9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Escape from Mars, November 6, 2001
A Kid's Review
This review is from: Escape From Mars [VHS] (VHS Tape)
Escape from Mars is a film set in the year 2016, in which five astronauts journey to the red planet, on the first manned mission to another planet. The film is reasonably realistic, although the build up to, and the climax, is rather unconvincing. Although the film is science fiction, it seems more like a recount, due to the weak message which the movie portrays, which I believe to be `taking risks can reward'. The plot, however, is complex enough to compensate for these matters. I believe that if the climax was more heavily anticipated and the message was emphasised more, then the movie would be very powerful.
The technical effects are very advanced. The spacecraft in which the astronauts travelled looks extremely realistic, and it's movement seems to abide to the laws of physics. To the untrained eye you cannot imagine how they filmed the spacecraft, although after playing the movie multiple times I did see a tiny string of nylon suspending the spacecraft in mid-air.
The amount of thought that was put into this movie was, in my opinion, was not as much as it could be. The movie at some points was lacking clarity, due to the fact that some sections were not emphasised enough, thus making it hard to understand. I also believe that the movie lacked some simple research, for example, when shots of the exterior of the space craft were filmed, you could here sounds, although sound does not travel through space. The astronauts were also filmed walking normally with their feet on the ground in a zero gravity environment, although this may be intentional, to show the technology advancement. As the film is set in the future, you would expect the technology to be different. In this movie, the technology has been changed adequately enough to show that there has been a technology advance, but so much that it becomes unfeasible. An example of the technology advance can be found within the computers used in mission control, which are a different shape and use a different user interface.
I believe that this movie was worth watching, and I did enjoy, because of the sense of realism, and the outstanding technical effects. It is obvious that a lot of work went into this movie, and that it should be commended. If I were to rate this film, I would give it four stars. Escape from Mars is appropriate for viewers older than eight, as it does require the presence of some technical knowledge and understanding. I would recommend this movie.
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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
a bit sketchy but made up for, June 24, 2001
This review is from: Escape From Mars [VHS] (VHS Tape)
Well,overall,the movie was pretty predictable and a bit stale but a couple of the actors really made the film worthwhile.Michael Shanks,better known for his role as Daniel Jackson in the hit tv series "Stargate SG-1",does an excellent job portraying Bill Malone,architect and scientist.His charisma lights up the screen yet again.Some of the other actors can be a bit dopey or sappy but it's an interesting concept for a movie and is just a good watch.Hey,it's not winning an award for best movie of the year or anything but it's still something worthwhile to watch!
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4.0 out of 5 stars
underlying spiritual theme?, January 14, 2008
This review is from: Escape From Mars [VHS] (VHS Tape)
Very upbeat movie in the end. A minor nit, with Christine Elise- her hubby to be dies and she cries... with no visible tears. I think the lady who drowned her kids in the lake in a car and went on tv to plead for their return did that (cried with no tears thereby prompting police suspicion?).
But I digress. It was very obviously a TV movie with edits for commercial breaks. I even vaguely remember seeing part of it. There was a bit of a spiritual theme. On the way, they're off-course and all the systems mysteriously fail and just as mysteriously come back up and course-corrects. The Commander hallucinates his ex, leading to the caves. Which ultimately lead to them being able to return home (due to his death, reducing their energy/fuel needs) and a reason to come back (minerals and water to sustain a colony). Bible gets "quoted" a bit, but maybe a Romans 8:28 would apply to all the events working out in the end.
No monsters, no aliens. Their only enemy is the nature of the mission. Oh and the corporation sponsering it.
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