Hollywood has at all times been a copycat trade, and there are numerous cases of two motion pictures of comparable natures, settings, and themes being in improvement on the similar time and launched in shut proximity to one another. Only a fast sampling of this ongoing mirroring impact consists of “Deep Star Six” and “Leviathan”, “Dante’s Peak” and Volcano,” and “Deep Impact” and “Armageddon.”
So it isn’t precisely a cosmic coincidence that “Mission to Mars” and “Purple Planet,” a pair of big-budget Tinseltown sci-fi tasks centered round Earth’s mysterious neighbor, have been each launched eight months aside in 2000 and at the moment are celebrating their twenty fifth anniversaries in 2025. However is one actually superior to the opposite?
We have cut up the distinction on their launch dates and determined to pit these two Mars heavyweights, directed by Brian De Palma and Antony Hoffman, towards one another within the harsh ring of standard opinion (that means mine!) and find out how they fare when matched head-to-head. Which takes a photo voltaic system victory lap? Nicely, neither of them actually, however that is placing the house cart earlier than the Martian horse. Let’s get our asses to Mars and you may see what I imply.
‘Mission to Mars’ vs ‘Purple Planet’: Plot
“Mission To Mars” is an optimistic movie that chronicles the primary manned mission to Mars that ends in tragedy when a raging pink cyclone wipes out your entire crew however leaves one survivor after an historic domed construction is revealed formed like a humanoid face (ala the Cydonia conspiracy concept).
A rescue operation is mounted, and after touchdown, the metallic visage turns into a shelter from a large mud storm. Inside, they be taught that Mars was hit by a killer asteroid billions of years in the past, requiring an evacuation of the Martians to a protected planet. Throughout their escape, DNA seeds have been planted on Earth, revealing that people are descended from fleeing Purple Planet residents. One of many astronauts volunteers to hitch a experience to the brand new Martian dwelling in one other galaxy.
“Purple Planet,” then again, begins issues off with the drained outdated “Earth is now uninhabitable” trope in a story of Martian terraforming gone mistaken. When oxygen-generating algae on the planet vanish, a crew is distributed it examine and crash lands together with a malfunctioning military-grade robotic canine named AMEE (Autonomous Mapping Analysis and Evasion).
The crew should attempt to keep alive and save themselves from the twitchy canine machine whereas looking for options to avoid wasting a dying Earth by looking on Mars and discovering algae-eating nematodes! Far darker and extra pessimistic than “Mission to Mars,” it is effectively executed with fashion and emotion.
‘Mission to Mars’ vs ‘Purple Planet’: Solid
Probably the most recognizable names within the “Mission to Mars” forged are Tim Robbins, Gary Sinise, Connie Nielsen, Jerry O’Connell, Kim Delaney, Don Cheadle, and Armin Mueller-Stahl. It is a well-balanced group that does a good job inside the screenplay’s melodramatic restrictions, although the nice Tim Robbins does appear out of his factor as a cigar-smoking spaceman who makes a courageous sacrifice for his spouse. Sinese, a nice actor, being forged as an astronaut once more, simply 5 years after “Apollo 13” is just distracting.
“Purple Planet” put collectively one other worthy ensemble, together with Val Kilmer, Carrie-Anne Moss, Tom Sizemore, Benjamin Bratt, Simon Baker, and Terence Stamp. The weak, closely recycled plot (apart from the psychotic robo-pooch) means there’s little or no chemistry cast on display. On-set tensions between Kilmer and Sizemore apparently got here to a boiling level and an precise fistfight – if solely that emotion might have made it by way of to the ultimate product!
‘Mission to Mars’ vs ‘Purple Planet’: Director
Brian De Palma has a formidable physique of labor on his resume in movies like “Carrie,” “The Fury,” “Dressed To Kill,” “Scarface,” “The Untouchables,” “Carlito’s Method,” and “Mission: Not possible.”
For “Mission To Mars”, the picket sci-fi materials appears to slide from his veteran filmmaker’s grasp, and the on-the-nose script does him no favors. It is at all times painful to observe good actors having to recite terrible traces like, “Mars is yours now. Go get it.” His bland route lacks any chunk, however he was merely right here as a employed gun.
“Purple Planet” was the primary and solely characteristic movie directed by native South African filmmaker Antony Hoffman, who was effectively often known as a gifted cinematographer and journalist earlier than coming to L.A. to develop into a business director for an eclectic roster of worldwide shoppers. One in every of his best hits was directing the award-winning 1996 Budweiser “Clydesdales Soccer” Tremendous Bowl business. He is additionally well-respected for high-octane automotive adverts for elite automobile manufacturers like Lamborghini, Lexus, and Ferrari.
‘Mission to Mars’ vs ‘Purple Planet’: Field Workplace
With a price range simply north of $100 million, and launched underneath Disney’s Touchstone Photos banner on March 6, 2000, “Mission to Mars” wanted to drag in not less than $250 million to interrupt even when accounting for advertising and marketing. The grand world whole was tallied at $110 million when 3,100 theaters counted all their pennies.
The one factor extra disappointing than the field workplace was the reception, because the 24% rating on Rotten Tomatoes demonstrates properly.
It might be worse, although, as for “Purple Planet”, Warner Bros. Photos and Village Roadshow Photos pitched in an estimated $80 million for this sci-fi journey, however audiences weren’t impressed when it was first launched on November 10, 2000.
It at present garners only a 14% Rotten Tomatoes cumulative rating, and when the pink mud settled, it collected solely $33 million worldwide in 2,700 theaters, which was a significant monetary failure for the studios and much faraway from breaking even. Because it was the second Mars launch of the calendar 12 months, audiences doubtless tuned out and selected different flicks to spend their money on.
‘Mission to Mars’ vs ‘Purple Planet’: Winner?
After cautious contemplation, I am giving this one to Purple Planet, however solely by the thinnest of margins.
Regardless of “Mission to Mars” having a extra attention-grabbing screenplay from a strict storytelling standpoint — and strong visible results from ILM, Tippet Studios, Quest Photographs, and different outfits — the customarily laughable, corny dialogue and tacky inspirational banter between the astronauts is simply dreadful. There’s no authenticity injected into their interactions, and the characters are stiffly drawn and formulaic, as if making an attempt to emulate higher motion pictures like “The Proper Stuff” and “Apollo 13.”
The hackneyed exposition dump serving as an ending is correct out of a foul made-for-TV particular. And do not forget the terrible CGI Martian ambassador, boring, unmemorable rating, and cringeworthy zero-g dance scene scored to Van Halen’s classic anthem, “Dance the Evening Away.” De Palma deserved higher, however hey, a paycheck is a paycheck.
“Purple Planet” may not have the higher plot, however its suspenseful scenes involving good problem-solving really make for a extra riveting film general, with a superior hybrid rating by composer Graeme Revell that features modern songs by Peter Gabriel, Sting, Emma Shapplin and William Orbit. It additionally advantages from Antony Hoffman’s slick, bold units, immersive sound design, cooler spacesuits, flashy camerawork, saturated coloration palette, and daring cinematic edits. This movie is not any traditional by any stretch of the definition, however it takes the prize between two infamous Mars entries of 2000.
If you wish to have your personal double-feature watch occasion quickly to rejoice the silver anniversary of two high-profile Mars motion pictures, then you might have a couple of choices. Within the US, Mission to Mars is available to stream on Fubo, whereas within the UK it is on Disney+.
Red Planet is available to watch for free on Hoopla, offered you might have a legitimate library card. In any other case, you may lease or purchase it digitally at Amazon, Apple TV, and all the opposite standard suspects.