In Red Planet the only thing thicker than the Martian atmosphere (which is breathable, by the way) is the layer of clichés that nearly smothers a formulaic beat-the-clock plot. Science fiction fans are sure to be forgiving, however, because the film is reasonably intelligent, boasts a few dazzling sequences, and presents fascinating technology in the year 2057.
We don't know how the Mars-1 spaceship gets to Mars in only six months (newfangled propulsion, no doubt), but we do get some cool diagnostic read-outs on tinfoil scrolls, an abundance of well-designed hardware, and a service-robot-turned-villain that's a high-tech hybrid of RoboCop, Bruce Lee, and a slinky panther with plenty of lethal attitude. The oxygen in the Martian atmosphere has resulted from nascent efforts at terraforming, made necessary by Earth's over-polluted condition. Mars-1 has been dispatched to determine why the terraforming is failing, and upon arrival everything goes inevitably haywire. Nearly two hours, three deaths, and multiple crises later (including the discovery of a Martian life form), "space janitor" Val Kilmer and his ultra-competent commander (Carrie-Anne Moss from The Matrix) have collaborated to set things right, capped off by second dose of the wretched narration that bookends the movie. Hoary material, to be sure, and as a veteran of TV commercials making his feature debut, director Anthony Hoffman is clearly more comfortable with flashy visuals than depth of character. Still, he keeps things humming right along. A perfectly suitable companion to another Y2K sci-fi thriller, Pitch Black, Red Planet is a fine way to kill a couple of hours. --Jeff Shannon, Amazon.com
(31 votes)
2.
Mission Commander Kate Bowman (Carrie-Anne Moss) is the pilot and commander of the most important mission of the 21st century: saving the human race.
It’s 2050, earth is dying, and colonizing Mars is the only alternative to obliteration. Bowman and her crew have made this journey to investigate what went wrong with the malfunctioning Mars Terraforming Project, and to repair it. But what happens when they get there is far more terrifying than anyone could have guessed: a crash-landing leaves them without scientific, communication or escape equipment, and causes their military mapping and exploration robot to malfunction into an enemy, relentlessly dedicated to breaking the team down. Defying orders from Houston, Bowman refuses to leave Gallagher (Val Kilmer), with whom she shares an intense emotional bond, and the others (Tom Sizemore, Benjamin Bratt, Simon Baker and Terence Stamp), and instead attempts to guide them back from above.
But as the landing team explores the harsh new planet desperately seeking a way out, they make the most terrifying and baffling discovery of all: Mars may be barren, but it’s not uninhabited.
Val Kilmer (“Heat,” “The Prince of Egypt”), Tom Sizemore (“Saving Private Ryan”), Carrie-Anne Moss (“The Matrix”), Benjamin Bratt (TV’s “Law & Order”), Simon Baker (“L.A. Confidential”) and Terence Stamp (“The Limey”) star in “Red Planet,” an epic romantic adventure about one crew’s intense struggle for survival against the most extreme odds imaginable.
(30 votes)
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