Science Fiction

Adventure

Mystery

Mission to Mars

Touchstone Pictures

Spyglass Entertainment

The Jacobson Company

United States of America

English

Gary Sinise

Tim Robbins

Don Cheadle

Connie Nielsen

Jerry O'Connell

Peter Outerbridge

Kavan Smith

Jill Teed

Elise Neal

Marilyn Norry

Freda Perry

Lynda Boyd

Patricia Harras

Robert Bailey Jr.

Chaynade Knowles

Jeffrey Ballard

Anson Woods

Britt McKillip

Jillian Marie Hubert

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

Brian De Palma

Jim Thomas

John Thomas

Graham Yost

Ennio Morricone

Stephen H. Burum

Paul Hirsch

Lowell Cannon

Denise Chamian

Sanja Milković Hays

Eric Schwab

Chris Soldo

Jacqui Lopez

Heather Meehan

Paul Barry

Jeff Habberstad

Melissa R. Stubbs

Jim Stephan

Jake Brake

Michael Langlois

Trevor Jones

Ken Kirzinger

David Jacox

Jim Dunn

Brad Loree

John MacDonald

Lori Stewart

Kirk Caouette

Erik Stabenau

Gaston Morrison

Aubrey Lee Culp

Fred Perron

Fiona Roeske

Scott Nicholson

Cotton Mather

James Bamford

Sheilagh Seaton

Doug Chapman

Duane Dickinson

Lynn Andrews

Allen E. Taylor

Thomas Valentine

Andrew Neskoromny

Michael N. Wong

John Marcynuk

Gabriel Hardman

Tim Flattery

Jim Bailey

James Clyne

James J. Martin

Oliver Scholl

Leah Hong

Peter Clemens

John Dexter

Kathleen Morrissey

Marco Rubeo

Carl J. Stensel

Janice Clements

Gary A. Lee

Richard Reynolds

Domenic Silvestri

Chris Stewart

Suzan Wexler

Lin MacDonald

Ron Sowden

Gordon Clapp

Ross Wahl

Keith Burk

Cary Cooper

Jamie Westbury

Denyse Nelson

Gordon Stewart

Steve Rowland

John Werner

Audra Neil

Syd Mead

Garet Reilly

Diana Patterson

Richard Schoen

Donna Christiano

Sandra Watson

Kim Schwandt

Steve Oben

Slavica Grkavac

Linda Chow

Zara Turgel Chickanis

Benjamin Robin

Jeanne Van Phue

Kandace Loewen

Andrea Simpson

Charles Porlier

Cindy Barlow

Gordon Hayman

Larry McConkey

Alan S. Blauvelt

Sean Elliott

Douglas Craik

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]

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Mission to Mars

Cast & Crew

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Cast

Gary Sinise

Tim Robbins

Don Cheadle

Connie Nielsen

Jerry O'Connell

Peter Outerbridge

Kavan Smith

Jill Teed

Elise Neal

Marilyn Norry

Box office

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