There are not enough films set on Mars. “Red Planet” is not a ground-breaking sci-fi film but I did find myself enjoying it because there is just something so fascinating with the idea of exploring another world.

In the future, environmental issues are going to doom Earth so scientists have planted algae on Mars to start terraforming the planet for colonisation. When the oxygen produced by the algae appears to be dropping, a team of astronauts are sent on the first manned mission to the ‘Red Planet’ to find out why. The trip goes awry and the search for a way for mankind to survive becomes increasingly desperate.

The film has a very small cast but that works rather well. Carrie-Ann Moss (“The Matrix”, “Memento”) stars as Bowman (a clear nod to “2001: A Space Odyssey”) and she does a really good job. Val Kilmer (“Tombstone”) and Terence Stamp (“Superman II”) are entertaining as well. Benjamin Bratt (“Miss Congeniality”), Simon Baker (“The Devil Wears Prada”) and Tom Sizemore (“Black Hawk Down”) are okay. Nobody gives a bad performance and that is arguably the most important fact. The film also features a robot that joins the astronauts but the special effects for it are a little underwhelming.

“Red Planet” is not one of the more visually pleasing sci-fi films. Sure, the Mars landscapes look great but the special effects throughout the movie look rather mediocre and I think that is a shame. However, the ideas are intriguing and I think some of the performances help the film a lot. I also like the way that film drops some early hints about what went wrong on Mars and I like the way that is able to reveal what happened without descending into a brainless picture. I’m recommending “Red Planet” but viewers that are not particularly into science-fiction might want to skip it.