Gary Sinise

Tim Robbins

Don Cheadle

Connie Nielsen

Jerry O'Connell

Peter Outerbridge

Kavan Smith

Jill Teed

Elise Neal

Kim Delaney

Marilyn Norry

Freda Perry

Lynda Boyd

Patricia Harras

Robert Bailey Jr.

Britt McKillip

Chaynade Knowles

Jeffrey Ballard

Anson Woods

Jillian Marie

Jody Thompson

Lucia Walters

Pamela Diaz

Sugith Varughese

Story Musgrave

Mina E. Mina

Carlo Rota

Dmitry Chepovetsky

Tracy Waterhouse

McCanna Anthony Sinise

Chantal Conlin

Jukka Joensuu

Bill Timoney

Riley Cantner

Samantha Cantner

Daniel Lederman

Armin Mueller-Stahl

Paul Hirsch

Jake Garber

Ennio Morricone

Jim Thomas

John Thomas

Stephen H. Burum

Greg Nicotero

Thomas Valentine

Graham Yost

Sam Mercer

Brian De Palma

Ed Verreaux

Tom Jacobson

Lowell Cannon

Scott Patton

Aaron Pfau

Luke Khanlian

Andrew Neskoromny

Owen Walstrom

Denise Chamian

Sanja Milković Hays

David R. Anderson

Merrick Rustia

Charles Porlier

Garet Reilly

Jeanne Van Phue

Benjamin Robin

Portia Tickell

Doug Chapman

Chris Soldo

Jacqui Lopez

Ted Tally

Justis Greene

David S. Goyer

Jim Wedaa

Craig Lyn

Jeanie King

John Marcynuk

John G. Anderson

Jack Gauvreau

Larry McConkey

Sara Barnes

Lin MacDonald

Richard Dobbin

Ron Annunziata

Stacey Butterworth

Kendall McCarthy

Barry Kootchin

Miles Teves

James Clyne

Denyse Nelson

Laurah Grijalva

Avo Zohrab

Shawn Jolicoeur

Kandace Loewen

Roxanne Dorman

Peter Clemens

Darin Hollings

Gordon Clapp

Gordon Hayman

Allen E. Taylor

Keith Burk

Ken Hovgaard

Rob McEwan

Linda Chow

Adam Shankman

Dan Sissons

Jennifer Donaldson

Colman McMahon

Alden Bateham

Scott Gordon

Ulysses Guidotti

Stephen Tyler

Stephen Berg

Stephen Carr

Gary Brooks

Ted Van Dorn

Mary Jo Macvey

Marny Eng

James Healy

Garry Elmendorf

Tim Heller

Charles O'Shea

Jodi Birdsong

Heather Meehan

David Cochrane

Julian Bosse

Crys Forsyth-Smith

Maurice Schell

Rodney Beech

Sean Cossey

Mandy Tankenson

Lorraine Jamison

Scott Campbell

Rob Young

Melissa Bretherton

Julie Adrianson-Neary

Science Fiction

Adventure

Thriller

Mission to Mars

Touchstone Pictures

Spyglass Entertainment

The Jacobson Company

United States of America

English

spacecraft

planet mars

space travel

alien

space

astronaut

dismemberment

alien contact

trapped in space

based on theme park ride

2020s

Some couples dance, others go to Mars.

It was the year of two Mars based movies, with the other being Red Planet, of Pitch Black and the chaotic history that produced the Supernova. Plenty of sci-fi around but sadly few decent offerings.

Mission to Mars is a film you can see had good ideas on the page, some brainy and emotion based narrative threads. Effects work is OK for the era, while there's a very impressive cast put together to tell the story. Yet the script stinks to high heaven, the surprises are as absent as Martians are, while the steals from previous sci-fi movies grate on the nerves. The odd sequence has quality about it (dancing in space, woo-hoo, storm attack, yay), while the finale - all be it still a steal - is well constructed and further proof that someone somewhere had the kernel of a good story idea, but it's laborious trite and devoid of the basic film principals - to entertain and engage.

So many things wrong here, so much so the names of all involved have been spared. Join this Mission to Mars at your own peril. 4/10

CinemaSerf

When a mission to explore the red planet goes wrong, stranding "Luke" (Don Cheadle) alone on this hostile world, his colleagues "Woody" (Tim Robbins), "Jim" (Gary Sinese), "Terri" (Connie Nielsen) and "Phil" (Jerry O'Connell) put huge pressure on their boss to let them take the spare rocket ship and head to the rescue. After a minimum of persuasion, off they go and are soon in sight of the planet and of an anomaly that is defying their instruments and their instincts. They land, discover their friend is alive and well and that there is a strange construction on the planet that needs investigating. Sense might dictate they go home and return to proceed in greater numbers but there's no taming the inquisitiveness of mankind and, well, the action starts to heat up. To be fair, this film looks very good and the use of visual effects and the spaceship interiors are complementary rather than overwhelming. The dialogue, well that's another story - it's pretty poor from start to finish and the plot itself is fairly derivative (and a bit repetitive, too). The acting is really only adequate, but Brian De Palma does manage to engender a sense of camaraderie amongst his astronauts and a workable sense of menace as the plot develops. Jeopardy? No, not really. Of course some of the crew are going to end up Martian toast and I found the science a little bit implausible as we advance. As a throw-away sci-fi adventure film this works fine and passes two hours effortlessly. If you are looking for anything more cerebral and/or original then perhaps not...

Brian De Palma's Mission to Mars (2000) delivers an engaging space exploration adventure that still holds up as a fascinating depiction of outer space, especially given the limited technical knowledge available at the time. While it may not be flawless in its execution, the film does a commendable job of portraying the challenges and mysteries of space travel.

The performances, particularly from Gary Sinise and Don Cheadle, are standout elements. Their characters bring depth and emotion to the story, grounding the film's high-concept premise with human connection. The storyline is another highlight, offering a plot that’s unpredictable in true De Palma fashion. The layers of mystery and the well-written underlying message keep the audience invested throughout.

The script may not be perfect, with some moments feeling a bit thin, but it works well in service of the overall narrative. Combined with De Palma’s direction, the dialogue and pacing help to maintain the film’s emotional and intellectual impact.

Mission to Mars is a movie for those who appreciate science fiction with a thoughtful touch. Its visuals, strong performances, and engaging plot make it a memorable exploration of both outer space and the human spirit. Even after all these years, it’s a film that remains enjoyable to revisit

Mission to Mars (2000) Original Trailer [HD]

Mission to Mars( 2000)

For centuries we've been looking for the origin of life on earth. We've been looking on the wrong planet.

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A review by John Chard

Written by John Chard on Sat Jun 13 2015

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