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Mission To Mars

Mission To Mars

List Price: $14.99
Your Price: $11.99
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Not As Bad As You'Ve Heard But Not Great Either
Review: Mission to Mars offers excellent visuals and a good cast, but the CGI is too cartoonish and the story is weak as well. The characters are too buddy-buddy with each other; I mean when Gary Sinise's character wants to talk about his dead wife all his friends listen and there's just too many scenes of this. All those scenes just slow the movie down. The movie's best scenes are when the astronauts are in their space suits trying to fix the ship; the cast works best in these scenes, especially Tim Robbins. ... it really isn't that bad, the movie may end kind of corny but still I wouldn't give it one star just for that. So in other words, don't be so afraid to rent this movie because it really isn't that bad. I just wouldn't buy it.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Even worse than Red Planet
Review: The best sequence in the movie is the sandstorm. Everything else stunk. It tries to be thrilling by sequences such as the breached hull, but you always feel bored and never excited. The special effects are good up to a point, so why did the alien look less realistic than an episode of Transformers? One to avoid.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: I liked it.
Review: I really liked this movie. I can't see why it is generating so
much negative critisism. The problem is a lot of people want
a lot of violence, profanity, nudity and everything else. I thought you really got the overlying view of what true friendship
and love is all about. These guys cared so much about their
friend stuck in Mars, they were willing to risk a great deal to
bring him back. Characters in the movie cared so deeply for each
other they were willing to make sacifrices. I guess it helps also
that I am a huge Tim Robbins fan. If you have only seen him in
limited stuff--see more. He has many facets. Anyway don't take
my word, decide yourself:)

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: "Hollywood, we have a problem."
Review: Prior to its release in March 2000, Mission to Mars was one of the most anticipated movies of the year, especially among sci-fi and action-adventure buffs. It rocketed to first place its opening weekend, making more than the other films in the top ten combined. By the next weekend, it had fallen back to Earth, having proved to be a great disappointment. This mission simply did not deliver.

The movie opens with a going away cookout for a group of astronauts who will be taking off for Mars the next day. The year is 2025. The space voyage goes well, and the group sets up base camp. Soon, there is a catastrophe that kills all but one of the crew. After much debate, NASA launches a rescue mission. It is lead by Jim McConnell [Gary Sinese], who was prevented from going on the original mission because his wife died. Also aboard are Phil Ohlmeyer [Jerry O'Connell], Woody Blaine [Tim Robbins] and his wife, Terri [Connie Nielson]. Their flight is fraught with problems. Once on Mars, they find the surviving astronaut, Luke [Don Cheadle]. He tells them of the strange phenomenon that wiped out his crew. Apparently, they are not alone on Mars.

This plot outline has potential, but this potential escaped the writers and the director Brian De Palma. A lot of time is spent on character development. It's a waste of time because the characters all turn out to be stereotypes. The movie unfolds for almost an hour before anything remotely suspenseful happens. Ironically, De Palma made a name out of directing suspense pictures that were modeled on the work of Alfred Hitchcock. Some of these, such as Carrie, Blowout and Dressed to Kill, are very good. In Mission to Mars he seems to be lost in the special effects and elaborate sets. The effects are often quite good, and one set, the interior of the rescue ship, is exceptional. Still, these elements are like gift wrap. There needs to be a good story inside the fancy packaging. What really kills the whole thing is the ending. When we finally are shown the planet's ancient secret, we are dismayed and annoyed by its lameness and lack of originality.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Flawed, but too mesmerizing and awe-inspiring to really care
Review: A disastrous mission to the red planet leads to a rescue mission (which includes Gary Sinise, Tim Robbins) that discovers the amazing secret of Mars. Critically panned sci-fi adventure is supremely underrated, with some of the most genuinely awe-inspiring sequences since Contact. The finale stumbles slightly, but the visual presentation is so beautiful, the effect is positively hypnotic. Intelligent (There's quite a bit of attention paid to scientific accuracy), suspenseful, and emotionally rousing with a terrific lead performance from Sinise and a beautiful score from Ennio Morricone, my favorite of his to date.
**** 1/2 out of *****

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Better than average Sci-Fi movie
Review: I can't understand someone hating this movie. It is certainly better than the average Sci-fi film. The major flaw of this movie is that the material covered could use up a miniseries. It is choppy, with scenes taking place months after another. The biggest problem unfortunately has to do with the ending. This ending wasnt adequately built up and it is a glaring error that doesn't really work. It's interesting, just poorly executed. It's definitely worth watching however.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Pay No Attention to the Other Reviewers...
Review: Does it borrow a lot of the plot from "2001: A Space Odyssey"? Yep. Is the ending straight out of "Close Encounters of the Third Kind"? You bet. Is this still an entertaining movie. Definitely.
This isn't a ground-breaking sci-fi masterpiece, but hey, it's not the worst movie ever, either! It's good. I thought it was definitely good enough to buy. It's like "2001" but doesn't have all of the boring parts or Homicidal HAL. It's a fun movie to watch. The part in the beginning where the alien tornado/vortex whatever thing swallows the astronauts is cool. The ending, no matter how derivative, is still good and leaves you wanting more (in fact, it leaves room for a potentially even better sequel). I don't see why you other reveiwers can't get past all the little problems with this movie and just sit back and enjoy it! This movie also contains one of my favorite movie lines: "We're millions of miles from Earth inside a giant white face. What's impossible?" In short, this isn't as cerebral as "2001" or "Close Encounters" but it is definitely fun to watch and it makes you think.
The DVD isn't too shabby, either. It includes an interesting commentary, a documentary, trailers, and it is in widescreen. The audio is great too. You can really show off your sound system with this.
Overall, this is a great science fiction flick. It deserves a full four stars, no more no less. I gave it five just to help out the average customer rating, since everyone is bashing this.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: A storytelling debacle from start to finish
Review: This movie is about as thought-provoking as a canned ham. Despite a relatively strong cast of actors, the lines are clearly delivered by people who realize they've found themselves smack dab in the biggest storytelling flop I've ever seen. Everything about this movie [is bad]... the acting, the plot, all of it. Even the ending--which could have been imaginative and intriguing--winds up reminding you of the sound a balloon makes when the air's squirting out. I can't imagine any movie containing less enthusiasm than this one.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Agonizingly dull...
Review: I like most movies. I can usually find something good to say about most of them... until now. Oh my gosh! This movie is *so* bad. The dialog is dull, the performances are painful to watch. The actors seem to know what a stinker this movie is. The ending is ridiculous.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Suspense, Science Fiction, and its ending is breath taking!
Review: Mission to Mars brings to life an incredible adventure that will dazzle one to the very end. The first manned mission, lead by Luck Graham, reaches Mars safely, but then the team discovers a catastrophic force of tremendous power, which annihilates the crew. Left with an mysterious message from Graham, NASA decides to lauch a recovery mission to investigate and to bring back any survivors. Gary Sinise and Tim Robbins lead the rescue team to Mars, but come across many dangerous obstacles leading to their destination. Bonded by deep friendship, the team then finally arrives on Mars and finds the answer to one of most questionable enigma's of all time. Intelligent, suspense driven, and fantasy filled can only describe the beginning of this mind-boggling film from Brian De Palma. Mission to Mars is a must see for any fan of science fiction, and/or suspense.


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