So says the female scientist aboard a risky flight to Mars of all places, 58 years later still pretty unknown in spite of all the things that have been discovered. I wish other scientists had that sentiment and left the fantasy of what is there to the movies, of which this is one of the better ones. It's not just the ethical sentiment that I share with the pretty redhead; it's just a darn good movie that instantly grabs you, setting the mood with all the right elements!
The story starts with the launching, and switches to the return of the rocket. As fast as it is back, the audience is back on the ship, and thanks to pretty Nora Hayden (the reddest of redheads), we learn what transpired. There's mystery, romance, humor, science, adventure and obviously danger, tightly mixed together in a very fast moving 85 minutes. It's a living nightmare for Hayden who must relive what she witnessed, and there's no fun loving, fast killing little green men going around to destroy the earth. Even with the humor, this is not a comedy, and not even unintentionally funny, although a few times I managed to suppress a few giggles, especially English speaking message from whatever inhabits the unseen elements of the angry red planet.
With Gerald Mohr as the dashing captain, Jack Kruschen as the comic book loving crew member and Les Tremayne as the brilliant professor on board, Hayden is surrounded by a too notch cast. The planet does indeed turn red when the earthlings explore it, a great effect they perfectly adds to the mood. Yes, the set often looks like a painted background, and there's an abundance of scary looking monsters and a futuristic city that looks like architecture of today. But I really got spooked by a flesh eating giant plant, a giant six legged creature that appears to be part arachnid/part rodent, and a giant sea creature the size of a steam-liner. They come out of nowhere, and it's better not to see stills of the film to build up suspense.
The dreamlike memories of what Hayden experienced gives this psychological brilliance in telling the story. Along with only a handful of others, this has to be one of the best written science fiction films, reminding me that on occasion, they could really be profound. Of course, some of the moments may seem silly to some, but they really got me surprised by the constant suspense. I've seen many of these films that left me either angry or red, but this is practically brilliant in every way.
The story starts with the launching, and switches to the return of the rocket. As fast as it is back, the audience is back on the ship, and thanks to pretty Nora Hayden (the reddest of redheads), we learn what transpired. There's mystery, romance, humor, science, adventure and obviously danger, tightly mixed together in a very fast moving 85 minutes. It's a living nightmare for Hayden who must relive what she witnessed, and there's no fun loving, fast killing little green men going around to destroy the earth. Even with the humor, this is not a comedy, and not even unintentionally funny, although a few times I managed to suppress a few giggles, especially English speaking message from whatever inhabits the unseen elements of the angry red planet.
With Gerald Mohr as the dashing captain, Jack Kruschen as the comic book loving crew member and Les Tremayne as the brilliant professor on board, Hayden is surrounded by a too notch cast. The planet does indeed turn red when the earthlings explore it, a great effect they perfectly adds to the mood. Yes, the set often looks like a painted background, and there's an abundance of scary looking monsters and a futuristic city that looks like architecture of today. But I really got spooked by a flesh eating giant plant, a giant six legged creature that appears to be part arachnid/part rodent, and a giant sea creature the size of a steam-liner. They come out of nowhere, and it's better not to see stills of the film to build up suspense.
The dreamlike memories of what Hayden experienced gives this psychological brilliance in telling the story. Along with only a handful of others, this has to be one of the best written science fiction films, reminding me that on occasion, they could really be profound. Of course, some of the moments may seem silly to some, but they really got me surprised by the constant suspense. I've seen many of these films that left me either angry or red, but this is practically brilliant in every way.