© Warner Bros.
Red Planet (2000)
Red Planet (2000)
Red Planet
(Arrow Film 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray)
The screenplay for this 2000 movie was optimistic. It imagined that in 2025, the evidence of harmful climate change was so drastic that a large-scale, long-distance (via robot landers) terraforming project was initiated to transform Mars into a habitable new world. The opening narration establishes the backdrop and introduces the crew of Mars-1, the first manned mission to the planet, sent in 2050 to check on the progress of terraforming.
Of course, something goes wrong—several things, actually. As Mars-1 nears its destination after six months in space, a solar flare damages the ship’s electronics, sending CBI fireworks through the vessel. The mission commander (Carrie-Anne Moss) stays onboard while the crew ejects in the landing module. They have a rocky landing on the windy, ruddy Martian surface. One dies from injuries. Their robot, the creepy canine-like AMEE, goes berserk. And something else is happening on Mars that just doesn’t seem right …
Director Anthony Hoffman’s Red Planet is a B picture with some cool techno-gadgets and a bankable cast including Val Kilmore, Bob Neill and Terence Stamp as the wise philosopher among they young, hotshot engineers. Red Planet’s pulp fiction future speaks to our current world crisis. The new release includes a booklet, trailer, deleted scenes and more. (David Luhrssen)
