RED PLANET
Reviewed by: Max - SimplyScripts Reviewer
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Director: Antony Hoffman
Writers: Chuck Pfarrer and Jonathan Lemkin
Starring: Val Kilmer as Gallagher
Carrie-Anne Moss as Bowman
Tom Sizemore as Dr. Burchenal
Grade: B+
I've always been real fascinated by Mars. I don't know why. It's probably because of all the stories I've heard about it. I love films that explore that planet. Now, when you take a film about a trip to Mars and fill it up with action, suspense, and a little bit of horror, you get a pretty good and cheesy sci-fi film. That's exactly what "Red Planet" is.
It takes place in the year 2025. The Earth has polluted itself so badly that it's almost completely dead. So scientists have sent algae to Mars to create air so they can move everyone on Earth to there. Then one day the algae disappears and the air begins to evaporate right off the planet. So six astronauts are sent on a six month trip to Mars to see what is going on. We're introduced to a Robot named Ammie. A pretty cool looking robot that can do about anything. Very cool! Just when they're above Mars something terrible goes wrong and the four men astronauts get sent down to the planet and Bowman is left on the ship to stay. The five men get to the planet and discover that their Mars House (a large place sent down to Mars where they can eat and sleep, and also has air) has been completely destroyed, ripped to shreds. The team barely have no air left in their tanks and are about to die when Gallagher takes off his helmet and discovers there is air. Later that night, they find their robot Ammie. It has been damaged so they have to destroy it. Ammie doesn't really approve of this and goes into "Military Mode" which means to kill anything in site. The men have to band together to fight Ammie, killer bugs, and get home alive before all of them die.
"Mission to Mars" came out soon before this and left me disappointed. Then I watched this and I felt a lot more happy. A film about Mars hasn't been made for a while and I was really looking forward to this one. This film reminded me of those cheesy 1950's sci-fi films. A little far-fetched and fun at the same time. The acting was great. Val Kilmer gave a real good and funny performance. I got to say that I absolutely love this man. Carrie-Anne Moss (probably one of the hottest women in Hollywood today) also gives a pretty good performance. I wish she would have been on Mars though instead of being in that ship the whole freaking movie. I also love the plot of the film. Who wouldn't want to watch a bunch of men on Mars being chased by a giant robot, with Carrie-Anne Moss wearing a very tight the shirt the whole movie? The thing I didn't like was that people were killed off to fast to even care that they died. Plus, the dialogue was a little cheesy and I like the bugs but I still could have done without him. Not a great movie but good to watch with a bunch of friends with a bowl full of popcorn.
copyright (c) 2003 Max Colston, used with permission
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