Celebrate NASA rover’s landing by watching these 12 films about the Red Planet.
To celebrate the NASA rover landing, here are 12 awesome films about the Red Planet
Mars is all the rage these days.
It’s getting a ton of press as a flurry of space activity descends on the fourth planet from the sun. Two rovers (one each from the U.S. and China) are set to touch down in the days ahead and a spacecraft from the United Arab Emirates swung into orbit recently as well.
So, Mars is definitely cool — and we’re not just saying that because it’s farther away from the sun than us.
Of course, you don’t have to tell Hollywood filmmakers that the red planet is awesome. They’ve known that for years and have a long history of mining Mars for awe-inspiring story ideas.
It dates back more than 100 years — to the early decades of filmmaking — with one of the first offerings being “A Trip to Mars,” which was released by Thomas Edison’s film production company in 1910. (Don’t get that one confused with the 1918 Danish film of the same name.)
In honor of the historic space missions underway, we thought the time was right to look back at some of the greatest Mars movies of all time. We decided to pick mainly from movies that are set — partially or fully — on Mars, as opposed to ones where the Martians invaded our planet. So, yeah, don’t expect to see
“Mars Attacks” on this list.
Here are the top 12 Mars movies of all time.
‘Total Recall’ (1990)
It’s a first-tier Arnold Schwarzenegger vehicle, perhaps just a notch or so below those first two “Terminator” films, and filled with plenty of great special effects and an intriguing storyline about a rebellion happening on planet Mars as the 21st century draws to a close. The stylishly directed film, helmed by Paul Verhoeven (“Basic Instinct,” “Showgirls,” “RoboCop,” “Starship Troopers”), was a massive hit at the box office. (Available on several platforms.)
‘Rocketship X-M’ (1950)
This classic black-and-white sci-fi outing, which is also known by the titles of “Expedition Moon” and “Rocketship Expedition Moon,” tells the fictional story of humankind’s first trip into outer space. The goal is to reach the moon. But they overshoot it and instead land on Mars. Oops! Now, they’ll have to address a group of barbaric Martians who are still dealing with the aftereffects of an atomic war. That’ll teach the astronauts for not using Google Maps. (Available on Amazon Prime.)
‘The Martian’ (2015)
Matt Damon shows once again why he’s one of the top actors in the solar system as he plays astronaut Mark Watney, who is stranded alone on Mars after the rest of his team is forced to flee the planet due to a massive dust storm. The film is directed by Ridley Scott (“Alien”), who certainly knows a thing or two about making great space films, and features an all-star cast that includes Jessica Chastain, Jeff Daniels and Kristen Wiig. It’s based on the novel of the same name by Bay Area native Andy Weir. (Available on several platforms.)
‘Santa Claus Conquers the Martians’ (1965)
It’s frequently ranked among the worst films ever made, but we say that any flick that has been featured on both “Mystery Science Theater 3000” and “Elvira’s Movie Macabre” is one that everyone needs to see (preferably very late at night). The title itself should sell this movie, but, for those who need more, also consider that the film features 11-year-old Pia Zadora in the role of one of the Martian children. (Available on several platforms.)
‘Mission to Mars’ (2000)
Sure, it might only be the 173rd best film based on a Disney attraction, yet we’ll watch anything directed by horror master Brian De Palma (“Carrie,” “Scarface”) and this tale of a Mars mission gone wrong is pretty intriguing. It also features a star-studded cast that includes Gary Sinise, Tim Robbins, Don Cheadle, Connie Nielsen, Jerry O’Connell and Kim Delaney. (Available on several platforms.)
‘Ghosts of Mars’ (2001)
Remember what we said about De Palma? It goes double for John Carpenter, even when the legendary “Halloween” director delivers such an uneven oddity as this box office bomb starring Natasha Henstridge, Ice Cube, Jason Statham and Pam Grier. Yet, we’re charmed by the film’s campiness, which may or may not have been intentional. (Available on several platforms.)
‘Mars Needs Moms’ (2011)
Don’t confuse this film with “Mars Needs Women,” the 1968 offering from famed schlockmeister Larry Buchanan. This one’s an animated Disney flick, based on a book of the same name by Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist Berkeley Breathed (best known for the strip “Bloom County”), and tells the story of a young boy who has been grounded for feeding broccoli to his cat but finds redemption by rescuing his mom from Martians. (Available on Disney+ and several other platforms.)
‘Watchmen’ (2009)
It’s mostly set on Earth, but one of the
key storylines takes place on Mars with Dr. Manhattan, the incomprehensibly powerful blue super being who doesn’t wear pants. The film is pretty good, but the original DC graphic novel is better. If you enjoy this one, maybe try the excellent HBO series of the same name. (Available on several platforms.)
‘Robinson Crusoe on Mars’ (1964)
We’re pretty sure that this was the story that Daniel Defoe hoped to come up with when he originally sat down to write the classic 1719 novel “Robinson Crusoe.” So, really, all literary historians should make it a point to see this film. Plus, it stars Adam “Batman” West and deserves to be
included here, as one Twitter user points out, “based on the chimpanzee in an astronaut’s helmet alone.” (Available on several platforms.)
‘Species II’ (1998)
The second offering from the over-thetop sci-fi horror franchise “Species” begins with a mission to Mars. While exploring the red planet, some astronauts decide that it will be a really good idea to bring some soil samples back on the spacecraft. They were wrong. (Available on several platforms.)
‘The Angry Red Planet’ (1959)
It’s one of those classic ’50s sci-fi flicks best enjoyed on a rainy Sunday afternoon with a big bowl of popcorn and ample Red Vines. The selling points are many — including a ludicrous script, plenty of unintentional comedy and groovy special effects — but the real reason to watch this film (also known as “Invasion of Mars” and “Journey to Planet Four”) is that it boasts one of the best monsters in film history. Beware the Martian Rat-Bat-Spider! (Available on several platforms.)
‘Capricorn One’ (1978)
We’ll conclude our rundown of top Mars movies with this space-themed thriller, which, granted, doesn’t exactly meet the criteria of our list. Yet, we’re making an exception because we love a good conspiracy flick — and this one, dealing with a government plot to fake a trip to Mars, certainly qualifies in that regard. The film stars Elliott Gould with James Brolin, Sam Waterston and O.J. Simpson.