Red Planet Mars

 

 

Create your own review

Now here's a film that would never be made nowadays, with its remarkable confluence of science fiction and religion and an ending that is literally "The Beginning." You won't see any Martians here, nor any rockets, spaceships, or other images you probably associate with science fiction. Red Planet Mars is all about "the message," one that modern audiences will likely resist much more strongly than the original 1952 American audience. The film's somewhat open-ended conclusion allows for rejection as well as acceptance - another strong point in the movie's favor -and one person's outright dismissal will be another's inspiration. Red Planet Mars is very much a thinking man's movie from the Golden Age of science fiction.

A young Peter Graves plays scientist Chris Cronyn, who has spent years working alongside his wife Linda (Andrea King) constructing a communication device powerful enough to reach Mars. As astronomical observations begin to reveal highly provocative changes on the Martian surface, Cronyn finally gets a response to the signals he has been sending toward the Red Planet. They're just the same signals being sent back his way, but he eventually figures out how to communicate with the aliens, making him an instant celebrity. Unbeknownst to him or the now heavily involved American government, the man who first came up with the technology, German war criminal Franz Calder (Herbert Berghof) is listening to all of Cronyn's messages with his own transceiver, developed with the help of the Soviets who got him out of jail. For the Soviets, hearing all of Cronyn's questions and the replies he receives is just as good as communicating with the Martians themselves.

This contact with Mars quickly results in sweeping, fairly ridiculous changes. Learning that the Martians need no fossil fuels to produce more energy than they know what to do with and can feed a thousand people for a year off of one acre of farmland, the whole American economy all but collapses overnight, American generals contemplate a nuclear first-strike attack on the Soviet Union, while the Soviets themselves sit back and happily watch Western society crumble. Then, the messages from Mars suddenly take on an overtly religious theme, leading to even more sweeping changes across the entire globe.

But are these messages truly coming from Mars? And if they aren't, do you dare let the truth get out after all of the transformative changes that have just taken place? Some viewers, especially liberals and those of the anti-Christian persuasion, will dismiss this film as a product of crazy right-wingers and Cold War paranoia, but those who choose to take the film at face value can't help but appreciate the very big questions it asks - in terms of both personal responsibility and the agents of social change. Many will also find it very inspirational in not only a spiritual but an honest-to-God, unabashed Christian sense. Red Planet Mars is truly a unique science fiction film that deserves more notice than it has received over the years.

Rival scientists from the USSR and the US are engaged in a Contact-the-Martians Race. The scientist from the US makes contact first (or does he?) and those stereotypical 1950s commies (evil vodka swilling atheists all) are upset because the superior Martians with a perfect society are Democratic Christians. So the USSR sets out to prove it is all a hoax being conducted against the world, including against the US government, by the american scientist.

In an extremely interesting twist on the usual 1950s sci-fi movie mindset, the originally thrilled US government also becomes afraid and starts to question its scientist's veracity and motives when the Martians' promises of cheap energy, long life, etc., for all humans on Earth begins to panic big union and corporate interests (fuel companies, pharmaceuticals, etc), and so the scientist also has to fight against his own government trying to put a gag on him (hey, they know where their campaign contributions came from). Even "worse", I'm sure, is the fact that the Martians appear to be Socialists. This all helps make the film far more relevant to today than most 1950s sci-fi since although the "Communist scourge" of the USSR no longer exists, rampant Capitalism is still a threat to Democracy.

At turns, this is a very good sci-fi movie which shows great creativity and insight, or a sugary schlockfest filled with caricatures. In either case, it is entertaining and makes worthwhile viewing.

I thoroughly enjoyed this Sci-Fi classic 1952 production and feel it has been largely under-rated and ignored!

If you've grown tired of the portrayal of Martians or aliens as nasty, freaky bug creatures, "Red Planet Mars" is for you!

It uses a lot of religious symbolism and touches on issues of atheism and theocracy...

I also enjoyed Peter Graves performance as the "pure scientist' who is only following his profession and then finds himself in a theological, ethical dilemma...

The scientist's wife played by Andrea King is interesting character... as she is torn between her fifties dutiful wife role of supporting her husband no matter what and her strong conservative Christian values which sound a lot like the religious paranoia. She has occasional outbursts that seem unreal at times and you wonder how a scientist could have ever married her!

Eventually the military and security establishment, as usual wants to control the release of these messages from the more "highly advanced" Martians...

The message isn't totally Christian either as the American President eventually makes clear that the religious values are shared by Christians, Moslems and Buddhists!

I thought a lot of the above themes...even, contact via hydrogen tube radio showed a lot of foresight and you can really see how they are played out in the recent film "Contact". I'd recommend watching "Red Planet Mars" first and then view "Contact" to see what I mean!

Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review

› See all 10 customer reviews on Amazon.ca

 

4.0 out of 5 stars AKA message from Mars
This is a toughie to review, as the only way to review it is practically tell the story.

So lets suffice to say that the movie was made in a time when everyone was into the red... Read more

Published on Sep 7 2001 by bernie

5.0 out of 5 stars Uplifting and Inspirational
In these early days of the 21st Century, Christianity is of dubious cache among the semi-educated literati of America. Phoo on them all! Read more

Published on Sep 6 2001 by Walter Mitty

5.0 out of 5 stars Pure Art
'Howards End' + 'Sense and Sensibility' = 'Red Planet Mars'

Published on Feb 12 2001 by Rick Chavez

5.0 out of 5 stars An intelligent sci-fi flim with a bold message.
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... Read more

Published on Jan 26 2001 by Bruce Cook

4.0 out of 5 stars A personal favorite in the "how very odd" category
What a strange, strange film this is. One could almost consider this a low-budget, early companion piece to CONTACT... Read more

Published on May 12 2000 by Steven W. Hill

2.0 out of 5 stars A SILLY MOVIE
DESPITE THE CRAZY EFFECTS, THIS HAS SOME GOOD ACTING. SINCE IT'S A CULT CLASSIC IT HAS SOME GOOD ACTORS ESPECIALLY PETER GRAVES

Published on Oct 1 1999

2.0 out of 5 stars A SILLY MOVIE
DESPITE THE CRAZY EFFECTS, THIS HAS SOME GOOD ACTING. SINCE IT'S A CULT CLASSIC IT HAS SOME GOOD ACTORS ESPECIALLY PETER GRAVES

Published on Oct 1 1999

Search Customer Reviews
Only search this product's reviews

› See all 10 customer reviews on Amazon.ca

Search Listmania!