Robinson Crusoe en Marte

1950's and 60's sci-fi movies can be easy targets. They were usually cheap, cheerful and woodenly acted by square-jawed male leads and big- eyed supporting women. They also reflected the attitudes, and usually the fears, of the society of the time. The heightened paranoia and fear of the unknown that plagued 1950's society was clearly reflected in films such as This Island Earth and Earth Vs. Flying Saucers, where America would be unwillingly attacked by an deadly force from outer space. Japan's post-Hiroshima movies portrayed a country under attack by horrific mutations caused by radioactivity in Japan's oceans, most famously in Ishiro Honda's quite excellent Gojira (or Godzilla), and were a massive amount of fun with a quite brutal and sobering undertone. Yet audiences and filmmakers alike seemed to lighten up in the 60's and focus less on the satire, and more on the science and fantasy aspects of the genre.

Instead of us fine Earthlings being attacked on our own doorstep by those laser-wielding bastards from outer space, we began venturing out and seeking adventure. Inspiration seemed to be taken from popular literature. Mysterious Island (1961) was (albeit very loosely) based on Jules Verne's novel, er, The Mysterious Island which followed a group of Union soldiers from Civil War-era America being washed ashore an unknown island inhabited by giant beasts. The Time Machine (1960) was an adaptation of H.G. Welles' fantastic book about a man who travels forward in time from Victorian England to encounter a very strange future world. Bringing me eventually to Byron Haskin's Robinson Crusoe On Mars, based of course on Daniel Defoe's classic novel.

Quite possibly having one of the best titles in cinema history, the film is a surprisingly effective adventure film. Two astronauts seemingly surveying the surface of Mars (played by Paul Mantee and TV Batman's Adam West, respectively) are forced to abandon ship to avoid a collision with an asteroid heading directly for them. Kit Draper (Mantee) lands successfully and begins to explore the barren landscape, only to eventually discover that McReady (West) didn't make it. The ship's pet monkey, however, did survive and joins our hero on his bid to survive this alien world.

Surprisingly, the majority of the film is a one-man show, with Mantee carrying it admirably. The film takes a serious scientific approach to his survival, as he must find ways to live without a constant supply of fresh oxygen, find a heat source, and a supply of food before his own runs out. Luckily for Draper, the air is breathable for short periods of time before he requires to take a 'booster' of oxygen, Mars' rocks seem to be able to burn, and the planet offers it's own food source in the shape of a half-plant, half-sausage thingy. Of course, the 'science' behind it all is a load of b******s, but it is refreshing to see it being taken seriously, and not ignoring it for the benefit of telling an easy story.

But where there's Mars there's going to be some of those bloody aliens, and here they seem to be in the middle of a kind of mining war with of tribe of human-shaped alien slaves. Draper rescues one during an attack and names him Friday (Victor Lundin). The two develop a comical and often rather sweet relationship, as the two attempt to mix and explain their cultures, and Friday makes an attempt to learn English (and he's an extremely fast learner!). Friday is constantly being tortured by two disc fitted around his wrists, which the aliens use to lure and physically effect Friday. When the aliens discover Draper and Friday's hiding place, they attack and force our heroes to flee.

A surprisingly slow-paced and interesting sci-fi flick that is low on cheesy action and bad acting, and high on good writing and wit. Haskin's direction is also solid, similar to his fantastic adaptation of The War Of The Worlds. Recommended for sci-fi buffs and fans of a good story. It also has Adam West and a sidekick monkey - what else do you want?

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What vistas are left for man to explore? The first answer usually shot back quickly is space, and in the 1950's and 60's space was the place to be the subject of countless science fiction films. Many of these films were little else than pure hokum or a means to show exploitation, but Robinson Crusoe on Mars was not either of those. This little film(little in that it receives little recognition for its obvious merits) tells how one man and his monkey survive the rigours of life on the angry red planet. Paul Mantee plays the protagonist that crash lands on Mars with simian friend Mona. He must learn to live using the resources of the planet. His exploration and discoveries are very much like what Daniel Defoe's titular character Robinson Crusoe had to go through under very different circumstances on an island. I guess I am one of the few reviewers that actually likes the title, as I think is a wonderful and very apt allusion employed. Anyway, the methods of exploration and discovery used by Mantee are extremely creative and original(although have little scientific merit) and we the audience find ourselves caught up in his plight to survive. I had heard many things about this film before I got a chance to watch it, and I must say that I am most impressed with its scope and vision, its underlying theme about the inner strength of man's need and will to survive and create, and its almost claustrophobic atmosphere despite being filmed in wide open spaces.

There's not much more I can add to all the other positive comments made on this film other than to say that I agree with just about all of them.

This movie is a classic example of how good science fiction can be created from classic story material. The premise of a man trying to survive in unfamiliar surroundings is set on the then unfamiliar planet of Mars. USAF astronaut Paul Mantee goes through the rigors of trying to survive on an alien landscape, and is befriended by an escaped slave from an advanced, and hostile, civilization. The story isn't about war, "beating the bad aliens" or other story tripe that's so pervasive in today's science fiction films. The film is about friendship, trust, self sacrifice, and the willingness to help one's fellow man (or human like alien) survive in an inhospitable world.

Compared to other science fiction of the time, and even compared to contemporary sci-fi offerings, the acting and overall production values are top notch. The film is dated, so the viewer is advised to give it some leeway if he or she has never seen it before, but a strong story and presentation will keep your attention.

It's been a long time since I've seen this film, so perhaps I'm remembering it from a biased memory, but using that same memory to call up other films I saw back then I can truly say this one ranks up there with other good cinematic offerings; science fiction and non alike. The effects are passing, the backgrounds artificial at times (as was typical of 50's and 60's Hollywood), and the props are passable, but the acting, particularly how the friendship develops between the two leads, is what I'll always remember. The story is far fetched, but the actors pull it off by presenting sympathetic characters.

I for one am glad this has never been remade. I can see some snot-nosed hot-shot, low-I.Q. producer marketing a remake with lots of action, a pumped up soundtrack, action figures and a host of other spinoffs. To boot he'd probably cast some rap star in both lead roles, show the aliens with a ton of prosthetic makeup, and otherwise squeeze every last ounce of marketable dollar out of the thing.

We don't need a remake. We need a DVD release. The good kind with lots of extra goodies :-)

If you like sci-fi, heck if you just like good movies period, do yourself a favor and catch "Robinson Crusoe on Mars."

Even though this movie was made in 1964, it puts to shame the more recent (and astronomically more expensive) "Mission to Mars" and "Red Planet".

The characters act much more like real people/enslaved extraterrestrials than was common in sci-fi films of that era. Mantee is well-trained and resourceful, handling most problems (with the exception of his forced isolation) with reasonable aplomb. He is much closer to what we expect an astronaut to be than the ridiculous characters from MtM and RP.

The equipment is also a notch above the usual 60s fare, with real cables, actual dials and knobs, and that utilitarian look so common in military hardware. I have to give this film and extra half-star just for the realistic technology.

Overall, a good, solid sci-fi film from the golden age. Like many others, I'm waiting for the DVD.

*** out of *****

During an orbital exploratory mission to Mars, Commander Christopher Draper (Paul Mantee) and Colonel Dan McReady (Adam West) are forced to take evasive maneuvers to avoid a large meteor. They inadvertently put themselves in a position for Mars' gravitational pull to take over, and they're running out of fuel. Thus first Draper, then McReady eject. Draper finds himself alone, Robinson Crusoe style, and must figure out how to survive.

Director Byron Haskin and company spared no expense to make sure that all of the scientific elements of this film were accurate enough to function as a graduate level "motion picture textbook" for planetary sciences courses, and the special effects are so realistic that even Peter Jackson felt that his Lord of the Rings trilogy fell short of the technical wizardry on display here. Of course I'm joking. The truth is that while Robinson Crusoe on Mars is extremely cheesy in many respects, this is a very fun film, with a gripping, often-suspenseful story and a great sense of adventure. It rises above its flaws to merit an 8 out of 10 from me.

Actually, Robinson Crusoe on Mars is a great example of why science fiction is usually considered to belong to the genre umbrella of "fantasy" (and yes, that's even true of literary "hard science fiction"). Even though they often involve plot points based on technical aspects of the sciences--and believe it or not, this film is primarily focused on that--in their broader structures, the stories are usually fantasy tales, and reality is dispensed with as soon as either (1) it doesn't suit what the author considers to be a good story, (2) the author's scientific knowledge/research reaches its limit, or (3) the author engages in speculation (which is fundamental to the genre).

Despite scriptwriters John C. Higgins and Ib Melchior frequently engaging in (1) (and very likely (2) plus an added departure point for films--budgetary limitations), the suspense in the first half of the film is propelled by Draper's need for oxygen, water and food. These are basic concerns that many other "shipwrecked on a planet" films often bypass through some kind of deus ex machine. In Robinson Crusoe on Mars, they never stop being central to the plot. Admittedly, if every film merely dwelled on those issues, we'd quickly grow tired of it, but it works extremely well here.

Even more remarkable, for the majority of the film, Robinson Crusoe on Mars is a one-man show. Mantee must hold the audience's interest on his own for a good 70 or 80 minutes. He does so easily. He brings just the right mixture of tough-guy ingenuity and vulnerability to the part.

Of course, part of the enjoyment of watching the film at this point in time is that much of it is unintentionally funny. There are some strange editorial corrections, such as the overdubbed "15 Days" when Draper is making an accounting of his supplies. We are treated to ridiculously bad spaceship animation. There are odd floating fireballs when Draper first touches down. There isn't much effort in many shots to keep the settings looking like Mars. There is one scene with Ed Wood-style changes back and forth from night to day. And so on.

On the other hand, if we look at the film as residing more in a realm of surrealism, elements such as the floating fireballs are actually pretty cool, and much of the cinematography and settings are excellent. The exteriors were primarily shot in Death Valley National Park, and it is beautifully captivating here. Also, some of the attempts to make the exteriors look more Mars like are actually gorgeous. We get purple and blue rockscapes against smoky skies, and we often see nice nods to classic sci-fi illustrators such as Frank R. Paul (whose work often graced the covers of fiction magazines like Amazing Stories) in features such as bright red skies. Haskin also has a few moments of effective ingenuity, such as a crucial plot point appearing as video that Draper took and watched later. Plus, some of the film is intentionally funny--my favorite instance being the line, "Mr. Echo, go to hell!"

The biggest flaw in my eyes is that the ending seems a bit rushed. A lot happens in the last ten minutes or so of the film, without the suspense it could have had with a longer running time. Despite the flaws, however, this is worth a watch by serious fans of classic sci-fi, and it's interesting to note influences films like this have had on later-generation works in the same vein, such as Red Planet (2000).