`Mission to Mars' – Fanciful Space Odyssey by Homer Yen (c) 2000
If you've ever seen pictures of Mars and have ever wondered about a fuzzy photograph that resembles a face on the Martian surface, this movie has a colossal idea of what it might just be. What the filmmaker presents is probably wacky in real life. But, I remind you that this film is purely science fiction. The whole objective is to take a wild idea and build around it. Do you remember a recent sci-fi film called `Independence Day?' Then, we were asked to make a leap of faith and to believe in the Roswell UFO incident. If we didn't want to open our minds to that, then the movie would have collapsed in a heartbeat. As you may know, however, `Independence Day' shattered records at the box office. So, most of us took that leap of faith. Remember, in science-fiction, there is no limit to the imagination, so everyone is free to dream the impossible dream.
Director Brian DePalma dreams the impossible dream. And the result is `Mission to Mars,' a fun space odyssey set in the year 2020. Did I say fun? Perhaps you've heard all sorts of negative reviews coming in from around the country. Well, I urge you to ignore them and to first ask yourself this question. Did you make that leap of faith in Independence Day? If you did, then take only a slightly larger leap (Martian gravity is less than Earth's, you know?) and you'll find yourself enjoying a cosmic cocktail that's one part rescue mission and one part imagination.
The rescue mission arises because of what happens when Cmdr. Luke Graham (Don Cheadle) and his team arrive on Mars. The team discovers a small mountain that seems to be made out of metal. This has Cmdr. Luke baffled, but when they begin a more intense examination of the area, an unnatural force is unleashed. Luke barely manages to send a weak distress call to the World Space Station orbiting Earth before his transmission is lost.
On board the station is a handful of Luke's closest friends and colleagues whom immediately mobilize to begin a rescue operation. Captained by Woody (Tim Robbins), and supported by a crew of three specialists, they ready themselves for the journey to the Red Planet. The crew members include Jim (Gary Senise), who has obsessed over the secrets that Mars might hold; Terri (Connie Nielsen), a strong-willed woman and wife of Woody; and Phil (Jerry O'Connell), a sharp-witted young scientist. Travel to Mars will take many months and will not be uneventful. In a suspenseful and clever sequence, meteor pellets penetrate the ship's hull, eventually culminating into a catastrophe that makes the `Apollo 13' accident seem like a nosebleed.
The gritty astronauts eventually do make their way to the planet surface and discover some fascinating information. This is where you are asked to make the leap of faith. The remainder of the film moves away from the rescue component and now dabbles with the metaphysical. I had no problems with where the film was going, and to be honest, the experience can be described as a trip to a really cool planetarium where we are given a Discovery Channel-esque presentation. And this is the turning point that every moviegoer will come to. If you can't make the leap, then you'll find this to be a soppy finale. If you can stay the course, then imagination will reward you.
Sure, it could have been much, much more. There could have been better scripts for the characters. The pace of the film could have been more exciting, though it is quite suspenseful. And, some of the concepts could have gone through a reality check. The film also does not chart new frontiers and the ideas may be hokey. But it is a film that establishes good pace, offers great visual effects, and tells a fine fictional tale.
Grade: B
S: 0 V: 1 L: 0
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