Gary Sinise

Tim Robbins

Don Cheadle

Connie Nielsen

Jerry O'Connell

Peter Outerbridge

Kavan Smith

Jill Teed

Elise Neal

Kim Delaney

Marilyn Norry

Freda Perry

Lynda Boyd

Patricia Harras

Robert Bailey Jr.

Britt McKillip

Chaynade Knowles

Jeffrey Ballard

Anson Woods

Jillian Marie Hubert

Jody Thompson

Lucia Walters

Pamela Diaz

Sugith Varughese

Story Musgrave

Mina E. Mina

Carlo Rota

Dmitry Chepovetsky

Tracy Waterhouse

McCanna Anthony Sinise

Chantal Conlin

Jukka Joensuu

Bill Timoney

Riley Cantner

Samantha Cantner

Daniel Lederman

Armin Mueller-Stahl

Brian De Palma

Jim Thomas

John Thomas

Graham Yost

Ennio Morricone

Stephen H. Burum

Paul Hirsch

Aaron Pfau

Tom Jacobson

Lowell Cannon

Sam Mercer

Ed Verreaux

Andrew Neskoromny

Thomas Valentine

Greg Nicotero

Jake Garber

Luke Khanlian

Scott Patton

Owen Walstrom

Denise Chamian

Sanja Milković Hays

David R. Anderson

Merrick Rustia

Benjamin Robin

Charles Porlier

Jeanne Van Phue

Garet Reilly

Portia Tickell

Doug Chapman

David S. Goyer

Justis Greene

Jim Wedaa

Jacqui Lopez

Chris Soldo

Ted Tally

Craig Lyn

Jeanie King

Lin MacDonald

Jennifer Donaldson

Colman McMahon

John Marcynuk

Miles Teves

John G. Anderson

Richard Dobbin

Gary Brooks

Laurah Grijalva

Keith Burk

Ken Hovgaard

Ted Van Dorn

James Clyne

Jack Gauvreau

Gordon Clapp

Peter Clemens

Avo Zohrab

Gordon Hayman

Shawn Jolicoeur

Ron Annunziata

Stephen Berg

Larry McConkey

Rob McEwan

Kandace Loewen

Linda Chow

Denyse Nelson

Stacey Butterworth

Alden Bateham

Scott Gordon

Adam Shankman

Sara Barnes

Darin Hollings

Stephen Carr

Ulysses Guidotti

Kendall McCarthy

Allen E. Taylor

Roxanne Dorman

Stephen Tyler

Dan Sissons

Barry Kootchin

Randy Shymkiw

Jeff Habberstad

Marny Eng

James Healy

Rodney Beech

Heather Meehan

Lorraine Jamison

Melissa Bretherton

Louis Cerborino

Guy Barresi

David Cochrane

Tim Heller

Scott Campbell

Mark Fattibene

Julian Bosse

Sean Cossey

Connie Kennedy

Sue Brunell-Edwards

Mandy Tankenson

Crys Forsyth-Smith

Science Fiction

Adventure

Mystery

Mission to Mars

Touchstone Pictures

Spyglass Entertainment

The Jacobson Company

United States of America

Some couples dance, others go to Mars.

It was the year of two Mars based movies, with the other being Red Planet, of Pitch Black and the chaotic history that produced the Supernova. Plenty of sci-fi around but sadly few decent offerings.

Mission to Mars is a film you can see had good ideas on the page, some brainy and emotion based narrative threads. Effects work is OK for the era, while there's a very impressive cast put together to tell the story. Yet the script stinks to high heaven, the surprises are as absent as Martians are, while the steals from previous sci-fi movies grate on the nerves. The odd sequence has quality about it (dancing in space, woo-hoo, storm attack, yay), while the finale - all be it still a steal - is well constructed and further proof that someone somewhere had the kernel of a good story idea, but it's laborious trite and devoid of the basic film principals - to entertain and engage.

So many things wrong here, so much so the names of all involved have been spared. Join this Mission to Mars at your own peril. 4/10

CinemaSerf

When a mission to explore the red planet goes wrong, stranding "Luke" (Don Cheadle) alone on this hostile world, his colleagues "Woody" (Tim Robbins), "Jim" (Gary Sinese), "Terri" (Connie Nielsen) and "Phil" (Jerry O'Connell) put huge pressure on their boss to let them take the spare rocket ship and head to the rescue. After a minimum of persuasion, off they go and are soon in sight of the planet and of an anomaly that is defying their instruments and their instincts. They land, discover their friend is alive and well and that there is a strange construction on the planet that needs investigating. Sense might dictate they go home and return to proceed in greater numbers but there's no taming the inquisitiveness of mankind and, well, the action starts to heat up. To be fair, this film looks very good and the use of visual effects and the spaceship interiors are complementary rather than overwhelming. The dialogue, well that's another story - it's pretty poor from start to finish and the plot itself is fairly derivative (and a bit repetitive, too). The acting is really only adequate, but Brian De Palma does manage to engender a sense of camaraderie amongst his astronauts and a workable sense of menace as the plot develops. Jeopardy? No, not really. Of course some of the crew are going to end up Martian toast and I found the science a little bit implausible as we advance. As a throw-away sci-fi adventure film this works fine and passes two hours effortlessly. If you are looking for anything more cerebral and/or original then perhaps not...

Brian De Palma's Mission to Mars (2000) delivers an engaging space exploration adventure that still holds up as a fascinating depiction of outer space, especially given the limited technical knowledge available at the time. While it may not be flawless in its execution, the film does a commendable job of portraying the challenges and mysteries of space travel.

The performances, particularly from Gary Sinise and Don Cheadle, are standout elements. Their characters bring depth and emotion to the story, grounding the film's high-concept premise with human connection. The storyline is another highlight, offering a plot that’s unpredictable in true De Palma fashion. The layers of mystery and the well-written underlying message keep the audience invested throughout.

The script may not be perfect, with some moments feeling a bit thin, but it works well in service of the overall narrative. Combined with De Palma’s direction, the dialogue and pacing help to maintain the film’s emotional and intellectual impact.

Mission to Mars is a movie for those who appreciate science fiction with a thoughtful touch. Its visuals, strong performances, and engaging plot make it a memorable exploration of both outer space and the human spirit. Even after all these years, it’s a film that remains enjoyable to revisit

English

Mission to Mars (2000) Original Trailer [HD]