You might think it strange that I started out this review with the above, seemingly out-of-place, remarks. But you won't after you've seen M2M. Notice that the title is Mission to Mars with the emphasis on TO, as in getting there is half the fun and three quarters of the movie. This film tries really, really hard to entertain (and it does) but it tries even harder to be great. And at that it falls just short.

      Every year it seems Hollywood attaches itself to a theme that will appear in more than one movie, Asteroids, Alien invasions, seeing dead people, making bad comedies, lame sequels, you've seen the trend. This year it looks like going to Mars is the winner, with Angry Red Planet due out later in the summer months. Mission to Mars has the distinction of being first on the horizon, featuring a great cast of mostly male characters (and with a half plausible reason for getting female characters involved, ie: having them married to another astronaut.) and a pretty respectable, tried and true science fiction theme thats been done in novels and short stories, but not in film. At least not to my knowledge.

      Director Brian De Palma (Snake Eyes, Bonfire of the Vanities, Body Double, Mission Impossible) presents us with a story about people, astronauts in particular, who have formed a close knit group of friends both professionally and personally. Some of these friends get to go on the first Mars landing mission and some don't. Already friction is in the air. Brian does a good job in letting us get to know these characters, but several major problems start to rear there ugly heads early on in the film. For one thing it seems perfectly clear that Tim Robbins character Woody (ala Toy Story) Blake is going on the first mission. But suddenly he and his wife, played rather strangely by Connie Nielson, are getting romantic aboard a space station in Earth orbit? Sorry, I missed that one. And I was paying attention.

      Just a small aside. Early in the movie Gary Sinise's character Jim McConnell (who really isn't going on the first mission, cause his wife died and NASA is a bunch of cold-hearted bastards) says good-bye to his good friend Luke (spelled Luc), played extremely well by Don Cheadle (who IS going on the first mission). Watch for it, cause as Luke (damn the French) is walking away Jim says, "Luke!" And Luke turns, the camera pauses and I seriously thought Jim was gonna say, "May the Force be with you." Now back to the review thing.

      The above romantic interlude, which by itself is a good thing in a science fiction movie which are so often lacking in human emotions, happens right after a catastrophic disaster virtually destroys the first Mission to Mars. And this brings up the only really major flaw with Mission to Mars. The editing. Throughout this movie the editing keeps the pace slow and pedantic when often it needs a quick punch in the gut. In one particularly drawn-out sequence we watch in increasingly frustrated annoyance as one of the astronauts (I'm trying hard not to spoil anything) is slowly, slowly, slowly put to death. We know this is coming, heck we know it long before the characters themselves know it. But the sequence runs too long. In the overall scheme of things however, this is a small shortcoming. And now the review kicks into high gear.

      Mission to Mars is as smart, intelligent and well-meaning a movie as you are likely to see this year. It is, after a long dry spell, a really good science fiction movie. It is what fans of science fiction have always complained about not getting in film, a story that stays true to its vision, builds strong characters and strong relationships (because despite the publics general feelings, science fiction is NOT just about ships, aliens and lasers, it is also about human relationships and our place in the Universe.), has really cool, well placed special effects and presents us with a solid idea played out to its final, often confusing, ending. Because Mission to Mars is NOT full of slavering, slobbering aliens chasing people around the craters of Mars, it may very well not play well among its intended audience. And that is going to be a real shame.

      Despite its flaws, and they are several, Mission to Mars delivers on it's promise. If you can stick with it through the rough spots you will be rewarded with many wonderful moments. Moments that will make you seriously think about what it means to be human, of our place in the Universe and our bewildering drive to explore the next frontier, no matter the cost. Irregardless of the plausibility of its ending premise, M2M presents it in a way that is true to the internal vision set forth within itself. And in that context it works beautifully. Several times you will be on the edge of your seat, and several times the effects are going to make you go wow (despite the similarity to The Abyss, you'll see) but mostly this movie entertains slowly and carefully. That isn't something we've grown accustomed to from science fiction movies, and isn't that a sad state of affairs. Maybe the tide is finally turning.

      As another aside in proof of my 'Spacesuit Theory', watch the helpless Astronauts during the catastrophic event. Is it just me, or does wearing a suit also make characters unable to run? Or detect danger? Judge for yourself.

Bryan Ward, 2000