Mission to Mars 4 Stars (Out of 4) Reviewed by Mac VerStandig critic@moviereviews.org http://www.moviereviews.org March 8, 2000 USA Release Date - March 10, 2000
---A copy of this review can be found at http://www.moviereviews.org/mission_to_mars.htm ---
Mission to Mars is, simply put, an instant popcorn classic. It is a movie to be seen by the masses over and over; the type of production that will be applauded by audiences everywhere despite critics' reviews and re-released every so often in order for each generation to take in its full big-screen glory.
It's not a new idea - intelligent life elsewhere. Neither is a rescue mission into the dark realms of space nor a patriotic mid-film moment when an American flag is hoisted into alien soil. Actually, very little in Mission to Mars is original at all. It is the combination of these grandiose sci-fi ideas, some of the most mystifying special effects ever produced, and Brian DePalma's ability to mix what previous directors Stanley Kubrick and Steven Spielberg offered with his own awesome visions, that make this movie so utterly amazing.
First, credit the film for not wasting anytime getting started. The only scene in the entire production that takes place on earth is the obligatory opening where the heroes bid their families tearful good-byes. The next setting: Mars, an unlucky 13 months later. Within moments of the four crewmembers landing, a force like none other sweeps them off their feet and tears their puny bodies into thousands of pieces (and yes, the holier-than-now MPAA rated this movie PG!). But the leader, Luc Goddard (Don Cheadle of Boogie Nights fame), transmits an SOS signal following the chaotic fiasco - suggesting that he might still be alive. Soon a rescue mission is underway.
So what happened on the red planet? Well, I don't like to give too much away, but I will share that the folks over at Disney (Touchstone) assigned the following tagline to the film: `For centuries we've searched for the origin of human life on Earth. . .We've been looking on the wrong planet.'
There are plenty of cheesy moments that will give the overly cynical a reason to chuckle; they won't laugh with the movie, but rather at it. However, those moments are necessary – this is a true epic. The movie wouldn 't be nearly as powerful, nor as enjoyable, without the hokey romance, last second saves or dramatic connect-the-dots conclusions.
Perhaps you will see this film and find yourself among its critics. Perhaps you will snicker with your friends at the overly cheesy moments. Perhaps you will dismiss its likely huge box office income as being akin to that of Titanic. Fine. But I challenge you to wake up the next morning and tell me that you weren't mystified as you lay in bed that night or that this film hasn't changed the way you look at the stars.
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