Product Description

From the director of MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE comes the thrilling, eye-popping science fiction adventure MISSION TO MARS, starring Gary Sinise (SNAKE EYES) and Tim Robbins (HIGH FIDELITY). The year is 2020, and the first manned mission to Mars, commanded by Luke Graham (Don Cheadle, OCEANS 11), lands safely on the red planet. But the Martian landscape harbors a bizarre and shocking secret that leads to a mysterious disaster so catastrophic, it decimates the crew. Haunted by a cryptic last message from Graham, NASA launches the Mars Recovery Mission to investigate and bring back survivors -- if there are any. Confronted with nearly insurmountable dangers, but propelled by deep friendship, the team finally lands on Mars and makes a discovery so amazing, it takes your breath away. MISSION TO MARS is an action-packed rocket ride that will enthrall you with its stunning special effects and keep you on the edge of your seat.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #6745 in DVD
• Brand: BUENA VISTA HOME VIDEO
• Released on: 2002-06-04
• Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
• Formats: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, Special Edition, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English, French, Spanish
• Subtitled in: Spanish
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 114 minutes

Amazon.com
If Brian De Palma directed Mission to Mars for 10-year-olds who've never seen a science fiction film, he can be credited for crafting a marginally successful adventure. Isolated moments in this film serve the highest purpose of its genre, inspiring a sense of wonder and awe in the context of a fascinating future (specifically, the year 2020). But because most of us have seen a lot of science fiction films, it's impossible to ignore this one's derivative plot, cardboard characters, and drearily dumb dialogue. Despite an awesome and painstakingly authentic display of cool technology and dazzling special effects, Mission to Mars is light years away from 2001: A Space Odyssey on the scale of human intelligence.

After dispensing with a few space-jockey clichés, the movie focuses on a Mars-bound rescue mission commanded by Jim McConnell (Gary Sinise), whose team (Tim Robbins, Connie Nielsen, Jerry O'Connell) has been sent to retrieve the sole survivor (Don Cheadle) of a tragic Mars landing. During the sequence en route to Mars, De Palma's in his element with two suspenseful scenes (including a dramatic--albeit somewhat silly--space walk) that are technically impressive. But when this Mission gets to Mars, the movie grows increasingly unconvincing, finally arriving at an alien encounter that more closely resembles an astronomical CGI video game. But this is a $75 million Hollywood movie, and no amount of technical wizardry can lift the burden of a juvenile screenplay. Kudos to Sinise, his costars, and the special effects wizards for making the most of hoary material; shame on just about everyone else involved. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews

Why on Earth, or, uh, Mars, did this movie get so many negative reviews?!?! This is one of the best Sci-Fi films ever!!
You would think that the movie being reviewed here was a lame 50's or 70's B movie entitle "Attack of the Killer Blonde Bimbos" or something to that effect. I recently got a chance to view this entire film the other night and all I've got to say is "Man! This is a valuable lesson of not listening to the negative reviews before getting a chance to see the movie!! And, sad to say, this is exactly what kept me from seeing this movie for so long. I made the mistake of listening to all the negative ink about it. I can guarantee you that you will find this film at least very likable. The story is good and so is the acting, even though there may be a couple of hokey parts in the film. Most of it, though, is highly enjoyable and VERY believable. This has to be one best, as well as underrated, sci-fi films ever made. Definitely worth at least one viewing and definitely better than "Red Planet"!

Brian De Palma's Homage to Kubrick's 2001
Okay, so the Epcot-esque finale is more fromage than homage, and is remniscent of the touchy-feely, ending of THE ABYSS. But there' enough hard-SciFi realism to rivet the attention spans of most physicists.

Leave no doubt in your mind, the worst Brian De Palma flick is leagues better than the best Michael Bey(Armageddon) opus. If you thought that Armageddon was good SciFi, then I'm surprised you're reading this. As a matter of fact...I would be suprised that you would know how to read, at all?!

The plot, what little of it there is, concerns Tim Robbins and Gary Sinise who play astronauts on the 2nd Martian mission. It would seem that Don Cheadle is the only surviving member of the first mission, whose purpose was, apparently, to build a bridge between the two peaks (wink wink to Monty Python) of Mount Olympus...or some such foolishness.

But the plot, as in Kubrick's 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY, is secondary to the breathtaking visuals of the dangerous crossing from Earth-to-Martian-space the crew endures. Without giving too much away, there's a frightening depressurization when the ship strikes micrometeorites just prior to Mars orbital insertion, and the ensuing action is gripping enough to hold fans jaded by most "junk science" space movie fare.

I enjoyed the film.
After having viewed the film at a cinema during its initial release, I purchased the DVD when it became available. I enjoyed the acting, the characters, the CGI, the music and the story. In short, I was entertained. Others have chosen to provide harsh comments. Personally, I enjoyed the film. I happen to be a science-fiction author and I like a good story. Mission to Mars provided that. I don't think Brian De Palma was trying to do anything more than entertain in an appealing way. As far as this reviewer is concerned, he succeeded.