Red Planet

Starring: CarrieAnne Moss, Val Kilmer Director: Antony Hoffman Original UK Premiere: 2000 Dvd Release: 25th May, 2001 Number Of Discs: 1 Format: PAL, Widescreen, Region 2 Encoding Subtitled In: Arabic, Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Spanish Dubbed In: French

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Red Planet is a 2000 science-fiction film directed by Antony Hoffman. // Earth is in a state of crisis due to severe pollution & overpopulation. Automated missions have seeded Mars with atmosphere producing algae as the first stage in terraforming the planet. When the algae inexplicably disappears, the crew of Mars-1 must find out why & continue their mission of making the red planet suitable for human colonization. On the way to Mars, the crew plays cards & drinks lab-made alcohol while getting to know one another. Burchenal, the genetics expert, is a staunch atheist. Aging scientist & surgeon Chantillas is more philosophical, having realized long ago that science could not answer any of the really interesting questions. Maintenance technician & space janitor Gallagher acts as Chantillas protege, meanwhile flirting with the beautiful but no-nonsense ships commander, Kate Bowman. Soon the ship arrives, but a solar flare disrupts several key systems. This complicates their orbit & forcing Bowman to stay behind & make repairs while the others disembark for the planets surface. Posters Of Red Planet

In Red Planet the only thing thicker than the Martian atmosphere 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, & presents fascinating technology in the year 2057.

We dont know how the Mars-1 spaceship gets to Mars in only six months , but we do get some cool diagnostic read-outs on tinfoil scrolls, an abundance of well-designed hardware, & a service-robot-turned-villain thats a high-tech hybrid of RoboCop, Bruce Lee, & a slinky panther with plenty of lethal attitude. The oxygen in the Martian atmosphere has resulted from nascent efforts at terraforming, made necessary by Earths over-polluted condition. Mars-1 has been dispatched to determine why the terraforming is failing, & upon arrival everything goes inevitably haywire. Nearly two hours, three deaths, & multiple crises later , space janitor Val Kilmer & his ultra-competent commander have collaborated to set things right, capped off by second dose of the wretched narration that bookends the movie. Hoary material, to be sure, & 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 Y2K sci-fi thriller, Pitch Black, Red Planet is a fine way to kill a couple of hours.

Val Edward Kilmer is an American actor considered by fans to be one of the most talented & underappreciated actors currently working in film & television. Kilmer is known for roles as diverse as the Elvis -like teen idol Nick Rivers in Top Secret! to real-life legends Billy the Kid, cultural hero Robert Elliot Burns & rock idol Jim Morrison, to larger-than-life characters Bruce Wayne/ Batman & Simon Templar, the Saint. In a 2002 film, he plays Danny Parker, a jazz trumpeter who infiltrates a group of crystal meth addicts & becomes one himself in an attempt to avenge the senseless death of his wife which they caused. Born in Los Angeles, California & raised in the San Fernando Valley, Kilmer is one of three sons born to Gladys & Eugene Kilmer, the others being older brother Mark & younger brother Wesley. When Val was 17 & just about to start study as the youngest student ever admitted to the Juillard School of Fine Arts in New York, Wesley tragically drowned in the familys own swimming pool. Posters Of The Salton Sea

Editors Choice: Spartan, Hard Cash, The Saint, The Salton Sea, Red Planet, At First Sight, The Prince Of Egypt, Batman Forever, View DVDology

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