Not even a nude shower scene can save this film!! (Red Planet (DVD))

Member Name: rob_writer

Product:	Red Planet (DVD)
Date:	12/06/01 (1625 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: I like it

Disadvantages: You probably won't

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 this year!! 'Mission to Mars' came a few months ago and proved to be an average affair, so how does 'Red Planet' compare?

Given that the film is based on Mars you have a few choices as to what the plot is going to be about. 'Mission to Mars' took the 2001 Space Odyssey approach of humanity meeting higher beings, many films before it took the evil Martian aliens plot, and then of course you could always go down the survival in a harsh space environment plot that Apollo 13 used. I hadn't really heard much about Red Planet before I watched it, but I had bets on that it was going to be one of the three I mentioned. As it turned out it took a bit out of all 3 plots. Great, you may be thinking, 3 films for the price of one. But alas, this is not the case, because in using a few separate plots the film doesn't have an overall direction that some of the better films do, and it seems to amble from part to part rather all being about one thing. Don't get me wrong, I did enjoy the film but that’s just because I enjoy every space\sci fi film! The other people in the house weren't so keen about the film, but they did enjoy Apollo 13 - proof they can like these sort of films, if they are good enough.

The film has a good cast with Val Kilmer, Carrie-A
nne Moss and Tom Sizemore taking the central roles. There are 6 main astronauts who are just about the only characters to appear in the film, but they all give a good performance and are quite convincing throughout the film. As I said before, the plot is a mixture of the normal Mars/space themes, added in to that are a hint of romance and a bit of the darker side of human nature.

Set some time in the future, humanity has polluted planet Earth to such a state that the only solution for mankind is to move to mars. Via terra-forming, scientists hope to make Mars habitable, and to this end send algae to mars to convert the atmosphere in to breathable oxygen. All was working fine, until last month when the algae seemingly stopped working. Step up a crack team of 6 astronauts and scientists who travel to Mars to investigate!

Carrie-Ann Moss plays the captain, as well as being the only female on board. As you can imagine she is the centre of attention with the other 5 male crew members. Val Kilmer, being the biggest male star, naturally gets to be the one to have the 'thing' with Moss! The whole romance sub plot seems a little tacked on to me, it begins at the start of the film, disappears for the middle section, then comes back at the end out of the blue. Of course, we have the obligatory shower scene (don't spaceships have door locks?), and Moss seems to wear more than her fair share of tight figure hugging tops - I always though it was cold in space!!

Anyway, back to the plot. After a long trip the team arrive at Mars, but a solar flare makes everyone bar Moss abandon ship, and head towards their pre-sent base on Mars. The problem is they find that base to be destroyed, so cue the desperate attempt to somehow make it back to the ship! I won't give too much of the already thread bare plot away, but the rest of the film involves a double crossing astronaut, a robot gone mad (Lost on Space, Robocop - anyone?), the least frighteni
ng Martians ever and some old rockets left by the Russian.

This of course is intertwined with some very hard to believe moments. For a start, the solar flare; now I'm no physicist (yet, but maybe in 4 years!!) but how many solar flares have wrecked space craft near the Earth - none - and given that Mars is much further away than Earth it seems a little unlikely! Then there is the ice storm, forgive me for thinking Mars has no surface water!! The crews reactions to certain events is also a little unbelievable, when they learn they can breathe on Mars they don't really wonder too much at the reason why. If I opened my helmet to die and found I could breath in what should be a deadly atmosphere I would be a little more surprised than to say, 'Oh we can breath, wonder why?' and get on with the film!

It all seems to me a little bit of a film by numbers, it certainly isn't bad as a film, but it isn't great either - just your average Mars flick!

Special effects are good throughout, although they never make a film. The fire in zero gravity was a highlight, and at least some of the happenings in space meant a little sense to me!

The biggest problem is that the film doesn't have a strong enough plot behind it. It throws a bit of action, suspense, deceit and romance in to the pot, but one feels it would have been better if it had stuck to one theme as so many better films before it have.

I will repeat that I actually liked this film, but I like all sci-fi's! If you're not a fan stay away, and even if you are see if there's something better to watch first!

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