Wednesday, January 8, 2014



THE LAST DAYS ON MARS (2013) – A Review

This is one of those films that just kind of gets dumped into a handful of theaters on its way to a DVD release, generating more questions than excitement. Why was it made? It’s not a terrible film, so why didn’t it get a wider release and/or more of a promotional push? Lord knows worse films than this have gotten full-blown releases and ad campaigns. But, does the fact that at least five versions of the poster for the film exist speak to an uncertainty of how to market it? And, on a more local level, why did our local independent theater book this? (Not that I’m complaining, mind you, it just seems a little out of character.)

 
Anyway, The Last Days on Mars stars Liev Schreiber as a somewhat nervous astronaut who is part of a scientific team exploring Mars. Another member of the team discovers a bacterial life form in the most personal of ways: It infects him, turning him into a bloodthirsty proto-zombie who can survive both in the oxygen of the scientist’s base, and in the airless Martian atmosphere. It is probably unnecessary to explain that other members of the team become infected, and bad things happen.

 
Let me do the very simple movie math for you on this one: 28 Days Later (2002) divided by Ghosts of Mars (2001) plus the ending from Alien (1979) equals The Last Days on Mars.

So, is it derivative? Yeah. Is the plot (zombies…on Mars!) simple? Yeah. Did I enjoy it? Yeah. I liked the fact that they didn’t spend an unseemly amount of money to make this. The small budget also means that the CGI effects were kept to a minimum. And the film did manage to generate some moments of dread that were enjoyable. If there’d been just a little more light in a few scenes, and a little less herky-jerky camera work (to allow you to actually see what was going on), this would have been a lot more effective. Still, it did the job. My wife, who is a fan of both sci-fi and zombies, enjoyed it very much. When we saw it in the theater last night, there was only one other person there.

Which brings me back to the questions in the first paragraph…Still, if you’re like my wife, and are a fan of sci-fi and/or zombies, you could do a lot worse than this.

 

4 comments:

  1. Thank you for posting this review. I host a blog for a Corvallis area film festival, http://crossroadsosu.blogspot.com/ please visit us when you get a chance. I picked up your flyer at the Darkside Cinema and am impressed with your blog. The Crossroads International Film Festival features six engaging films from around the world. Screenings are each Sunday in February at the Darkside Cinema. Let me know if you are interested in reviewing any of our 2014 films. Happy blogging!

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  2. Hey Sam, thanks for the note. We saw the ad for the CIFF last night, and looked for the schedule in the lobby per instructions, but couldn't find any. But we're looking forward to the festival. I've seen THE DISH, and remember it fondly. It's the film that inspired my mother to comment that Patrick Warburton is "the most handsome man alive." So yes, my mother is insane. See you at the CIFF!

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  3. We should have schedules at the Darkside within the next few days, they are at the printers. Thanks! Yes, "The Dish" is a fun film, we like to mix in a classic among the more recent films.

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  4. And held over here for a second week...It's LAST DAYS ON MARS.

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