Review by Justin Bateman
Stars Mark Duplass, Zoe Simpson, Paul Gordon, Howe Gelb, Kinky Friedman, Liza Weil, James Kochalka, Cynthia Watros, Michael Dolan, Charissa Allen, Elena Araoz
Written by Geoff Marslett
Certification TBC
Runtime 82 minutes
Directed by Geoff Marslett
The world can be depressing and joyless place at times but while it’s important to cover the more serious aspects of life in film, just occasionally it’s nice to be reminded that it is possible to tell a story purely to entertain – even if it means crossing the universe to do so. Geoff Marslett’s Mars shows that even with a modest budget, as long as you have enough imagination, a story with as big a scope as a trip to the red planet is possible.
Set in the near future, the plot revolves around Charlie Brownsville (Duplass), a celebrity astronaut who has been commissioned as the face of a mission to discover whether life exists on Mars. With Charlie are Dr Casey Cook (Simpson), a New Zealander whose life’s ambition is to go to the red planet, and Hank Morrison (Gordon) who doesn’t seem that bothered whether he goes or not. During the trip, they are subjected to various demands from both mission control and the television network which is tracking their progress for the entertainment of the viewers back home.
What makes Mars so much fun is the cheery, upbeat tone. Marslett developed his own rotoscoping technique to create a comic book feel full of primary colours as well as some straightforward animation amongst a lot of green screen work. A consistently funny script and likeable performances not only from the leads but the whole supporting cast also helps.
The mission is a journey of discovery, not only in terms of space travel but also of each other which gives Mars a light philosophical dusting. There are a few sly digs at the space race and the role of the media but overall this is an undemanding but intelligent, lo-fi, sci-fi comedy. Hugely enjoyable.