

Red Planet      * * * (out of * * * * )

Directed by Antony Hoffman.
Cast: Val Kilmer, Carrie-Anne Moss, Tom Sizemore, Simon Baker, Terence Stamp, 
Benjamin Bratt.
2000 - 110 minutes
Rated PG-13 (for violence, profanity, and partial nudity).
Reviewed by Dustin Putman, November 11, 2000.

Since space movies have grown more than a little tiresome over the years, and 
with another film about Mars released this past March, there was more than a 
few reservations at the onset of "Red Planet." After all, what fresh material 
could director Antony Hoffman and screenwriters Chuck Pfarrer and Jonathan 
Lemkin possibly muster out of such a worn-out premise? Quite surprisingly, 
the answer turns out to be a lot, as "Red Planet" is not only infinitely 
superior to last spring's "Mission to Mars," but also one of the most 
involving and well-made space-set thrillers since Ridley Scott's 1979 opus, 
"Alien."

Set in 2050, when the Earth's polluted atmosphere has quickly made the planet 
nearly unlivable, a six-person crew set off on a six-month voyage to Mars to 
reconfirm that colonization may, in fact, be possible for humans. With Lt. 
Cmdr. Kate Bowman (Carrie-Anne Moss) staying behind with the ship after a 
malfunctioning problem, the other five members--"hotshot" second-in-command 
Ted Santen (Benjamin Bratt), veteran Chief Science Officer Bud Chantilas 
(Terence Stamp), medical systems engineer Gallagher (Val Kilmer), Dr. Quinn 
Burchenal (Tom Sizemore), and Dr. Chip Pettengill (Simon Baker)--make their 
way to the red planet to reach a previously-built station equipped with 
enough oxygen, food, and water to last 26 months. 

Oddly enough, the algae that had been heavily spray upon Mars' surface twenty 
years before has mysteriously disappeared. And what they don't expect is that 
the station has been completely destroyed, leaving them with only seven hours 
until the oxygen in their helmets runs out. Making matters worse is AMEE 
(Autonomous Mapping Evaluation and Evasion), a robot that Kate sends to Mars 
to aid in finding the crew, but whose military instincts go haywire on the 
rough landing, leaving it a murderous force hell-bent on destroying the 
entire group.

Sumptuously photographed by Peter Suschitzky, with the desolate landscapes of 
Wadi Rum, Jordan, and Coober Pedy, Australia standing in for Mars, "Red 
Planet" is a suspense-filled, surprisingly thoughtful drama that plausibly 
tells what could happen if the Earth ever did grow too polluted to live on. 
Deliberately paced, yet never stalling for a minute, the film draws you into 
its setup as we meet and grow to understand the dynamics of the six 
characters, and then lets loose into an unpredictable thrill ride once they 
are unleashed upon the largely unexplored terrain of the foreign planet.

Despite including an excessive, unnecessary narration by Kate Bowman that 
bookends the main attraction, the film rarely steps wrong. One of the major 
pleasures is the way that, despite revealing its main plotline, it is always 
difficult to decipher where the film is going, and what the outcome will be. 
Furthermore, instead of turning into a monster-on-the-loose horror movie, 
director Hoffman wisely aims higher, and makes the dangerous AMEE only a 
subplot to a much larger story about a crew that find themselves fighting to 
survive the perilous planet itself, and using their brains and the expertise 
they hold in their profession to do so.

The actors fit snugly in their roles, with the standouts being lead Val 
Kilmer, who is so charismatic as a performer that he deserves more roles; 
Carrie-Anne Moss, who brings a tough poignancy to her character of Kate; and 
Terence Stamp, who, in the picture's most thought-provoking line, says, "I 
realized science couldn't answer the really interesting questions, so I 
turned to philosophy. I've been searching for God ever since." The dignity 
that Stamp brings to his supporting appearance as aging scientist Bud 
Chantilas is quite extraordinary, and even when he goes AWOL in the second 
hour, his lasting impression has long-since been made. Rounding out the cast 
is the bland Benjamin Bratt, rising Australian actor Simon Baker, and Tom 
Sizemore.

Ultimately, "Red Planet" is such a convincing motion picture because the 
talented actors and the mostly tightly-written script make you believe 
everything that is happening to them. With Mars giving off alternately 
reddish and bluish tints, with its rocky, mountainous vistas, and a violent 
ice storm the size of Montana sweeping through the area at one point, the 
visual effects are also startlingly believable. There is no reason why "Red 
Planet" should be such a successfully entertaining thriller, but almost 
everything falls into place and seems to effortlessly work. Maybe there's 
life yet in the gradually wearisome space genre. Movies like "Red Planet" can 
only help.

   - Copyright 2000 by Dustin Putman
     <A HREF="http://us.imdb.com/ReviewsBy?Dustin+Putman">Reviews by Dustin 
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