MISSION TO MARS

2000

Well, two things this movie proves: 1. a bad director can bring out the worst in good actors and 2. Brian DePalma is a bad director. The story here is not so bad; a team of astronauts are lost on Mars and a rescue team is sent to get them back and they uncover the origin of life on Earth. The look of the film and the special effects are actually really good, too. The acting is awful, however, and we're talking some good actors (i.e., Tim Robbins and Gary Sinise). And the dialogue is so terrible, its pretty obvious that this film was really dumbed-down to appeal to a younger audience.

2 Stars

CDF

I can't say that this is the most ridiculous science-fiction film of all time, because I've never seen "Attack of the Killer Tomatoes." But if it isn't, then it certainly ranks up there with the worst of them. Although visually spectacular, the story content is pitched at the level of a silly Flash Gordon/Buck Rogers film, with not an original moment in it. Its' director Brian DePalma, and its' stars, Gary Sinise and Tim Robbins all should have known better. If you have a large-screen TV, stay home and rent "2001: A Space Odyssey," or "Close Encounters of the Third Kind, " two of the BEST science-fiction films of all time.

1 Star

NJB