It’s been a good few decades for fans of sci-fi movies that approach space travel from an at least somewhat realistic perspective. There’ve been IMAX epics (“Interstellar”), action thrillers in space (“Gravity”), survival stories (“The Martian”), and now, two separate movies about reigniting a dying sun (“Sunshine” and “Project Hail Mary”).
However, these aren’t the only Hollywood offerings into this subgenre in the 21st century. Two flicks about manned voyages to one of our nearest planetary neighbors often go overlooked, but deserve revisiting: “Mission to Mars” and “Red Planet,” both from 2000.
Yes, this was back when Hollywood released competing movies with similar premises in close calendar proximity to one another. Other examples include “Deep Impact” and “Armageddon,” “Antz” and “A Bug’s Life,” and, of course, “Dante’s Peak” and “Volcano.” However, while both “Red Planet” and “Mission to Mars” technically deal with the same general subject matter, they go in significantly different directions when it comes to story and tone.
Mission to Mars and Red Planet brought audiences to a solar system neighbor in 2000
“Mission to Mars” should be a great movie. Its director is none other than Brian DePalma, and its cast includes Tim Robbins, Gary Sinise, Don Cheadle, and numerous other talented actors. While the film currently has an unimpressive 23% score on RottenTomatoes, it may be the type of picture worth watching more for its individual ideas than the complete product. The movie follows a rescue mission traveling to Mars to find out what happened to the first astronauts who visited the planet. They end up discovering evidence of an ancient civilization with a surprising connection to humankind.
“Red Planet,” starring Val Kilmer, Carrie-Anne Moss, and Tom Sizemore, aims less for “2001: A Space Odyssey,” more for “Alien.” It tells the story of astronauts who visit Mars seeking ways to save Earth. When an accident occurs on their ship, the voyage becomes a fight for survival.
Granted, that fight for survival only garnered a 14% RottenTomatoes score, but it’s worth remembering that some great works of fairly recent sci-fi didn’t get the recognition they deserved upon initial release. Are “Red Planet” and “Mission to Mars” likely as impressive as “Interstellar” or “Solaris”? No, but to be fair, “Interstellar” accurately predicted the appearance of a black hole. That’s a high bar. Regardless, viewers seeking overlooked sci-fi space drama may want to check out these turn-of-the-millennium releases for themselves.
