Red Planet Mars
|
List Price: Our Price: $3.11 You Save: $6.84 (69%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: DVD See more DVD releases |
|---|
Buy this DVD movie at online store in your country
Canada
Canada
Movie Reviews of Red Planet Mars
Movie Review: The Lord lives on mars
Summary: 5 Stars
An interesting mix of scifi and religion, along the lines of "The next Voice You Hear". I saw this film recently on video. A radio transmission is received from Mars, supposedly being the voice of God. if I remember it correctly, this results in the eastern block getting religion and the overthrow of Communism. This movie is fascinating because it is a reversal of usual scifi fare, even during the 1950s. Usually, these films portray America as the country which needs talking to, and Americans being the people who need to change. This movie is very pro-American and pro-traditional Judeo/Christian values. In essence, the cold war (which was revving up in 1952) is won through the intercession of God him/herself. HEAVY DUTY STUFF, DUDE!!!Movie Review: The Testing of Faith
Summary: 4 Stars
RED PLANET MARS (1952) is one of those rare "message" science fiction movies in which the underlying subtext of faith versus reason overshadows the "hard" aspect of outer space technology. The film is a post war response by Hollywood to confront the onrushing Soviet menace in a manner that did not involve nuclear weapons. Stalin was still alive and threatening to overwhelm the West with a resurgent Russian tidal wave of communism. Director Harry Horner tried a different tack to suggest that the Soviet menace could be diffused in a way that had less to do with wordly might and more with the power of faith. Peter Graves is a scientist who receives covert messages from Mars, the majority of which are technologically based. The resultant furor over an expected merging of Terran with Martian technology collapses the combined economies of the West. The Russian premier is understandably pleased until some newer messages suggest that the historical Jesus Christ was in fact a Martian who preached the Sermon on the Mount in a manner that applied equally well to both East and West. There is an end of film plot complication over the authenticity of this latter message.
In RED PLANET MARS, the faith of humanity is tested on various levels. The Peter Graves character and his wife (Andrea King) have to face the ultimate question of choosing martyrdom to avoid a wordlwide relapse of barbarism. There are numerous and sympathetic scenes of devout Russian peasants who dig up long buried crucifixes and wear them even as they face machine gun toting KGB guards. And there are several vignettes of ordinary folk who believe in the messages and are willing to adjust their lives for the better. The ending which celebrates the triumph of faith over lack of faith rings of other and similar films (THE NEXT VOICE YOU HEAR, THE WAR OF THE WORLDS, and THE DAY OF THE TRIFFIDS). Despite the heavy-handed patina of religion, RED PLANET MARS is an enjoyable foray in the rarely visited realm of cinematic ideas and allows the viewer to think of the possibilities of what humanity could accomplish even if the red planet were not listening to us.
Movie Review: Strange, but charming
Summary: 4 Stars
I had never heard of this peculiar Cold War artifact before. It doesn't feature big names or spectacular effects. This 1952 film doesn't even feature color - B&W was the way they did things. Instead, it has ...
Well, that would be telling. This takes place a few years after WWII, when the disapora of German scientists could be taken for granted. One of those secrets made its way to the West, but the discoverer himself reappeared in Soviet Russia. The power in that balance of power was the ability to communicate by radio with the inhabitants of Mars. After a slow start (using Morse code!), the Martians send wonderful secrets of long life, free power, and an end to hunger. In proper terrestrial style, the people of Earth turn this into catastrophe, rioting to save obsolete jobs, and demanding their slice of the Martian pie before Earth's scientists have a chance to decode the recipe.
It turns out that there is one secret behind all the others, though. Something over-arching, fundamental, flatly unbelievable to many, far too believable to others - and possibly false. There's a message here, one that doesn't work for me, but it doesn't have to. The buildup to it, the Cold War competition down to the final moments, and a little quaint cheesiness make this a real winner.
-- wiredweird
Movie Review: AKA message from Mars
Summary: 4 Stars
The movie was made in a time when everyone was into the red scare. A nuclear family has the means and knowledge to build a device (from public domain information) to transmit to a 1952 version of Mars.
Using a new hydrogen technology Chris Cronyn (Peter Graves) sends a message to Mars. A message appears to return. The content disrupts economics and supports the concept of theocracies over democracies (Iran is a theocracy). However it is not so much the messages that catch your eye, as the 1950's stereotypes. The nuclear family is just missing the family dog. The wife (Andrea King) even thought standing beside her husband is more behind him and is scared of her own shadow. The commies are ruthless and dumb. The president (this is before we started to degrade presidents) is fair and benign. I can go on but you get the idea. Now it is amusing to watch in retrospect. But if any of these people existed today it would be scary.
Peter Graves gets to play the good guy "look to the future" father.
Marvin Miller (Arjenian) the confused bad guy (typical 50's commie) can bee seen again as Michael Anthony in the 1955 TV series "Millionaire, The"
Movie Review: not what most people would expect
Summary: 4 Stars
Interesting take on what would happen to society when intelligent life is found and contacted.
After watching this I can see why the government would want to cover up such a discovery.