Mission Mars

The year: 1968. The movie "2001: A Space Odyssey" sets new technological and intellectual standards in the SF genre. Likewise 1968: The movie "Mission Mars" sets new standards of daftness and technological incompetence in the SF genre. The unsuitable, excruciating title song "No More Tears", sung by Sturg Pardalis (sic!) and played by "The Forum Quorum", already makes you fear the worst. The film introduces us then to the personal and family problems of three astronauts who are chosen to fly to Mars. After this long (very long) intro and lots of Nasa stock footage the movie really gets nonsensical. The "spaceship" is nothing more than a slightly altered tin-can, the helmets of the space suits are open beneath the chin, and the scenes on "Mars" were shot on a very small sound stage without the illusion of a horizon. While Darren McGavin carries this whole nonsense with remarkable seriousness, Nick Adams seems not to be very happy with his part in this trash. "Mission Mars" is a low budget movie better suited for the 50s, but without the charm of most of the SF movies of this period. It's theatrical, third-rate and was already very dated when it was produced.

I was there. Here's the true story about the open space helmets on Mars. When Darren McGavin first donned his helmet, it was a bad fit and mashed his nose, his most prominent facial feature. He angrily ripped it off, threw it against the sound stage wall (it shattered), and stomped off the Mars set, vowing not to return until the problem was rectified. With time being money and money scarce on this ultra low budget film, the films designer -- possibly hung over -- rushed out and bought and painted some motorcycle helmets. I, as a gopher and the only person on the crew who could type, was ordered to quickly write a few lines of dialogue indicating that the mission crew back on earth had just discovered that there was sufficient oxygen in the Mars atmosphere to permit simplified helmets that only needed to augment the oxygen supply. (That information was revealed in a brief en route scene on the space ship....which may have been edited out...not sure.)(As another reviewer has noted, I discovered through quick research, that this was considered a possibility.) Thus, Darren was back on the set later the same day. There's also the story of the dump truck which, when backing into the set with a load of "Martian sand," fell through a temporarily constructed plywood covering into a giant pit in the center of the sound stage. It took a day to get it pulled up out of the pit. Why, you ask, was Mars being recreated indoors? Because the day before a local Florida mini-tornado roared through destroying the outdoor Martian landscape it had taken days to construct. Let's face it....it was probably a mistake to film a sci-fi special effects film anywhere in the USA outside of Hollywood. - Lance Webster (the director's son, the 24 and just out of college. Now 68.)

Don't let poor reviews scare you off any movie. All movies have some value to someone. For example, this was one of my childhood memories. I'm 46 now and have waited almost 40 years to find this and finally I have it. I am thrilled. Any poor effects or dated look or whatever are inconsequential to me. I was really excited to see it again. And I feel the same way about several other movies, and I'm sure everyone has movies they feel that way about. Don't take it all these movies so seriously! Some are just plain fun, and certainly a reminder of more innocent times. So enjoy, no matter how silly it may seem by today's standards.

Oh ...my....goodness. Darren McGavin is a talented actor. Nick Adams is a talented actor. While I think they did the best they could, this is simply dreadful. I sincerely hope their checks cashed because there cannot possibly be any other reason for agreeing to be involved in this cinematic disaster. One problem is that Nick Adams had very little to do. He can always be counted on to give a good performance but fiddling with some kind of dial for the majority of the picture is a misuse of his skill. I am not a science fiction fan so the story needs to be compelling to engage me. Sadly, this ain't it. I truly admire actors: they are the most underemployed group of people I know. So many talented people and not enough quality work for them. Darren McGavin lived to put this disaster behind him. He is fondly remembered for other, better roles. Sadly, Nick Adams did not live long enough to see his career turn around as well, which it very likely would have. So many actors have had second acts to their careers and he could certainly have thrived in supporting roles. I have read the other reviews and know that this film has a special place in some people's lives. Good to know. I will watch another episode of The Rebel or Saints and Sinners to see Nick Adams in a much more worthy vehicle.

This is a strange oddity of a film. It's poorly made in all respects, some scenes have the cinematography and production values of a porn film, yet Darren McGavin and Nick Adams both wound up in this doing the best with what they had. It was shot at the *very* cramped Sagitarius studios in Miami, sometime in late 1967 in someone's attempt to make a "Miami Hollywood" area in Florida. Adams was in a career slump at the time and had personal problems(divorce and custody battles which ensued) which probably led him to accept a role for any money he could get. He apparently got a severe sun burn during his mini-vacay stay in Miami which is why he looks red as a beet in several scenes(not from embarrassment) Sadly this was also Adam's last film he made, before his untimely and mysterious death in Feburary 1968-he never got to see it. It was the second time in his career he would play an astronaut-the first was the superior Toho film MONSTER ZERO(Kaiju Daisenso, 1965 which was released in the US in l970,also after his death). McGavin must have also needed money too for a couple of mortgage payments,or wanted a Florida vacation, or someone knew him and he did a favor. He looks closest to the age of his character Kolchak which would be five years in the future. The FX work is very cheap, it is rife with NASA Apollo footage(easy and cheap to get at the time). Some attention was paid to the miniature Martian landscapes and at least they hold some accuracy and detail. The rest of the miniatures such as the alien "Polarites" and the aluminum foil alien device, look badly done and,like the best efforts of 8mm home made SF films some of us did in our youth.