaking of the characters may be because of dubbing, but I think it is intentional for effect. I've been more bored by many high octane action movies, but also more entertained by less action. It falls somewhere in between.
On the plus side, it sticks with you. After many years, I still find much of it very impressionable, and memorable, for good or bad.
It should have been better, but it won't disappoint completely. I think it is a movie that bears watching.
Best or worst hard SF movie ever?
antne50121527 January 2019
Conceptually a fantastic drama of deep space astronauts and the experiences they endure. But it comes up short in execution, even State made Soviet SF is more watchable. The soundtrack is absolutely awful and should in no way be a part of this film. Pacing of the action is slow and dreary. Visually looks like a 16mm film school project. Granted we have great actors in this movie, but they alone cannot save the movie.
It's something that needs to be seen if only for comparison purposes.
Good Escapism!
uvaldi31 March 2002
This had the potential to be a great movie. I think the English dub was bad and the direction could have been better, but if you are sci-fi freak and like post-apocalypse type themes watch this movie. Operation Ganymed at times creates a chilling mood and that is what makes sci-fi a great escape from the reality a living on this miserable rock called Earth. (The planet is fine is just happens to be infested by scum called humans.)
Not as bad as the reviewers say, reminded me of Capricorn One
redwolf28386-893-9026218 November 2019
Warning: Spoilers
It's pretty sad that other people that reviewed this movie either didn't pay attention to it or didn't watch all of it because they didn't understand the begining , the middle or the ending. Basically 3 ships go on a mission looking for life. One returns with that proof but because of a loss of communication with Earth they are thought to have all perished. Because of the cost of the mission and it's percieved failure ALL space funding is cut(so no one to monitor in case they did return and no shuttle in orbit to bring them home) so they return to Earth in their escape capsule and land off the coast of Baja and come ashore in a very remote section of it . Then they try to survive the desert as they try to walk out of the desert to find civilization wwhile they carry proof of life from Ganymed(it's spelled that way because it's a German movie-- so yes, it's spelled right). Due to the heat and dangers of the desert only on astronaut survives but only after losing the proof during a heat induced hallacination.
The Worst. Makes Plan 9 From Outer Space look like Star Wars
dhreid15 April 2006
This is by far the worst movie I have ever seen. The English dubbing is awful not to mention the plot. There is no excitement. I thought a sci-fi flick was supposed to have at least reasonable excitement or redeeming message. I recorded this film from TV back in Chicago many years ago and did not remember it, which tells you something, so this evening I was looking thru old tapes I had and pulled this one. Believe it or not but Jurgen Prochnow is in this mess. I am sure he regrets his face ever showing in this thing. The start of the film is at least interesting concerning a team of astronauts, both Russian and American on an ambitious expedition to Jupiter and one of Jupiter's major moons, Ganymed. It is interesting that the film writers chose Ganymed. Most other sci-fi space journeys to Jupiter involve either Io or Europa. Unfortunately from just about then on the flick drops into an abyss from which it never recovers. Makes Plan 9 From Outer Space look like Star Wars when it comes to quality and excitement. Sorry Jurgen, but these are just my opinions. Jurgen Prochnow is truly a great actor...
Creepy little film
Zar9 August 2001
I've read about the atrocious English language dub, but my copy of the film is the Dutch rental video with the original German dialogue and it sounds fine. The film itself is gritty and realistic in tone. Five astronauts return from years in space only to find a seemingly desolate Earth. No radio signals, deserted ruins, sparse vegetation etc. At loss at what to do next they decide to head North, but without sufficient food and water supplies, how long will they last? The line between reality, hallucinations due to dehydration (and possible radioactive sickness) and flashbacks to their exploration of Jupiter moon Ganymedes is constantly blurred. Recommended.
Really bad, really boring, very badly dubbed into English
gregg-3515 June 2000
The storyline is 3 ships travel to Ganymede (moon of Jupiter); about 18 people go, about 4 come back. Don is mentally unstable since he was felt responsible for the deaths of 2 crew members that went to collect samples of organic compounds for him (proving life was on Ganymede). About 1/3 of the movie is in space returning to Earth, 1/3 flash back to Ganymede, and 1/3 hiking through the desert when they force on a landing on (what may/may-not be) Earth after they aren't met when they return to Earth's orbit. The dubbing was one of those classic "ha! you are a crazy person, yes a crazy person, and I say that without malice, I do, it's just that you are a crazy person." who's responsible for that dubbing? Some of the on-Ganymede effects were well done, but in general it seemed like the cinematography was done as a high-school drama project. 10 minutes spent with the camera trained on someone rapelling down some rocks. At the end, you really don't have a clue what it was all about. Was Don crazy? Were they on Earth? Did Earth still exist? Were they in Mexico? Did 14 really die on Ganymede? Why did no one meet them on their return? And considering they were out of water all the time, how did they keep getting more?
Brilliant low-key Space drama
Aylmer10 April 2002
I always looked at this as a sort of Vietnam parable. The astronauts (before they return to Earth) have nothing but high hopes and delusions of grandeur. They dream of a warm reception and massive parades for the conquering heroes.
However, nothing is further from the truth, as the Astronauts return to a world where they are not only forgotten, but unwelcome.
The bleak atmosphere of this movie is truly astonishing. I love the scenes where the astronauts wander around in the desert while the main character Don has frequent flashbacks to spacecamp and an extended sequence on the surface of Ganymede where two of his fellow explorers die tragic deaths.
While the cinematography and editing are pretty crude, there are some pretty good ideas and tricks used by this extremely low budget movie. Although the acting does get over the top at times, it's never too silly to keep from enjoying the seriousness of the movie, which in the end is more of a thinker than a downer. I love the ending in that it raises some really good questions while the movie could have ended at any point earlier on.
Watch as a curiosity item, at least to see Jurgen Prochnow in a very pre-Das Boot supporting role.
However, nothing is further from the truth, as the Astronauts return to a world where they are not only forgotten, but unwelcome.
The bleak atmosphere of this movie is truly astonishing. I love the scenes where the astronauts wander around in the desert while the main character Don has frequent flashbacks to spacecamp and an extended sequence on the surface of Ganymede where two of his fellow explorers die tragic deaths.
While the cinematography and editing are pretty crude, there are some pretty good ideas and tricks used by this extremely low budget movie. Although the acting does get over the top at times, it's never too silly to keep from enjoying the seriousness of the movie, which in the end is more of a thinker than a downer. I love the ending in that it raises some really good questions while the movie could have ended at any point earlier on.
Watch as a curiosity item, at least to see Jurgen Prochnow in a very pre-Das Boot supporting role.
Even the title is bad
bertfw-211 May 2019
German star actors cannot save it
Horst_In_Translation7 August 2016
Warning: Spoilers
"Operation Ganymed" or "Helden, verloren im Staub der Sterne" is a West German film that is mostly in German and was made back in 1977, so it will have its 40th anniversary next year. The writer and director is Rainer Erler and it is one of his most known works. This is certainly also the case because the cast is outstanding for a film from that time. You can't really do much better than have Frank, Laser, Prochnow, Friedrichsen and Gärtner in your film. I will not say a whole lot about the plot other than that this is entirely science fiction with occasional thriller and drama moments. It is about an expedition to the planet Jupiter, but it's not about this one being successful or unsuccessful as we find that out early in the film already. It is all about what happens when the crew actually manages to return back to Earth years after everybody realized they had actually dies up in space.
I personally thought from reading the title that this was some medical-themed thriller involving scandal and politics, but it has nothing to do with that and Ganymed stands for something entirely different. I like some of the actors in the cast and I think they are pretty talented, but it's a bit of a problem that they are in astronaut uniform for a large part of the film here and that stands a way in terms of showing us all their range. So does the script. I may be a bit biased as SciFi has always been one of my least favorite genres, but I thought the initially good idea here does not do too much in the end because there is not enough love to detail. The film runs for 120 minutes (although there are shorter versions out there) and it dragged quite a lot. Certainly a wasted opportunity. The actors and premise are much better than the actual outcome here. Only worth for the biggest fans of space-themed films. I give it a thumbs-down.
I personally thought from reading the title that this was some medical-themed thriller involving scandal and politics, but it has nothing to do with that and Ganymed stands for something entirely different. I like some of the actors in the cast and I think they are pretty talented, but it's a bit of a problem that they are in astronaut uniform for a large part of the film here and that stands a way in terms of showing us all their range. So does the script. I may be a bit biased as SciFi has always been one of my least favorite genres, but I thought the initially good idea here does not do too much in the end because there is not enough love to detail. The film runs for 120 minutes (although there are shorter versions out there) and it dragged quite a lot. Certainly a wasted opportunity. The actors and premise are much better than the actual outcome here. Only worth for the biggest fans of space-themed films. I give it a thumbs-down.
Inner space story
christian-283 March 2006
Warning: Spoilers
Although this t.v. movie was made around the same time as Star Wars, it has nothing of a space opera. Rainer Erler is more interested in the inner space of his characters. Five astronauts return to earth after more than four years on a catastrophically failed mission to Ganymede during which 21 of their team perished. When no one answers their calls, they perform an emergency landing in the ocean and finally get to a rocky desert coast that looks much like a strange planet. While they did find some evidence of life on Ganymede, they have a hard time doing so on Earth, until they surmise that the human race must have destroyed itself in a nuclear war. Their despair over the apparent utter futility of all that they have endured leads them to madness, murder and cannibalism.
Some of the effects shots betray the movie's low budget (in terms of money as well as time, it seems), e.g. when in a supposedly zero gravity scene you can see that one of the characters is actually hanging from the ceiling in his seat because his hair is standing up straight. Other scenes seem to have been shot in a real zero gravity environment.
Apart from looking cheap in some and dated in all places, this movie has many defects, not the least of which is the utterly unsuitable score. I still give it a high mark because it succeeds in creating an apocalyptic atmosphere and depicting people's emotional reactions to it better than many other movies I have seen.
An intriguing presence in the movie is a beautiful girl that keeps appearing to one of the characters in his daydreams or hallucinations. She is played by Vicky Roskilly, an actress who seems to have made this one movie only and then disappeared from the face of the earth, at least as far as any traces of her on the internet are concerned. I hope she is alive and well.
Some of the effects shots betray the movie's low budget (in terms of money as well as time, it seems), e.g. when in a supposedly zero gravity scene you can see that one of the characters is actually hanging from the ceiling in his seat because his hair is standing up straight. Other scenes seem to have been shot in a real zero gravity environment.
Apart from looking cheap in some and dated in all places, this movie has many defects, not the least of which is the utterly unsuitable score. I still give it a high mark because it succeeds in creating an apocalyptic atmosphere and depicting people's emotional reactions to it better than many other movies I have seen.
An intriguing presence in the movie is a beautiful girl that keeps appearing to one of the characters in his daydreams or hallucinations. She is played by Vicky Roskilly, an actress who seems to have made this one movie only and then disappeared from the face of the earth, at least as far as any traces of her on the internet are concerned. I hope she is alive and well.
@gregg-35 - some comments about his review
g-moff31 August 2010
Warning: Spoilers
I agree that the special effects in this movie are really sub-standard compared to what was possible in 1977 (it was a low-budget movie), but the story itself is interesting and pretty clear and there is never a doubt that the 5 (and not "about 4" - did you really watch this movie???) survivors make it back to earth and are stranded in Mexico (more precise: at the deserted Baja California coast). The water is a problem for these survivors because they carry a small portable filter with which they can produce drinkable water from salt water (that's why they stay at the coast at the beginning) but not enough for all of them. What makes this movie interesting imho is the fact that they managed to survive the tough two years return voyage only by strict self-discipline whilst being in the small space capsule, but as soon after they have reached the earth orbit, all the suppressed group dynamics and character differences are starting to show and lead to the group's breakup. Don, the scientist, who is the physically and mentally weakest of those who survived, is, on the other hand, the most flexible of all and he is the only one who can adapt to their new situation.
Holy Jesus ...
Steve_Nyland19 March 2007
Warning: Spoilers
First, to the two nitwits on here who posted single-star comments, I have to say four words: Stick with your tripe. Not every science fiction movie aspires to be STAR WARS, guys. OK? Not every movie involving space travel and astronauts will have Han Solo, huge lumbering highly detailed space ship model effects and Burger King french fry cartons plastered with the faces of your lovable Ewoks. Thanks for being spoiled brats when it comes to what entertainment you choose to watch, this movie was above your brainwaves, and it owned you.
I always wanted to be an astronaut. The opening 30 minutes or so of this film are a mesmerizing portrait of the workings inside of Apollo era spacecraft. Realistic looking sets, costumes, banal technical dialog and the anticipation of returning to Earth after a five year mission to Jupiter and back. We didn't have hyperdrive in 1972 or so when the science of this movie was being developed. Come to think of it we still don't have hyperdrive, warp nacelles, dilithium crystals or Hiesenberg Compensators. Faulting this movie for rooting itself in the science of it's age is like complaining about cowboys in a Western for riding horses instead of just getting a Humvee.
This film is daring, experimental, and alarmingly realistic. After seeing it I recall vividly where I first encountered the formula of astronauts returning home to an Earth devastated by a nuclear war: DEF-CON 4, a tasteless, tacky, exploitation hell of a Reagan era cold war paranoia movie that quite obviously plundered OPERATION GANYMED for it's source material. Where that film devolves into a geek show by the time we are shown nuclear survivors carving fresh slices of astronaut leg over an open fire, this movie maintains a grim, prosaic, nightmarish quality that is all the more potent for not going overboard.
Make no mistake this is a LOW, low budget film, dwarfed even by the amount of money wasted on DEF-CON 4 let alone the Lucas/Spielberg epics of it's time (1978) that only a fool would compare this too. The ending is shatteringly ambiguous, perhaps cut short on the 93 minute version I saw but all the more effective by not showing us how it all turned out. Five astronauts return from a five year mission to boldly go where no man has still yet to go, and find that humanity has unforgivably extinguished itself in a nuclear holocaust that is never really explained. Instead of being greeted by CNN, cheering masses and adoring Hollywood celebrities they find decay, fallout poisoning, madness, death, and worse. It's like DESERT COMMANDOS crossed with THE ROAD WARRIOR, with even the former movie's Horst Frank in another standout role as a mission commander who refuses to give in to hysteria even when his face starts to blister & peel with radiation burns. Nobody ever said science fiction HAS to be pretty or fun to work, here is a film that proves it.
So pardon my urge to wish to take a tire iron to the numbskulls who dare mock this movie, watching it hoping to see something else than what is here. The paucity of human kind is shown in our willingness to make fools of ourselves, squander that which we have and then childishly stamp our feet and demand something more. Here is a film that dares to disappoint the thick skulled morons who thought they were getting a happy fantasy of a boy riding a rocket when choosing it and ignoring what the story had to offer. For that alone it earns not just my respect or admiration, but outright awe. Try it on a double bill with the equally frightening, weird & ambiguous A BOY AND HIS DOG. I dare you.
8/10
I always wanted to be an astronaut. The opening 30 minutes or so of this film are a mesmerizing portrait of the workings inside of Apollo era spacecraft. Realistic looking sets, costumes, banal technical dialog and the anticipation of returning to Earth after a five year mission to Jupiter and back. We didn't have hyperdrive in 1972 or so when the science of this movie was being developed. Come to think of it we still don't have hyperdrive, warp nacelles, dilithium crystals or Hiesenberg Compensators. Faulting this movie for rooting itself in the science of it's age is like complaining about cowboys in a Western for riding horses instead of just getting a Humvee.
This film is daring, experimental, and alarmingly realistic. After seeing it I recall vividly where I first encountered the formula of astronauts returning home to an Earth devastated by a nuclear war: DEF-CON 4, a tasteless, tacky, exploitation hell of a Reagan era cold war paranoia movie that quite obviously plundered OPERATION GANYMED for it's source material. Where that film devolves into a geek show by the time we are shown nuclear survivors carving fresh slices of astronaut leg over an open fire, this movie maintains a grim, prosaic, nightmarish quality that is all the more potent for not going overboard.
Make no mistake this is a LOW, low budget film, dwarfed even by the amount of money wasted on DEF-CON 4 let alone the Lucas/Spielberg epics of it's time (1978) that only a fool would compare this too. The ending is shatteringly ambiguous, perhaps cut short on the 93 minute version I saw but all the more effective by not showing us how it all turned out. Five astronauts return from a five year mission to boldly go where no man has still yet to go, and find that humanity has unforgivably extinguished itself in a nuclear holocaust that is never really explained. Instead of being greeted by CNN, cheering masses and adoring Hollywood celebrities they find decay, fallout poisoning, madness, death, and worse. It's like DESERT COMMANDOS crossed with THE ROAD WARRIOR, with even the former movie's Horst Frank in another standout role as a mission commander who refuses to give in to hysteria even when his face starts to blister & peel with radiation burns. Nobody ever said science fiction HAS to be pretty or fun to work, here is a film that proves it.
So pardon my urge to wish to take a tire iron to the numbskulls who dare mock this movie, watching it hoping to see something else than what is here. The paucity of human kind is shown in our willingness to make fools of ourselves, squander that which we have and then childishly stamp our feet and demand something more. Here is a film that dares to disappoint the thick skulled morons who thought they were getting a happy fantasy of a boy riding a rocket when choosing it and ignoring what the story had to offer. For that alone it earns not just my respect or admiration, but outright awe. Try it on a double bill with the equally frightening, weird & ambiguous A BOY AND HIS DOG. I dare you.
8/10
Authentic, Pure Scifi
ivorybow31 December 2019
Scifi is about ideas, not special effects. We have all suffered through the big CGI science fiction extravaganzas, rolling our eyes because the characters and plots are so lame. This unknown gem is very bare of special effects, but rich on story and the concept is very frightening. It's low, low budget, and shows it, however, the drama is brilliant and richly textured. After a many year mission to Ganymed, the astronauts return home.to a terrifying situation, and that's when their real struggle for survival begins. It's a story that will haunt me for awhile. Very well done, and very refreshing.
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