Operation Ganymed (1977)

Directed by Rainer Erler
My rating: 3 stars out of 4
IMDb
(VHS, Marathon Video)

The surviving crew of a mission to Jupiter's moon has lost contact with Earth for nearly 3 years. When they finally reach home, they decide to crash land in the ocean. They wash ashore near a desert in Mexico, and the film becomes a tale of survival. After an arduous desert crossing they find a town but no people. They begin to speculate that maybe there was a nuclear accident, or worse a nuclear war, that has wiped out the people. They decide to go north to San Diego, another long journey along a dune swept highway. All the while, the heat and thirst lead to hallucinations and flashbacks to Jupiter. As with the best sci-fi, the ending is a matter of interpretation. It has its problems, the soundtrack frequently resorts to canned music (but also has some nice, moody synthesized moments) and the special effects can show the lack of budget, but overall this is a gem in desperate need of restoration and rediscovery in this age of overblown, dumb-downed, CGI blockbusters.