May 04, 2003 07:30 PM
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(Updated May 04, 2003 07:31 PM)
Is there life out there? Is Earth a unique freak of creation, the only planet capable of sustaining life? Are we being watched by “Someone else”? Should we expect visits from creepy aliens? What if the alien civilization in space is a few hundred years advanced than our civilization? Are we in danger then? These questions have been in the human mind for centuries but this phenomenon (UFOlogy) has gained popularity only in the second half of the 20th Century. But if the search for “who” or “what” is “out there” leads us to rediscover our ability, that would be the most profound discovery of all (Don’t you think so?)…….But I would still like to know “Are we alone”?
Movie Review of “Mission to Mars”
~~~The Cast~~~
Gary Siniseplays the character of traumatized widower Jim McConnell (Co-pilot of the space ship)…
Tim Robbins is Woody Blake (Commander of the mission)
Don Cheadleplays the character of substitute astronaut Luke Graham
Jerry O'Connell is Phil Ohlmyer (The only Scientist in the group) &
Connie Nielsen is Dr. Terri Fisher……….
~~~The Plot~~~
In 2020, NASA (Who else!!) successfully lands a team of astronauts on Mars. But their arrival on the Martian surface is marked with mysterious & bizarre incidents, which ruins the entire mission. However, Mission commander Luke Graham (Don Cheadle) manages to send some cryptic messages back to Earth before he & his entire crew vanishes in alien land. On studying the cryptic messages NASA decides to send a rescue team to Mars to bring back survivors & also to collect more data about the strange occurrence.
Jim McConnell (Gary Sinise), Woody Blake (Tim Robbins), Dr Terri Fisher (Connie Nielsen) & Phil Ohlmver (Jerry O’Connell) are sent by NASA as a rescue team to Mars to bring back the survivors. (The film includes more than 500 special-effects shots & features such gizmos as giant Space Craft, International Space Station & weird Martian terrains).
As expected, the rescue squad ends up in a life-threatening situation while entering the planet’s orbit. Mission Commander Woody Blake manages to bail his crew out of the perilous circumstances, but not without sacrificing his own life. After some initial difficulty Jim McConnell & the others safely reaches their base camp on the Martian surface. There they make some staggering discoveries which completely changes the traditional belief about our universe (I’ve mentioned it before, but here it is again: the special effects in this film is truly breathtaking…the best I’ve seen in a sci-fi flick …Every scene clicked!!)…….
~~~Direction~~~
The true star of this film is director Brian De Palma. And if you seen Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Contact & The Abyss, then you basically know the plot line of Mission to Mars. But even then to his credit as a decent director, Brian De Palma knows how to create tension & trepidation without spoiling the entire plot. And the non-stop action is guaranteed to keep you glued to the screen, except when you're cringing behind your hand J
I couldn’t understand one thing about the film though. The astronauts are shown removing their helmets after landing on the Martian surface (Am confused!!). I seriously doubt the astronauts will remove their helmets under any circumstances, no matter how seemingly benign. And the ending was even more absurd than this little mistake… Exactly like most sci-fi flick (Remember “Signs”!!)
~~~Acting~~~
It's probably not really correct to judge acting in a film like Mission to Mars but Jerry O'Connell & Connie Nielsen played their part as the co-commanders perfectly. By contrast, Gary Sinise looked ridiculous as the traumatized widower Jim McConnell. Not even the die-hard Sinise’s fans are going to find anything redeeming about his performance in this film. One also has to wonder what a talented actor like Tim Robbins was thinking when he said yes to this project…He was completely wasted as Woody Blake. The rest of the cast wasn’t esthetically pleasing to look at--but pretty people don't necessarily make a good film (Or do they?).
~~~Conclusion~~~
There is nothing similar between Star Wars, X files & Mission to Mars because Mission to Mars allows human warmth to pervade the drama, without sacrificing the potential for a Sci-fi movie. Mission to Mars has many disturbing & upsetting scenes, yet, Brian De Palma manages to explain the evolution of life & the determination along with the desire of a human mind to search for extra terrestrial life form, in his own innovative style. But then again, brainy sci-fi doesn’t always play well with the viewers (See A.I!!). Overall, you might want to check out this film because understanding the true course of evolution through this movie is far more simple than reading any of Darwin’s book on evolution.
Hey!!! I still want to know, ''Are we alone''?”………………
