Red Planet

certificate_12

RED PLANET

Fresh ideas are scarce in Hollywood so when one comes along word gets out. Unfortunately, Red Planet shares not only Mission To Mars' plot of man's first landing on Mars, but also the earlier film's banality.

As audiences' appetite for new FX becomes harder to satiate it's essential for filmmakers, particularly those dealing with sci-fi, to focus more on a good story. Needless to say Red Planet has neither. Instead it's a tired and cumbersome tale that does little to excite or engage.

Set in the not too distant future, as Earth is threatened with exhausting its natural resources, MARS1 sets out on a six-month voyage to determine if man could inhabit Mars. The crew comprises both astronauts and scientists led by the impossibly alluring Commander Kate Bowman (Moss) who parades around in a flimsy vest while her male counterparts are somewhat more suitably attired.

To elaborate more on the plot would be devoting more time than writer Chuck Pfarrer did to the task, suffice to say following a problem with MARS1, all the male crew end up on the surface of Mars and then proceed to figure out how to get back to their orbiting craft piloted by Bowman. Into this mix you throw the inevitable love story provided by the flirtatious spark between the nonchalant Robby Gallagher and his more autocratic Commander. The relationship seems unconvincing and contrived, included only to allow the gratuitous titillation of the first space shower scene as well as providing an inevitable ending.

The crew on Mars lurch from one obstacle to the next in the quest for salvation. Having overcome yet another potential disaster, their relief is only temporary as their Commander warns them of yet more impending doom with such corny portents as "There's an ice storm coming towards you the size of Montana".

With such literary waste to wade through, it's difficult for the cast to come out smelling of roses, although Moss does her best. Kilmer's conceited smirk wears thin very rapidly and Stamp's diffident performance is plain awkward, though thankfully brief.

It's difficult to determine how serious Red Planet is intended to be, but all attempts at credulity seem abandoned when the robotic creature AMEE, which resembles a cross between a mechanical dog and an angle-poise lamp, suddenly becomes a kung-fu expert and turns on the crew.