| Written by QBrick,
on 07-08-2000 08:00
|
Published in : Reviews, Movies |
The director, South African born Anthony Hoffman comes to the job as a refugee from commercials. That background serves him well because RED PLANET is a good looking, well cast and handsomely produced film that will inevitably will be compared to this past summer's MISSION TO MARS. It's got a little more grit than the latter but it also looks and feels like a refitted PITCH BLACK with elements of 2001 A SPACE ODYSSEY tacked on for good measure. I wish I could say that I enjoyed my trip to the RED PLANET but I was truly disappointed.
 Plot wise, there are few surprises.The Earth of 2050 is dying and we need a new home. In the movie's backstory, Mars might prove habitable and has been seeded with plant life that could build up it's atmosphere to a breathable level. But the experiment seems to be in vain. A team of astronauts is dispatched to Mars to find out why the efforts to terra form the planet are failing. After crash-landing, the crew must make their way to a habitat unit and battle a deranged robot to survive. Haven't we been to this part of the movie solar system before?
On the way to Mars, we get acquainted with the crew through lots of expository dialogue. These discourses are also clumsy attempts to inject profound themes about God and our place in the scheme of things. I admire the film makers for attempting to tackle some lofty subject matter. But you don't elevate the plot line by simply making one of the characters a philosopher. That unenviable task is shouldered clumsily by Terence Stamp as Chantilas. I guess he's supposed to be the film's soulful center. Mind you, Stamp is a wonderful actor but doesn't evoke much warmth or sympathy. Hey, this is The Limey and I kept expecting him to freak and start waving around a 9mm.
Carrie-Ann Moss is Bowman, the commander of the mission. Ms. Moss is basically doing another riff on Ripley from ALIENS. Her no-bullshit take on the part doesn't offer any surprises, however, a fleeting shower scene confirms that her Matrix is nicely put together.
Val Kilmer as Gallagher is the mission's maintenance guy. That pretty well describes his character's purpose in the plot. With all his impressive theater background, one has to wonder why Kilmer can't read a script like RED PLANET and see trouble ahead. Maybe he had a balloon payment on his house.
The balance of the cast are wonderful actors like Tom Sizemore, Benjamin Bratt and Simon Baker. All have done solid work in previous films but their presence in RED PLANET will not be the most impressive title on their resumes.
I hate to see all that money thrown at the screen for nothing...I'm old enough to remember George Pal's CONQUEST OF SPACE. It was one of Hollywood's earliest attempts to land a crew on Mars and bring 'em back alive. That was 1955 and I don't think our celluloid space program has gotten much better. Film makers have never tackled the subject matter with much finesse or intelligence. Somebody needs to re-make Ray Bradbury's MARTIAN CHRONICLES. That's the RED PLANET we need to visit.
- 'Qbrick'
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