In the early twenty first century, the Earth has become so
polluted that the planet is deemed unsalvageable. With the human race facing
extinction, a program is launched to colonize Mars. Using robotic probes, algae
are seeded on the red planet in an attempt to create a breathable atmosphere.
The seeding program is initially a huge success, and prospects for the future
colonization of Mars look extremely promising--until the algae begins to
mysteriously die off. In 2056, a space ship named Mars-1, under the command of
Navy Commander Kate Bowman (the ever-dependable Carrie-Anne Moss), is sent to
the red planet to investigate why the algae is dying off and try and find a
way to fix it. Along for the ride are Lt. Ted Santen (Benjamin Bratt), Bowman's
overconfident second in command; Dr. Quinn Burchenal (Tom Sizemore), a scientist
specializing in the algae, Chip Pettengill (Simon Baker), a last minute
replacement for an original crewmember; Dr. Bud Chantilas (Terrence Stamp), the
Chief Medical Officer with a love of philosophy, and Robby Gallagher (Val
Kilmer, in an understated performance), the ship's maintenance engineer who is
often jokingly referred to as the janitor by the rest of the crew. With the clock
ticking for the human race, this mission needs to succeed at all cost. And
of course, everything goes straight to hell the moment they arrive at Mars.
Hit by a powerful solar flare, Mars-1 is devastated to the point where it must
be immediately evacuated. The entire crew drops down to the surface of Mars
while Commander Bowman remains aboard in an effort to save the ship, which is
stricken all over with plasma fires. Yet once they reach the surface,
the men have their own problems. The surface habitat--built in advance of their
mission and containing several months' supply of food, water and air--is
discovered having been utterly destroyed, with all of their supplies gone. With their air due to
run out in minutes, and with Bowman barely able to help herself aboard Mars-1,
let alone rescue them, Gallagher and the surface team face a dire end on the
barren red planet. And at this point, we're only a third of the way into the
film!
Red Planet manages to be a thrilling ride while avoiding most of the usual
science fiction clichés. It effectively keeps your interest as it cuts between
the struggle of the men to stay alive on the surface of Mars, and the seemingly
insurmountable battle that Carrie Anne-Moss' character single-handedly wages to
keep the Mars-1 space ship in one piece. The major stumbling block of the film
(and the only reason I didn't give it five stars) is AMEE, a robot probe that is
attached to the Mars-1 mission. AMEE is a robot scout that is on loan from the
United States Marine Corps. Once everything goes haywire, so does AMEE; the
damage she suffers causes her to revert back to her original hunter/killer
program, and she stalks the survivors across the surface of Mars. Not only does
this not make any sense (wouldn't a mission this important warrant the building
of its own robot probe? Or, at the very least, completely overhaul AMEE so that
such a fatal glitch could not happen at all--apparently her designers completely
ignored Isaac Asimov's The Three Laws Of Robotics). The AMEE subplot feels
tacked on, as if some Hollywood Suit insisted that the film needed a villain for
the audience to hiss. Still, the superb performances from the great cast, along
with the fact that, overall, this is a real departure from the standard SF fare
that Hollywood produces, makes Red Planet an entertaining film.
As far as special features are concerned, the DVD only has deleted scenes and
cast and director Career Highlights to offer. Still, despite the flimsy features,
Red Planet is still very enjoyable as a film, and well worth your time. If
you're looking for a slightly more realistic science fiction story (AMEE
notwithstanding) take a trip aboard Mars-1 to the Red Planet. --SF
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