Red Planet (DVD)

The Mars Pathfinder mission launched by NASA back in 1997 certainly has a lot to answer for. Evidently the images of a barren, alien landscape that were beamed back to Earth not only captured the imagination of the general public, but also that of Hollywood?s ever opportunistic moneymen. In a re-run of the meteorite movie stand-off between ?Deep Impact? and ?Armageddon?, two competing Mars movie projects went head to head in a rush to beat each other to the multiplexes. In their haste, they managed to totally disprove the old adage that competition is healthy, with both films looking positively anaemic upon arrival. Widespread interest in an actual space mission ...  Read the complete review

When I tootled off to the video store I haven't got a clue why I thought I would get Red Planet, infact the chances were that it would out anyway, because you can bet your life that the second you decide you want a film it isn't going to be there. Ah, for a Blockbusters in little old Alnwick! Some strange miracle occurred, and I managed to get the film, although the DVD version had gone so I had to make do with good old VHS. The name gives it away, this film is all to do with the Red Planet more commonly known as Mars. Of course this film is by no means the first to use our neighbouring planet as it's centre of attention, it isn't even the first ...  Read the complete review

This is rather a dismal film. There is no depth, no suspense, and no humour. The film starts badly. I can't remember the last time I heard a voice over over the titles setting the scene. its as if the makers couldn't be bothered filming a few scenes that would set the scene. its plain stuff- earth is in trouble through over use of resources and needs to colonise Mars. Rockets with oxygen producing algae have been sent, but the algae has stopped growing. Cue mission to find out why. Jeez - have filmgoers lost the art to pick that up, rather than be told it. So then, we have the mjourney with some pathetic attempts to get some depth to ...  Read the complete review

Being a fan of science fiction films I thought that this would be a film that I should enjoy, however it was quite a bit of a let down and something that just wasn't really worth watching. The film stars Carrie-Anne Moss(The Matrix) who's acting, while still not bad, doesn't come close to her performance in The Matrix. Perhaps she just wasn't comfortable in the role, but it does show at times when her performance just seems a bit dull. Other than her, Val Kilmer and Tom Sizemore are the main stars, however their characters didn't really stick in my mind and their performances couldn't really enhance a fairly dull movie. The ...  Read the complete review

I have always been a fan of science fiction, so was a little surprised to find I didn't remember a film called Red Planet, when my husband suggested it, I was quite looking forward to seeing it. By the end I realised I had seen it before, and I knew why I had forgotten it. It is anything but memorable. It is set in 2025 when humans have all but ruined the earth, and so have started to try to terraform the planet Mars, by seeding it with algae which give off oxygen. All looked to be going well, but suddenly the oxygen levels which had begun to build up on the red planet start to drop. So a manned mission, Mars 1, is sent to investigate. The six ...  Read the complete review