- Joined
- Jul 3, 1997
- Messages
- 66,774
- Real Name
- Ronald Epstein
What can I say? I love 3D! From the moment I began watching 3D content in my home I quickly discovered that I needed more content. I suspect that those of you just purchasing your first 3D hardware will acquire the same ferocious appetite. That's why I became the HTF 3D ADDICT. I personally love images that pop off the screen and come inches away from your face without becoming overly gimmicky. However, I certainly appreciate the nature documentaries that offer beautiful depth and separation. These are not necessarily reviews of the film themselves. I am not going to concentrate on story or supplements -- you can find the 2D reviews elsewhere on this forum. My job is to let you know exactly what kind of 3D experience to expect from the titles that are being released. As I will be receiving a handful of new product from the studios expect to see more title coverage.
MARS NEEDS MOMS
Studio: Walt Disney
Product Release: August 9, 2011
Ratio: 2.40:1
Audio: 7.1 DTS-HD MA; French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital
Running Time: 88 Minutes
Rating: PG
ON A SCALE 0-5
Overall 3D Presentation Rating: 3
3D Separation: 3
3D In Yo' Face Factor: 2
With the studios still deciding whether to fully embrace the
3D format or not, these past few months have been barren
of any substantially appealing new product. Thank goodness
for Walt Disney. Here is a studio that has fully embraced the
3D format, releasing not only all their 3D theatrical fare to
Blu-ray, but also is in the process of upconverting classics
such as The Lion King and Beauty and the Beast. This is
a studio that puts a considerable amount of care into their
product and to date, I don't think I have been disappointed
with the value of owning a Disney 3D Blu-ray release.
All that being said, I must admit that I am really struggling with
my feelings for Mars Needs Moms, which seems to be one of
the dullest efforts out of the Robert Zemeckis animation camp
to date despite its high-tech animation.
The story centers around young Milo (Seth Green/Seth Dusky),
a selfish 9 year-old boy who feels as if he is being constantly nagged
by his loving, patient mother (Joan Cusack). Milo is about to
learn a big lesson about hurting his mother with harsh words when
she is suddenly abducted by aliens fom another planet.
You see, the martians have been spying on human moms for
quite some time as it is those fine motherly qualities have become
their focal point. For once on Mars, we come find to find the
abductors plan to steal the mother's memories in order to program
"nanny bots" who have become the planet child-rearers while the women
martians run the planet. Now motherless and abandoned, Milo seeks
the help of the only other human colonist on the planet, a portly, obnoxious
geek named Gribble (Dan Fogler) who quickly hatches a scheme to free
infultrate the martian city and rescue the boy's mother.
Mars Needs Moms comes from ImageMovers, the animation
studio that Robert Zemeckis founded which was responsible
for bringing groundbreaking capture-motion technology to films
such as The Polar Express and A Christmas Carol. In many
ways the technology has been greatly advanced as the characters
of Milo and Gribble look so incredibly human that sometimes it
becomes easy to forget you are watching animation. However,
for some odd reason, the Mother looks eerily out of place, more
limp than the other characters, as if the animators were running
low on budget and concentrated all their efforts into the starring roles.
The film's production design has a very hi-tech look to it, thanks to
the the bewildering and electrifying martian city with its complex
and stylish labyrinth layout that look like something out of a Kubrick
film. Unfortunately, the visuals are the only thing of real interest
here as the film suffers from being a little too long, a little too preachy
and practically void of any of the humor or charm one would expect
from a Disney film.
The 3D effects are mostly "adequate," but I am afraid in times
where studios should really be convincing the public that there is
real worth in charging higher tickets prices for this technology, there
ought to be more of a payoff for the audience.
The biggest problem I found with Mars Needs Moms in 3D is that
the film mostly takes place within the darkness of the planet landscape.
I have talked about this many times in my reviews but it definately needs
to be repeated here. It's my opinion that dimly lit scenes somewhat
minimize the the overall 3D effect. Additionally, dark scenes generally
introduce ghosting issues, which fortunately are very minimal here.
When the screen is vibrant with lighting, such as scenes inside the
martian city, there is a much greater sense of separation of foreground
and background, though it never gets to the level of looking like cardboard
cutouts, which is generally my degree of preference. There is an absence
of any objects being thrown towards the reviewer, though animated props
such as guns and laser needles seem to protrude the screen from time
to time. There's also a very nice "shattering" effect that happens towards
the end of the film that offers interesting 3D effect.
Here's where things really get good....
At the top of this review I talked about the care that Disney puts into
their Blu-ray product. We all know that their Blu-ray titles come with
a price premium, but at the same time, there is always a level of confidence
that the product will be first-rate. That tradition continues with Mars
Needs Moms -- for here lies a transfer that packs a first-rate visual
and sonic experience.
Let's begin with a picture that is as amazingly sharp and detailed as one
would expect from a digitally animated transfer. Colors seem perfectly
in line here with nice black levels. The film seems to lack a lot of color
in many of the scenes involving the martian landscape which is mostly
dark and drab. However, later the film moves to scenes that display a
beautiful array of psychedelic colors that looks visually impressive.
The film's 7.1 DTS-MA audio is something to behold even when
downconverted to 5.1 on my system. This is a real powerhouse
presentation with booming fidelity. All my speakers were actively
engaged throughout as I was immersed in an abundance of directional
voices and effects. Despite the amount of surrounding noise activity,
dialogue remained well grounded. The most impressive aspect of this
soundtrack is the booming LFE. The bass response is through the roof
here, enabling the viewers to feel the movie beneath their feet.
The 4-disc 3D Blu-ray combo pack features alternate and deleted scenes,
an extended opening and a full-motion capture experience with audio
commentary. Those are exclusive to the Blu-ray copies. The included
DVD feature supplements adds a Martian 101 language lesson and a featurette
showcasing the on-set antics of Seth Green and Dan Fogler. There is also
a digital copy of the film included here.
CONCLUSION
Mars Needs Moms was a financial disaster for the Disney studio. It
cost $150 million to make and raked in only $6.9 million domestically.
The motion capture technology was not well received by audiences even
in early screenings.
I mention all of this because even as I viewed this film, I felt somewhat
emotionally unattached to its story despite what I felt was amazing
animation. The 3D was overall just average. For the approx. $8 price
difference between the 2D and 3D versions I suppose that I would
recommend the upgrade. However, I would not advise anyone to buy
this title blindly without having seen it first.
Images are for illustrative purpose only not representative of the picture quality of this disc.
Equipment
LG 60PX950 THX Certified 3D display
Oppo BDP-93 3D Blu-ray Player
Denon 3311CI Receiver
Atlantic Technology H-PAS AT-1 fronts, 4400 center; 4200 rear speakers
SV Sound Subwoofer
