Mission to Mars (2000)

Director:

Brian De Palma

Writers (WGA):

Lowell Cannon (story) and
Jim Thomas (story) ...

Release Date:

10 March 2000 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Drama | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

Let There Be Life.

Plot:

When the first manned mission to Mars meets with a catastrophic and mysterious disaster, a rescue mission is launched to investigate the tragedy and bring back any survivors.

Plot Keywords:

Blood | Based On Theme Park Attraction | Long Take | Dust Storm | Loss Of Husband

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Gary Sinise	...	Jim McConnell
Tim Robbins	...	Woodrow 'Woody' Blake
Don Cheadle	...	Luke Graham
Connie Nielsen	...	Terri Fisher
Jerry O'Connell	...	Phil Ohlmyer
Peter Outerbridge	...	Sergei Kirov
Kavan Smith	...	Nicholas Willis
Jill Teed	...	Reneé Coté
Elise Neal	...	Debra Graham
Kim Delaney	...	Maggie McConnell
Marilyn Norry	...	Louise
Freda Perry	...	NASA Wife
Lynda Boyd	...	NASA Wife
Patricia Harras	...	NASA Wife
Robert Bailey Jr.	...	Bobby Graham

Also Known As:

M2M (USA) (promotional abbreviation)

Runtime:

114 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS-ES | Dolby Digital EX | SDDS

Certification:

Malaysia:U | Brazil:14 | Iceland:L | Canada:PG (Ontario) | Iceland:LH (video rating) | South Korea:All | Australia:M | Finland:K-12/9 | France:U | Germany:12 | Hong Kong:IIA | Mexico:B | Netherlands:12 | New Zealand:M | Norway:11 | Singapore:PG | Sweden:11 | Switzerland:7 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Vaud) | UK:PG | USA:PG | Philippines:G

Filming Locations:

Jordan

Company:

International Traders

Trivia:

Gary Sinise plays an astronaut who's rejected for the mission but who steps in to save the day when the going gets tough -- exactly like his character in Apollo 13 (1995).

Goofs:

Factual errors: Since Mars Recovery never went into orbit, the Re-supply Module would be moving several kilometers per second in relation to the astronauts. This speed would be unobtainable using suit thrusters.

Quotes:

Woody Blake: Some couples dance, others go to Mars.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004)

Soundtrack:

Dance The Night Away

A Visually Stunning and Vastly Underrated Film

Visually, "Mission to Mars" is stunning. Nobody tells a story better with pictures than De Palma. The scenic design and photography kept me riveted to every frame. On the recommendation of a friend, I watched the movie in widescreen on DVD using a high resolution monitor. The visuals are so important that I cannot imagine watching a pick and scan version on a conventional TV set. Too much would be lost that way.

The scene, early in the movie, where one of the Mars astronauts gets blown up made me levitate. Also, I though Tim Robbins' and Connie Nielsen's weightless dance in the spaceship on the way to Mars was lovely. The scene with the startling all white surroundings that the astronauts faced in the "faceship" (to coin a phrase) was also well done.

I thought the performances were uniformly excellent. That fact and the wonderful visuals overcame sometimes excruciatingly bad dialogue so that it did not really detract from my enjoyment of the film. That being said, though, I loved the exchange where it was observed by one character that the mere three per-cent difference between the genetic makeup of men and apes "gave us Einstein, Mozart" and a second character adds, "Jack the Ripper."

Some reviewers complained about the similarity of the film to "2001," but that is exactly what De Palma had in mind, I think. "Mission to Mars" pays homage to every sci-fi cartoon and movie ever made, from Buck Rogers to "Close Encounters," and does it well. Anyway, De Palma proved to me again that he really does march to his own drummer. I was hugely entertained and highly recommend this film -- but only if you watch it in widescreen on DVD or, better still, in a theater. Eight out of ten.