Mission to Mars : Brian De Palma’s Sci-Fi Experience
After the success of Mission Impossible (1996), and the honorable score of Snake-eyes (1998), Brian DePalma cast in his only science fiction film: Mission to Mars (2000). An ambitious space adventure with expensive special effects for the time, which raised the budget to 100 million dollars. The production did not make a profit in theaters, grossing only 110 million dollars worldwide. However, Brian De Palma’s feature film remains interesting in more ways than one and deserves at least a second viewing. This is possible thanks to France Télévision which offers it for free on its platform until September 10, 2024.
The mission to Mars takes place in 2020, as NASA decides to send a team of astronauts on the red planet. After their arrival, the crew members are confronted with strange phenomena. During an excursion, a thunderstorm claims several victims and reveals a large humanoid face. An emergency rescue mission is then organized.
With this film Brian De Palma refers to the “Face of Mars”a strange shape that appeared in images of the planet taken in 1976. Years later, images with better resolution showed that it was simply an eroded hill. However, Brian De Palma imagined from there a pure science fiction story around the origins of the Earth (based on real theories), approached with humanism, far from the cynicism of his previous productions.
Avoid gender clichés
When he first ventured into the science fiction genre, Brian De Palma wanted to do it avoid certain clichés. So, he begins his film with a barbecue sequence where the crew meets before leaving for space. A part that allows us to introduce the protagonists and humanize them. Thus, the director hypothesizes an ellipse in his story, to avoid showing the trip to Marsas he explained in his interviews with Samuel Blumenfeld and Laurent Vachaud.
I wanted to avoid all these clichés. I also didn’t want to film a rocket launch or a trip to Mars. Especially because there would be a second mission afterwards. I didn’t want to see the ship landing on Mars, you’ve seen all that in many films. (…) And I also wanted to be very sparing in the use of Martian landscapes. I think the rarer this type of shot is, the stronger the impression it makes on the viewer.
Obviously, whoever says space adventure assumes special effects. Something that Brian De Palma has used little in his career. With Mission to Marsit was only the second time (after Mission Impossible) used by the director to the synthetic images. And their design particularly bothered him.
I couldn’t stand to see these images anymore. The first sequence on Mars with the robot sneaking into the canyon, I watched it unfold for a year! In my film there are six hundred shots that use computer graphics. When you know that The Phantom Menace had over two thousand, you understand why Lucas is the only one who can make Star Wars movies.
A film to be watched through the eyes of a child
However, if the production of computer-generated images was laborious for Brian De Palma, as a spectator he appreciated them. Especially in front of The Phantom Menace. A movie”Surprising“in his eyes, in”stunning visual“, which pleases Mission to Mars has not been spared from criticism. However, according to the director, the two works have in common the fact that they must be seen through the eyes of a child.
What people don’t understand is that you have to look at it through the eyes of a child. George’s film is clearly a children’s film, characterized by naivety. (…) The Phantom Menace and my film are not cynical at all. They are full of innocent people. You have to go into it abandoning your prejudices. If you start being sarcastic, it’s over, you won’t have fun!
Upon his release, The Phantom Menace had been pointed out as too childish. For his part, Mission to Mars remains more oriented towards an adult audience, although far from the filmmaker’s dark works. Ultimately, Brian De Palma was forced to finish the film in a hurry study pressure who wanted to release the film earlier red planet (2000). An emergency that was”completely irrational“according to him.
Mission to Mars It is available for free on French television until September 10, 2024.
Source: Cine Serie
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