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

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

Ennio Morricone

Jim Thomas

Sam Mercer

Stephen H. Burum

Greg Nicotero

Paul Hirsch

John Thomas

Luke Khanlian

Tom Jacobson

Jake Garber

Graham Yost

Ed Verreaux

Aaron Pfau

Thomas Valentine

Scott Patton

Brian De Palma

Lowell Cannon

Andrew Neskoromny

Owen Walstrom

Sanja Milković Hays

Denise Chamian

David R. Anderson

Merrick Rustia

Jeanne Van Phue

Charles Porlier

Benjamin Robin

Garet Reilly

Portia Tickell

Doug Chapman

Chris Soldo

David S. Goyer

Jacqui Lopez

Ted Tally

Justis Greene

Jim Wedaa

Craig Lyn

Jeanie King

Miles Teves

Keith Burk

Rob McEwan

Stephen Tyler

Dan Sissons

James Clyne

Alden Bateham

Darin Hollings

Lin MacDonald

John Marcynuk

Richard Dobbin

Larry McConkey

Linda Chow

Adam Shankman

Jack Gauvreau

Avo Zohrab

Shawn Jolicoeur

Kendall McCarthy

Stephen Berg

Ken Hovgaard

Peter Clemens

Gordon Clapp

Gary Brooks

Scott Gordon

Jennifer Donaldson

Laurah Grijalva

Ron Annunziata

Stacey Butterworth

Barry Kootchin

Ulysses Guidotti

Colman McMahon

John G. Anderson

Denyse Nelson

Sara Barnes

Allen E. Taylor

Ted Van Dorn

Gordon Hayman

Stephen Carr

Kandace Loewen

Roxanne Dorman

Melissa Bretherton

Lynn Andrews

Nicholas Meyers

Rob Young

Jeff Habberstad

Scott Campbell

Charles O'Shea

Julie Adrianson-Neary

Jodi Birdsong

Lorraine Jamison

Kerry Ann Carmean

John Lisman

Julian Bosse

Maurice Schell

Marny Eng

Connie Kennedy

Brennan Doyle

James Healy

Garry Elmendorf

Louis Cerborino

Science Fiction

Adventure

Thriller

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]