A really great film!

Author: GenK1981 from Essex, England
12 March 2001

Looking at the other comments i think people really have a hatred to sci-fi films at the mo. I know that Mission to Mars was bad, i'd be the 1st to admit that......but that doesn't mean that all other sci-fi films are going to be bad. Last year we had Pitch Black which i thought was okay.........and we had Red Planet.

Red Planet came with a reasonably large budget, a really superior cast to Mission to Mars and absolutely great special effects. The main story line in itself is not ground breaking, but the sub plots within the film give the film its real grip!A crew of 4 astronauts and 2 science officers agree to board a mission into building a new home on mars through the aid of making it a breathable atmosphere through the aid of planting algae.

Then in comes your usual suprises, the spacecraft that their in hits critical conditions causing them to land on Mars earlier than they wanted to and therefore building a storyline of what they are going to do to get back to earth.The sub plot involving the crews relationship between pentigill who was a last minute choice for the mission is excellent. Simon Baker plays the character excellently and you never know wether to trust him or hate him. The special effects on the robot AMEE were outstanding aswell, this created the suspence part of the film.

I gave this film 9/10 because i love sci-fi and i thought that it was well acted and had a really decent storyline.

Mars in 2000

Author: Samiam3 from Canada
28 June 2009

What a perfect rivalry this film has with Brian De Palma's Mission to Mars. Two films coming out in the same year, set on the same planet,with the same production values and featuring casts of equal talent.While both movies also feature numerous scientific inaccuracies and stupidities, each has something different to offer. If you are looking for mystique, try Mission to Mars, but if you want action or thrills, then go with Red Planet.

Set in the mid twenty first century, Earth is dying, and humanity has turned to Mars as a potential replacement. An unmanned terraforming experiment has been attempted (according to the introductory narration) Months later, it appears to have failed, so a group of astronauts are sent out to investigate. They are surprised and excited to discover not only breathable air but the existence of life on the barren cold red world.

When their space craft shuts down however, not only are they stranded, but they become threatened by the malfunctioning of their navigator droid 'Amee'. These few individuals must survive to carry the news back to Earth which proves that man can live on the Red Planet.

I think the story works decently as a nifty sci-fi thriller. Mars in this film looks quite convincing, because the terrain closely resembles the photographs taken by the Pathfinder in 1997. The color scheme is made up of browns and tans, rather than the over saturated red from Mission to Mars. Ret Planet was received better than Brian De Palma's movie, and I can see why. Although neither of them are examples of great filmaking, I would recommend them both.

GOOD, INTELLIGENT THROWBACK TO 1950S SCI-FI

Author: Bill Treadway (treads22@hotmail.com) from Queens, New York
2 July 2001

Movies like "Red Planet" remind me why I enjoy science fiction so much. Most sci-fi films today put the special effects first before characterizations.While that's not a bad idea (I have enjoyed several films in that vein such as "Independence Day"), films can become too dependent on that and that's when the fun drains away.

"Red Planet" is a film that has solid special effects, but also a strong story and good characterizations. It was the second film released in 2000 to have Mars as its backdrop, the first being "Mission to Mars". "Mission to Mars", despite having top stars,master craftsman Brian DePalma directing and phenomenal special effects, was a little too pat and resorted to cliches(Not that I blame DePalma; he did the best he could with the script he had and the film wasn't bad at all)

I didn't know anything about the plot and I think that helps with a film like "Red Planet". It allows suspense to be created from the series of crises that spring up on the astronauts and that's a benefit. But I will say this: the marketing campaign for "Red Planet" advertises this as your typical good guys versus evil aliens action fest. It is not. This is a more intelligent and stylish film than given credit for. It owes more to "2001" and "The Black Hole" or even the classic Republic serial "Radar Men from the Moon" than "Alien". It is about ideas, not effects and I LOVE films like that.

I know a great many people will hate this film. That is because popular culture has brainwashed people into thinking mass entertainment revolves around effects only. There are some flaws (mostly in technological probability and pacing in the first 20 minutes)but writer Chuck Pfarrer and director Antony Hoffman remember that great sci-fi is also about the story and characters and the result is the best sci-fi film in recent years.

***1/2 out of 4 stars