Red Planet

Part two of my year 2000 Mars film retrospective, Red Planet starts out almost exactly the same as did last week's Mission to Mars - right down to the machine-of-the-gods-style random event just as they reach orbit that nearly derails the mission (and drives most of the survival portion of the action).  Indeed, for a long while it doesn't feel as if any of the crew are safe, to the point that I was beginning to think this was a very high tech snuff film.

Instead, the crew finds Mars air inexplicably breathable, with an atmosphere caused by - something.  But the science has to take a back seat while they race across the surface to reach a way off the planet, before their rescue ship must return home.

They make an effort to explain "gravity" in space, and are even somewhat consistent with its application (and absence as necessary), but most of the special effects budget was spent on AMEE, their military hand-me-down, overly-complicated, psychopathic robotic scout.  Overall, with its solid cast of B-movie actors led by then stars Carrie-Ann Moss (hot from the Matrix) and Val Kilmer, this was a decent B-grade sci fi action film.

Red Planet
2000, 106 minutes, directed by Antony Hoffman

Mission to Mars

Usually, when I see a science fiction film that bothers to explain artificial gravity, I presume they want to pursue some sense of scientific rigor, at least for the mundane things not necessary to advance the "fiction" portion of the science fiction plot.  This was alas my downfall with Mission to Mars, for I tried to evaluate it as a good film, one that would be consistent in its scientific quality.  I was quite dismayed, then, when they let someone survive down to 10% atmospheric pressure - then back up again quickly without getting the bends.  Then there was the free scene in orbit, and I was ready to write the film off as hopeless.

But then it struck me; the gravity answer was the anomaly.  This is actually a bad film where acting, storyline, and accuracy were tossed in favor of vision.  Vision, that is, of the directory or studio execs or whoever cobbled this crap story together.  Recognizing that it was low-grade cinema allowed me to appreciate it for what it is: filler for my Netflix queue.  And as that it was all right.

Mission to Mars
2000, 113 minutes, directed by Brian De Palma