Search - Red Planet on DVD

MPAA Rating: PG-13 Content Advisory: Violence, Brief Nudity, Adult Language Movie Release: 2000 DVD Release: 03/27/2001 Format: DVD - Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV Audio Tracks: English, French Subtitles: English, French SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 1 hrs 47 mins Studio: Warner Home Video Total Copies: 34 Genres: Science Fiction, Space Adventure, Psychological Sci-Fi

An effort to circumvent global catastrophe becomes a disaster in its own right in this science fiction thriller. In the year 2050, Earth is on the verge of ecological disaster, and the Mars Terraforming Project has been created in hopes of making our neighboring planet habitable so that a colony of Earthlings might begin a new civilization there. But the project goes awry, and Commander Kate Bowman (Carrie-Anne Moss) is put in charge of a rescue mission to set the system back on its feet. Bringing along astronaut Robby Gallagher (Val Kilmer) and scientists Dr. Quinn Burchenal (Tom Sizemore) and Dr. Bud Chantillas (Terrence Stamp), Bowman and her crew set out for Mars, but disaster strikes and the landing craft crashes into the red planet. The crew is stranded without communications as Bowman struggles to find a way to get them home; to make matters worse, the robot that was designed to serve and protect them has gone haywire, and is now attempting to hunt them down as prey. Red Planet was originally to have been released as Mars, but the producers changed the title to avoid confusion with Mission to Mars, released earlier the same year. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Val Kilmer - Robby Gallagher
Carrie-Anne Moss - Kate Bowman
Tom Sizemore - Quinn Burchenal
Benjamin Bratt - Ted Santen
Simon Baker - Chip Pettengill
Terence Stamp - Bud Chantilas

One of two Mars-themed films to touch down in theaters in 2000, Red Planet was arguably the better-received. Now with its release on DVD, courtesy of Warner Bros., viewers can decide for themselves. One thing's for sure -- the picture and sound are top-flight. With a crystal-clear 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer, the picture immerses the viewers in the rocky Martian terrain and the glittering starscapes above it. The Dolby Digital 5.1 Sound is given many opportunities to shine here as well. Instead of merely jacking it up during action scenes, the sound design here is uniform and well used throughout the feature. But the disc plummets to Earth when it comes to the extras. To put it bluntly, there are none, save for a 15-minute reel of deleted scenes and a very skimpy cast list. While the excised scenes are certainly interesting to watch, they don't compensate entirely for the lack of a commentary, featurette, or even a trailer. Still, the excellent picture and sound make =Red Planet worth a look, if perhaps not a buy. ~ Jeremy Brown, All Movie Guide