Red Planet (2000)

A Good Sunday Afternoon Movie

I just saw this for the first time on HBO and I found it a pretty decent movie. I remember wanting to see it when it came out eight years ago but the bad reviews kept me away. I think it ages well though. It is extremely light weight entertainment which makes it fit for a Sunday afternoon baseball rain delay. When I was a boy the local station showed the movie Robinson Crusoe on Mars on Saturday and Sunday for what seemed like every weekend of my youth, and I watched it every time. This movie reminded me a lot of that. It's kind of silly with a aspirations toward hard science fiction but with questionable reality. The acting helps sell the more unbelievable aspects. Everyone sets just the right tone even Val Kilmer, who can sometimes over do it. The special effects were pretty stunning but tasteful and reminded me of 2001: A Space Odyssey in some respects. I think I could see myself as a child watching this every Saturday and Sunday. June 1, 2008

My spleen is ruptured.

The Red Planet DVD

The Red Planet is a science fiction movie based on the premise that mankind has polluted earth so much humans have to relocate to another planet. Mars seems handy. Cdr. Bowman (Carrie-Anne Moss) leads an expedition to test Mars sustainability as Humankind's new home. Val Kilmer, also stars.

All-in-all a pretty good science fiction film. I recommend it. Recommended for fans of Science Fiction, Carrie-Anne Moss, and Val Kilmer. I thought it appropriate to post this today, since there is a real Mars Landing scheduled for today at 7:00 P. M. Nice of NASA to schedule it for "Prime Time"

Gunner May, 2008

May 25, 2008

Well done

This is a good sci-fi for anyone with a love for Mars. Yes, it may be a bit far fetched...but isn't that the whole idea behind sci-fi? The characaters could have been developed more, but overall I thought the casting was done well.

A bit rushed towards the mid-end, but then the ending makes up for the rush. May 23, 2008

Better than average sci-fi fare

Red Planet has flaws (many of the plot twists are fairly predictable, some of the science is screwy), but overall is a pretty good value pick. Kilmer's wise-cracking "space janitor" is a character we can care about, Sizemore provides good counterpoint, and Moss is an eyeful. The problem-solving aspects of the plot lift it above the morass of most sci-fi; the characters actually use math and old Mars probes to try and save themselves, and ANY movie that features realistic, scientific approaches to solving problems is OK in my book. I teach science in a public high school, and actually use some clips from the movie to illustrate problem solving. This is not high-art science fiction, but neither is it campy or schlocky; Red Planet has some intelligence and wit, which makes it pretty good in my book. May 9, 2008

It has some good moments and good special effects.

It has some good moments and good special effects.

It's worth watching once. February 24, 2008

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