Mission To Mars

Rating:
Summary: Terrible space adventure.
Review: As a science fiction fan, I especially enjoy films that deal with current or near-future explorations into space. When I first heard of Mission to Mars, I was excited with the possibilities of a story surrounding our first mission to the red planet. But after viewing Mission to Mars, I have to say that it was one of the few movies I have ever wanted to walk out from. From opening to ending, it is filled with plot holes, bad acting, even worse dialogue and illogical direction. I was expecting a "goose bump" inducing scene showing our first landing and steps on Mars. We don't get it. Once taken to Mars, we are introduced to a Mars rover and we then see humans are already there stumbling onto a mysterious phenomenon. (The movie really pushes the "PG" rating in a few death scenes early on.) There is almost no sense of mystery in the film and it only gets worse.

The acting is stiff and forced. While there is a collection of good actors, the dialogue is so horrendous that it elicits unintentional laughter. One character, intended to be the comic relief, ends up being laughed at not because of his humor, but because his dialogue is so bad.

The direction of Mission to Mars is probably the worst aspect. Despite an interesting sequence involving dancing in "zero g," everything else unintentionally gives the impression that everyone in the film are idiots. For example, take the scene where the first crew finds the mysterious object on Mars. The wind picks up and they just stand there -- not in awe or fright, but for no visible reason at all. Maybe just to be targets to die early on. One crew member shields his face from the sand. With a helmet on?

Another scene shows us a crew member that sacrifices their own self to save others. I don't want to give it away, but the method they use is so illogical and badly directed, that you don't know how to react. They show the scene and then give us 3-4 long shots of the dead body. This scene disturbed my wife because it was unexpected and extremely awkward. She and I both felt that it wasn't necessary to further the film.

When we finally get to see some "aliens," it is too late. And while that moment could have been an emotional and uplifting scene, it is instead reminiscent of Close Encounters, Contact and The Abyss all mixed into one.

As far as moral content, there are a few moments of bad language and some very light "sensual" moments, but nothing terribly offensive in those areas. The idea of someone killing themselves to save others sets a bad example and is not a good illustration of self-sacrifice. The film hints that Mars is the origin of life on Earth and may influence those who are not Biblically sound. Those who are easily influenced by this kind of material may want to stay away from this picture.

Overall, I can't recommend this film because it is a disaster in screen writing and direction. There is a scene where an "alien being" sheds a tear. Being in a film like this, I don't blame them. I give this film a D-.

Rating:
Summary: Great movie
Review: For those of you that don't like films that are not packed with action, this film is not for you. This is a great film with a little action and a lot of thought. I really enjoyed it and although some other people out there say that the special effects were bad, they need to watch Deep Blue Sea. THAT is bad.

Rating:
Summary: Absolutely Terrible Fiction
Review: I cannot call it science fiction because the writers had obviously never learnt any science. They manage to contradict all of Newton's Laws of motion and yet still create a film that is so mind numbingly boring and badly constructed that it defies belief. How a movie like this can get made now is beyond me. It's trash like this that is stopping mankind's real journey to Mars.

Rating:
Summary: Great movie no matter what the pessimists say!
Review: I thought that this was a good movie! I know, I know I'm not jumping on the gripe bandwagon like everyone else, but I thought that it was a good family movie that had some very uplifiting moments, as well as some tradgedy to it. This is by no means a Star Wars or an instant classic, but it gives us a chance to show a somewhat believable side to the sci-fi genre, while at the same time showcasing some of Hollywood's top special effects technology. Grab the kids, get some popcorn, and definetely get a big t.v. with a good surround system, cause this one's a keeper!

Rating:
Summary: Spectacularly bad
Review: Brian De Palma proves once again that while he may be a visual genius, his ability to do simple things like paint characters that are worth caring about and providing a plot a tad bit better than average tv fare were left far behind in the 70's.

Some blame could be placed on the actors. While Don Cheedle is the lone bright spot, Tim Robbins acts like a guy more interested in his paycheck or getting home to watch must see TV, Jerry O'Connell is the not so funny "Plucky Comic Relief" and Gary Sinese wastes our time as a clinically depressed man. Not depressed that he lost his wife, but rather at the fact that he spent 8 months of his life on this cinematic stinkburger.

While the first few moments hold promise (Snake Eyes anyone) silly moment after silly moment lead to the ultimate is sillyness when **SPOLIER** Tim Robbins decides to sacrifice himself for the good of the crew by floating off into space. His wife's wrist watch/digital readout SOMEHOW knows where the Point Of No Return is (No Digital Clock readout, thus P.O.N.R. is created for viewers who need just that much more tension or plot explanation added to the sillyness) Then as the wife shoots out a repel line to the Tim "soon to be a Popsicle" Robbins it comes up about 2 foot short, causeing an eruption of laughter in the audience I saw it with. From there things get dumber and dumber, leading to a conslusion that Spielberg at his most manipulative (ET or Close Enounters) would have NEVER attempted.

Needless to say, This was easily one of the worst big budget movies I have paid moeny to see in recent memory (Wild Wild West or the Haunting I am ashamed to admit are right there with it) and hope that you who are reading this will never stoop to purchasing this red planet refuse.

Rating:
Summary: mission to fame!
Review: Mission to mars is a definite masterpiece. The storyline is breathtaking but the dramatic scenes are rad! I suggest that you watch this movie with your family!

Rating:
Summary: Horrific
Review: I saw this movie the other day on a cross-country flight. After the movie, half the people watching it let out an audible gasp; it was that awful. And, it was free (United Airlines does not charge a fee for their movies). What a waste of time (should have read the book I had with me). I found the gratuitous advertising by sponsors (Kawasaki on the side of a spacecraft, Dr. Pepper space drinks) to be intrusive. At least on TV I can switch channels if I don't want to see an ad. The dialogue was akin to the worst of the made for TV movies-- simplistic, silly, predictable and full of cliches. There was a potential for an interesting story but the movie never went anywhere, it just died and left me wondering "Is that it?" I'm not one to be so negative with my reviews, but this movie in my opinion, truly deserves only 1 star.

Rating:
Summary: Spectacular film is let down by an abrupt ending.
Review: This film has some truly spectacular sequences-from the portrayal of the surface of Mars,and space travel,to a spectactular,and moving,spacewalk and attempted rescue.What lets the movie down are some illogical moments,like when the tornado starts and the astronauts(instead of fleeing immediately)stand and watch!And the alien is ill-conceived:it looked more like Woody Woodpecker in drag.A more humanoid alien would have been an improvement.Also the ending was far too abrupt.But the movies spectacular moments,and great production values,still make it interesting and a great ride to Mars.The portrayal of being on the Martian surface was innovative in that it was realistic, something not done in cinema before.This makes the movie worth seeing.

Rating:
Summary: THIS is not an action movie
Review: M2M is the most disappointing movie I have ever seen. The screenplay is horrible. The special effects were very good but even that was ruined by lack of music during the action sequences. The ending was stupid too. It made the movie seem like the beginning of a 3 hour movie. The only thing this movie has to offer is the part where one of the astronauts gets twisted into pieces.

Rating:
Summary: Mission to Mars deserves 5 Stars
Review: I saw "Mission to Mars" when it first came out in the theater, and it was awesome. I thought that when it came to science fiction space movies that "Starship Troopers" was the best but I was wrong after viewing "Mission to Mars." The special effects are great and the storyline is even better! This movie is a visual masterpiece! Not only are the special effects breathtaking but the storyline offers a very interesting theory on how life formed on earth, it is very believable. Mission to Mars is wonderful and is highly recommened. Trust me after you watch this movie it will leave you knowing that life on other planets must exist.