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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
55 of 58 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A personal favorite in the "how very odd" category,
By Steven W. Hill "Owner of shillpages.com" (Chicago, IL United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)
This review is from: Red Planet Mars [VHS] (VHS Tape)
What a strange, strange film this is. One could almost consider this a low-budget, early companion piece to CONTACT...both are first-contact stories, and both have their own political agenda (different though they are). I can't effectively review this without giving away plot elements, so this will have to suffice:A scientist receives a message perceived to have come from Mars. As if that's not enough to throw the whole world into controlled chaos, the messages later purport to come from the supreme being itself, touching off unprecedented religious fervor among Earth's inhabitants. A film of reactions and reactionaries, of religion and politics and studies on mob mentality, all rolled into one slightly cheesy fifties sci-fi thriller. It may not be *good*, but it's FASCINATING. For what ultimately is a fairly simple plot, the storyline has enough twists and turns to be a river in Colorado. Its sheer audacity at times is jaw-dropping...slot this one in with a few other B movies and it stands out as being far more ambitious than most. I recommend a viewing. If you found my review informative, please say yes! Thanks.
33 of 35 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An intelligent sci-fi flim with a bold message.,
By Bruce Cook (Atlanta, GA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Red Planet Mars [VHS] (VHS Tape)
Expect a real treat from one of the most intelligent sci-fi films of the 1950s -- although it gets little credit (largely because some people are uncomfortable with the overt Christian message). But first a word of warning: in this movie, nobody goes to Mars and no Martians invade the Earth. It's a moody and intense story about a research project at a mountain-top laboratory where husband and wife scientists (Peter Graves and Andrea King) succeed in making contact with intelligent beings on Mars . Neither the scientists nor the audience actually get to see the Martians. The messages exchanged by Earth and Mars are sent in the form of a complex code, displayed as flickering lines on a video monitor. Graves' transmitter was originally invented by an ex-Nazi scientist -- and unbeknownst to Graves, this same ex-Nazi scientist now occupies a secret Russian lab, located in the Andes mountains. The Russians want him to listen in on the Earth/Mars conversation, hoping to gain advanced scientific knowledge from the Martians.Oddly enough, the weird manner in which the messages are received is the film's chief strength. The eerie mood created by the blinking monitors enhances the alien nature of the unseen Martians. The scene in which the Martians send their first decoded message is electrifying. After a common language has been established, the Martians describe their highly advanced agricultural methods and energy-producing techniques. As a result, Earth's economy begins to collapse because people think the Martian super-science is going to make their jobs obsolete! More importantly, the film's Christian message is presented boldly and clearly, through direct references to God and Christ. When the Martians send a message that suggests they are ruled directly by God, the news causes a world-wide religious upheaval. The atheistic government in Russia is overthrown and the Soviet satellite countries are released from communist rule. Several reviewers in past years have criticized the film as being naive for suggesting such possibilities. But the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1992 and the slow but steady revival of Christianity in Russia has vindicated RED PLANET MARS to some degree. Reviewers have also been confused by plot twists which lead them to believe the ex-Nazi scientist actually sent the `Martian' messages to trick the Americans. You'll have to pay careful attention to the plot to figure out who actually sent what. The laboratory set is extremely well designed, filled with intriguing gizmos reminiscent of the Krell lab in `Forbidden Planet'. The scientific terms and concepts used in the story are admirably accurate. The story is set in the `near future', so watch for technological innovations like flat screen TV's and remote controls, years ahead of their time in 1952. The climax is both unexpected and uplifting -- a triumph of good over evil. Give this one a fair chance and it will amaze and inspire you. Graves and King give dynamic performances. Herbert Berghof as the ex-Nazi scientist is excellent. Marvin Miller (voice of Robby the Robot) is a treat as the Russian KGB agent. Morris Ankrum's presence is both mandatory and welcome in any 1950s sci-fi film. Directory Harry Horner was born in Soviet Czechoslovakia, so he knows about communist suppression first hand. The prerecorded tape, available from Amazon.com is of excellent quality. If you like this film, check out `The Space Children" from director Jack Arnold.
21 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Cold War v. God In this Thought-Provoking Sci-Fi Flick!,
By
This review is from: Red Planet Mars (DVD)
I found this movie on Netflix and it is an unusual science fiction story. It's unusual because it has very little to do with Mars or aliens. It had a lot to do with the fall of communism in the USSR, circa 1952, but I'm getting ahead of myself.Harry Horner Vicki (Fox Film Noir) directs this film where in the near future, when they still wore fedora hats and Cold War was at its height, a scientist, Peter Graves [Mission Impossible TV, he looks so young] Biography - Peter Graves: Mission Accomplished and his wide-eyed, emotionally distraught wife, find a way of communicating with the planet Mars. We first visit a telescope observation place as big as Palomar. They have the photos of Mars taken, which look like matte paintings rather than photographs, and through time-lapse can see the ice mountains at the caps melt into what are "obviously" canals. Holy cow, we gotta talk to these guys. As Peter Graves' character prepares to turn on his "hydrogen valve radio" his wife Linda, played by Andrea King, Blackenstein (Chk Sen) gets all hysterical, explains how women are naturally frightened and that if he calls up Mars, quote: "You'll send us to oblivion!" So much for a supportive wife. Lots of technical nonsense too, lots of talking, ho-hum *yawn*. But wait, we get a message! Mars says they live for 300 years. Insurance premiums rocket. Mars says they can grow acres of crops. Farm prices crash! Stock market crashes in two weeks. Coal mines close when news comes that Mars doesn't use coal or oil. Western economies all crash, millions unemployed. (Sounds familiar). Meantime the Russians are laughing at the USA. And the USA is preparing to bomb Russia before the USA is too weak to fight. Does God intervene? Russian church revival? Lots going on here... Wow, wadda story! We get some propaganda about the Voice of America radio broadcasts, with the Russian Red Guards searching peasants, machine-gunning priests and worshipers, and so on. Centering around all this is an ex-Nazi scientist who actually invented Peter Graves' transmitter first. He plays both sides (the USA and USSR) for his own benefit. Did those messages actually come from Mars, or is this a plot?? Hold onto your hats! The ending got really sappy for me, and was hard to watch, although the ending was especially tough and heartbreaking. Damn. Not your typical sci-fi, not a lot of cheese.
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