Product Details

• Actors: Val Kilmer, Carrie-Ann Moss
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: English
• Subtitles: English, French
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Studio: Warner Home Video
• DVD Release Date: March 27, 2001
• Run Time: 106 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (184 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00003CX44
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #22,755 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "Red Planet" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

In Red Planet, the only thing thicker than the Martian atmosphere (which is breathable, by the way) is the layer of clichés that nearly smothers a formulaic beat-the-clock plot. Science fiction fans are sure to be forgiving, however, because the film is reasonably intelligent, boasts a few dazzling sequences, and presents fascinating technology in the year 2057. We don't know how the Mars-1 spaceship gets to Mars in only six months (newfangled propulsion, no doubt), but we do get some cool diagnostic readouts on tinfoil scrolls, an abundance of well-designed hardware, and a service-robot-turned-villain that's a high-tech hybrid of RoboCop, Bruce Lee, and a slinky panther with plenty of lethal attitude.

The oxygen in the Martian atmosphere has resulted from nascent efforts of terraforming, made necessary by Earth's overpolluted condition. Mars-1 has been dispatched to determine why the terraforming is failing, and upon arrival everything goes inevitably haywire. Nearly two hours, three deaths, and multiple crises later (including the discovery of a Martian life form), "space janitor" Val Kilmer and his ultracompetent commander (Carrie-Anne Moss from The Matrix) have collaborated to set things right, capped off by second dose of the wretched narration that bookends the movie. Hoary material, to be sure, and as a veteran of TV commercials making his feature debut, director Anthony Hoffman is clearly more comfortable with flashy visuals than depth of character. Still, he keeps things humming right along. A perfectly suitable companion to another 2000 sci-fi thriller, Pitch Black, Red Planet is a fine way to kill a couple of hours. --Jeff Shannon

Product Description

Humans take their first trip to Mars and they don't find life on the planet: it finds them.
Genre: Science Fiction
Rating: PG13
Release Date: 4-FEB-2003
Media Type: DVD

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Better than average sci-fi fare, May 9, 2008

By 

Todd Guthrie (Houston, Tx) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Red Planet (DVD)

Red Planet has flaws (many of the plot twists are fairly predictable, some of the science is screwy), but overall is a pretty good value pick. Kilmer's wise-cracking "space janitor" is a character we can care about, Sizemore provides good counterpoint, and Moss is an eyeful. The problem-solving aspects of the plot lift it above the morass of most sci-fi; the characters actually use math and old Mars probes to try and save themselves, and ANY movie that features realistic, scientific approaches to solving problems is OK in my book. I teach science in a public high school, and actually use some clips from the movie to illustrate problem solving. This is not high-art science fiction, but neither is it campy or schlocky; Red Planet has some intelligence and wit, which makes it pretty good in my book.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Bashful's DVD Summary #002, January 1, 2004

By 

Brian Hiel "bashful monkey" (Kaiser, MO United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Red Planet (DVD)

Best:

1) Carrie-Anne Moss is great at tomboy-type action roles like this one and shines here.
2) They waste little time on unneeded character development and get right into the action.
3) The recreation of Mars' surface was realistic and spooky.
4) The bouncing ball landing craft scene was hilarious.
5) The overall Mars pre-colonization mission (and what they eventually discover with an algae experiment) is imaginative.
6) A high-tech robot runs amok and starts killing. I always love that (ha).

Worst:

1) The narrative exposition and dialogue is often VERY dorky.
2) The special features included only deleted scenes.

Recommendation:

The going price is fair. If you're a science fiction and/or space TV series fan - get it. It has a high rewatch value.

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars May be too simple and monochromatic for most SF fans., March 20, 2002

By 

Donald E. Strong "Desired FX" (Pittsburgh, PA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Red Planet (DVD)

15 years from now, people are going to pick up this movie and wonder why so many people thought it was bad--there's actually very little wrong with it: memorable performances from Sizemore, Stamp and Kilmer, better science than the average Hollywood flick, a nifty mystery, a logical triumph of man over machine (aren't we all a little tired of omnipotent, indestructible robots?), and crisp suspense as the astronauts race the clock to escape the tightening noose of a mission gone awry.

It was promoted as a SF/Horror flick similar to ALIEN, and it really isn't--it's more like Alfred Hitchcock directing THE RIGHT STUFF.

All the SF movie fans I know tend to like byzantine tales, historic in scope, filled with quirky characters roaming rich new landscapes, so this simple tale of a small group of men trying to escape a desolate red planet within a short span of hours might not be rich enough for them. (The SF fanboys won't like it because Carrie-Anne Moss's shower scene is too short and doesn't show enough...er...Moss.)

It's definitely worth a rental, but you won't want to own it unless you're a suspense fan that revels more in how a film is put together than in how it turns out.