Release Date:
Friday, November 10, 2000
Granted, its tough to do a mission to space movie without stepping in a few well-worn footsteps along the way. Its inevitable that youre going to end up ripping off those who went before. In the first half of Red Planet, however, the filmmakers do it right: They manage to give this flick the feel of one of those cool 50s sci-fi movies (with much better special effects), while also throwing in hefty doses of Alien (Carrie-Anne Moss is in full-on Ripley mode) and Star Wars (Terence Stamp plays Obi-Wan Kenobi, and the rest of the crew is made up of multiple Han Solos). Once they reach the planet in question, theres a touch of Forbidden Planet (with a slightly more lethal Robby the Robot) and Starship Troopers (space bugs) thrown in for good measure. Unfortunately, it builds into a less-than-exciting climax and a trite resolution. Youd think, after all the pillaging they did, theyd manage to swipe a decent plot.
As it stands, what Red Planet offers is a nice-looking package thats really only going to appeal to hardcore sci-fi geeks. Those looking for a gripping tale of suspense and excitement are going to leave feeling pretty let down. Tension is built, but to no discernible end. We witness no great discovery (other than Mars sucks), no unbeatable threat, and no sense of impending doom. So, Hollywood, are we done with the Mars movies? We think so. Why dont you put all that money to better use and actually go?
As it stands, what Red Planet offers is a nice-looking package thats really only going to appeal to hardcore sci-fi geeks. Those looking for a gripping tale of suspense and excitement are going to leave feeling pretty let down. Tension is built, but to no discernible end. We witness no great discovery (other than Mars sucks), no unbeatable threat, and no sense of impending doom. So, Hollywood, are we done with the Mars movies? We think so. Why dont you put all that money to better use and actually go?