Red Planet Blu-ray Review

The year 2000 saw the release of two Mars-themed feature films - this one, directed by Antony Hoffman, and "Mission to Mars," directed by Brian DePalma. Though neither is regarded very highly, "Red Planet" manages to rank lower on Rotten Tomatoes, coming in at a measly 13% (though both films only get a "34" on Metacritic). While this seems unnecessarily harsh, there's no denying Hoffman's effort has problems.

The Feature: 2.5/5

By the year 2025 the Earth's resources are so depleted that its inhabitants begin looking elsewhere for a new home. Unmanned terraforming units are sent to Mars with oxygen-producing algae, and after 20 year's time the Red Planet's atmosphere looks to be habitable for colonization. But then oxygen levels begin to inexplicably drop, necessitating a manned mission to investigate and continue the relocation efforts. On the team are Commander Kate Bowman (Carrie-Anne Moss), co-pilot Lt. Ted Santen (Benjamin Bratt), science officer Bud Chantilas (Terence Stamp), systems specialist Robby Gallagher (Val Kilmer), bioengineer Quinn Burchenal (Tom Sizemore), terraforming scientist Chip Pettengill (Simon Baker), and an advanced robotic unit equally adept at navigation and combat functions named AMEE.

Over the six-month journey to Mars, the human members of the team form a reasonable working relationship, but the bonds get tested when an unexpected solar flare wreaks havoc with their attempt to land on the planet. Bowman winds up staying on the main vessel to regain control of its systems, while the rest of the crew must make an impromptu - and less than graceful - descent to the surface. With no way to communicate with Bowman, and their oxygen supply steadily depleting, the men must find a way to survive the unforgiving Martian environment and make it back to the orbiting ship. Complicating matters is a malfunctioning AMEE, now operating in military mode with designs to hunt down and kill each of them. Meanwhile the reasons behind the terraforming effort's apparent failure becomes clear, though the odds of the crew sharing the discovery worsen with each passing moment they remain stranded on the planet.

The year 2000 saw the release of two Mars-themed feature films - this one, directed by Antony Hoffman, and "Mission to Mars," directed by Brian DePalma. Though neither is regarded very highly, "Red Planet" manages to rank lower on Rotten Tomatoes, coming in at a measly 13% (though both films only get a "34" on Metacritic). While this seems unnecessarily harsh, there's no denying Hoffman's effort has problems, the first of which is the dreaded expositional voice over, outdoing even "Blade Runner's" for apathy in delivery. The rest of the film is an amalgamation of well-worn science fiction / action-adventure elements - an evolutionary-biological mystery in need of solving; a mission that goes horribly awry; an out-of-control, homicidal robot; the psychological unraveling of the team as it fights for survival...Nothing is necessarily wrong with any of the scenarios, but the script could have done without at least one of them, my vote being the killer robot. Its inclusion proves to be a pedestrian distraction in a film that otherwise tries to say some thoughtful things about science and creation, but never gets the chance to say it properly. Coupled with the awkward opening and closing voice overs, it's pretty clear "Red Planet" fell victim to some kind of studio tampering that called for more "clarity" and action. Though the film still has some compelling and well-staged elements, they're admittedly difficult to recognize amidst the glaring problems, and the attempt to balance all the competing conflicts ultimately proves more than the filmmakers are able to handle.
 

Video Quality: 4/5

Audio Quality: 4.5/5

Special Features: 2/5

Deleted Scenes (14:22, SD) consist mostly of extended versions of scenes in the film, though "Fight" casts a character in a very different light.

• Santen and Chantilas (1:01)
• Green House (1:13)
• Bacon and Wife (5:01)
• Fight (2:24)
• AMEE Jams H.H.C.'s (:36)
• Kiss Flashback (1:55)
• Potato Scene (:42)
• Ice Cave (1:42)

Theatrical Trailer (1:38, SD)

Recap

The Feature: 2.5/5
Video Quality: 4/5
Audio Quality: 4.5/5
Special Features: 2/5
Overall Score (not an average): 3/5

Warner Home Video turns in a fine presentation for an otherwise problematic "mission to Mars" film. There isn't much to the special features, though that's not entirely surprising given the critical and audience reception.

Sounds like I should have created a poll for this one!