Mission Mars

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.

I came across this film after watching a TV episode of Hondo that featured Nick Adams as the Apache Kid, a Native American killer on the run, killing anyone that crosses his path regardless of skin color. This sparked my interest in seeing more of his final roles. I liked watching Nick as a kid doing Japanese monster movie flicks 1965's "Godzilla vs. Monster Zero" and "Frankenstein Conquers the World," but my favorite role of his that I've seen was as Homer, the Polish displaced person in the Steve McQueen WWII 1962 action film "Hell is for Heroes." The fact that he died in 1968, in his mid-30s of an prescription overdose (with disputed motives, the death certificate lists "accident; suicide; undetermined") and was friends with people like Elvis, James Dean and Robert Conrad, give anything he is in much more interest to me than if he had lived and done a ton of low budget films and TV over a long life. As it is, Nick who died in Feb. 1968, is listed in 3 films and a TV show for 1968, so he was a pretty busy actor. This is about the last thing Nick was in and its on Youtube so I wanted to check it out after watching him in Hondo (his 5th to last credit) wearing a ridiculous amount of dark make up (and a long black wig). I have to say that I have watched many dozens of old sci-fi films, some being unwatchable by today's standards but I usually enjoy them for their low budget and bad acting and scripts, so I will say that Mission Mars was fun for me to watch all the way through. My wife also watched it with me, so she was entertained and she is not a low budget film fan like me. The film, to me, is not to be taken too literally, one needs a dose of suspension of belief with any space film. The same year Mission to Mars was released, 2001: A Space Odyssey was released (two months apart), and as great as that film is, one needs a suspension of belief because that's not real either! I watched Mission Mars as more a fantasy sci-fi film than as a true depiction of space travel. I also think that this film is different than other low budget sci-fi films of the same time like The Doomsday Machine in that it has art film elements in it with quick edit sequences using hip music, so the film is really trying to be different than the standard 1960s Sunday matinee film for 10 year olds. Take for instance the opening titles with a smooth rock song playing transitioning to a cool intro sequence, very different than the standard sci-fi film which is usually some synth "space" tones playing with a star backdrop. I enjoyed the catchy tune so much I looked it up on Youtube alone and someone posted it for me to enjoy again later! Further research says that Motown producer Hal Davis (The Jackson Five) formed the musical group The Forum Quorum (a soul sounding rock group with white teens) and that they released a full album (info available if you search for it)! Other music used included jazz beats like bongos, so they were trying to separate this film from just another low budget action film. A lot seems to be written about the use of motorcycle helmets being used as space helmets (thanks for the personal review with details into why that happened!), I say that if you are watching this kind of film you are missing out on a lot more realism than that and again (the stock footage of different rockets launching should clue one in), the suspension of belief factor needs to be high to really enjoy this film. The aliens are done artistically as well as opposed to a Roger Corman film, this American film has many elements of style that one would see in a 1960s Japanese, Italian, or Eastern European space film, I was enjoying it. Remember what Kubrick used for alien life in 2001:ASO? A still monolith with deep vocal tones playing? You see what happened there, suspension of belief? Going back to Nick Adams, he looks like he's going bald here, he clearly looks like he's starting to age rapidly on screen, sad. I did enjoy his performance though in that it was about his last and this was all I would ever get. Besides my interest in Nick Adams, Darren McGavin of The Night Stalker fame also stars in this film. So, you have two very famous cult actors together in a cheap sci-fi film, this is nerd heaven. Other cast tie in's are that this is the same director that did Santa Claus Conquers the Martians and the same producer that did The Fat Spy, two other cult films. Despite its low budget, Mission Mars sets itself apart in its execution and is highly recommended for fans of McGavin and Adams. 7 of 10. RIP Nick.

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.)

A top notch film with great handling of a tiny budget to show that it is not always the case that you need to spend a fortune to create interesting if not flash special effects.Also a first rate cast of B movie actors,and a catchy theme score. Ok it is easy to pull this film to pieces but if you take it at face value it is very entertaining.

Greetings And Salutations, and welcome to my review of Mission Mars; here's the breakdown of my ratings:

Story: 1.25 Direction: 1.00 Pace: 0.75 Acting: 1.25 Enjoyment: 1.25

TOTAL: 5.50 out of 10.00

Mission Mars is your atypical B-Movie on a budget: And a severe one at that. There is much to dislike, especially if you're looking for flawlessness. But should you be like me and a tad more forgiving and understanding, then some of the film's downfalls may find a warm place in your heart and memory. For me, it was the rocket ships. I'll get into that in more detail later.

The plot is your basic race-to-the-stars storyline. Man still had yet to land on the moon when this picture came out. But here, we find the race between the Russian Cosmonauts and the American Astronauts is to get from the Earth and to Mars first. What usually drives a story such as this is characterisation. Since we are to spend a lot of time with these space explorers, it's the ideal way to get to know them. And once we relate to them and their situations, when the action and mysterious events begin, we find ourselves in their corner and cheering them on. And the screenwriter Michael St Clair does an admirable job of this. We get to know the crew, Col. Blaiswick - an easy leader of men - a thoughtful problem solver, Nick Grant - a geologist who is unafraid to put himself above the mission and his colleagues, and Doug Duncan - Second in command and as logical and practical as his commander. Luckily, these three have a good relationship, which makes the long journey to the red planet an easy star trek. Their conversations are credible and believable. Most hold a hint of humour and warmheartedness, which propels a positive feeling toward the audience. In this day and age of bleakness, it was nice to feel upbeat watching a movie, and it's the main reason I'm reviewing older films - they're not as dire as today's box office. Sadly, due to the low budget and monetary hindrances in filmmaking, it would have been advisable to make the story as strong as possible. Had St. Clair carried his individual characteristics into the unknown and possibly deadly alien orb, it would have added more power to the Sci-Fi tale. Sadly he doesn't, and the story begins to falter when it should become intriguing.

It doesn't help that the special effects are shoddy due to the lack of budget. As I said above, the spaceships are fantastic, but for the wrong reasons. As a kid, I watched Blue Peter, and I remember a section where they put together a couple of Space Rockets. These were cobbled together from washing-up bottles and the ubiquitous sticky-backed plastic. And the ships in Mission Mars look precisely like Blue Peter's creations. So I had a tinge of nostalgia every time I saw them. But better yet, was the Mars landing vehicle, which appeared to be a Campbell's soup can - enter remembrances of Andy Warhol. However, I cannot reminisce about the alien orb. The first time I saw it, it didn't look too awful. I even liked the abstract shape of the orb's security monitor - at least the special effects team was getting inventive. However, later in the movie, when we watch Grant walk into the sphere, it's less impressive - The special effects crew swapped the crystalline orb for a fluffy white ball with a painted black oval, representing an open doorway. And worse comes when Grant reaches the alien object, for we realise the sphere isn't as large and ominous as previously thought. No! It's not much taller than Grant as he needs to duck down to enter. And let's not get started on our astronaut's spaceship's controls or fittings. Nevertheless, even with the poor special effects, the director, Nicholas Webster, does the best with what he's given. His strongest scenes are the ones containing the performers. He knows how to frame them for the best results and appears to know how to get the most from them.

The cast is the best thing about this movie. Darren McGavin, who went on to portray Kolchak, gives a strong performance as Col. Blaiswick. He adds power, drive, and conviction to the role. And the rest of the cast is just as believable and credible in their performances.

I wouldn't highly recommend Mission Mars to anyone. At best, it's a Lazy Sunday Afternoon flick - a movie you can doze off while watching and not regret missing anything. And if you stay awake, you should enjoy it enough to realise it was worth your while. But it is only for the Sci-Fi fans that like and prefer Ye Olde Space Travel Movies. And should anyone out there remember the Blue Peter washing up bottle spaceships, give Mission Mars a look-see and let the nostalgia wash over you.

Now, fire up those boosters, and let's get off this damned red planet because you have to check out my The Final Frontier list to see where I ranked Mission Mars.

Take Care & Stay Well.