Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Not a bad Fifties science fiction film, but rather boring, 28 Jan 2003
By A Customer
"Flight to Mars" is not really a bad 1950s science fiction film, it just happens to be a rather boring film with what is probably the most abrupt ending in the genre's history. It is not that the script is so awful (there are philosophical discussions on whether each corpuscle is an entire universe) or that the acting is bad. But the film just does not seem to click. Maybe it is because a half-century later we have seen every bit of this plot in a dozen other films. "Flight to Mars" clearly divides into two parts. The first focuses on the flight to Mars and is fairly scientific in its approach to the proceedings (somewhat reminiscent of Herge's classic two-part comic book of Tintin going to the Moon, but not even half as god).. The second, once the crew arrives on Mars, turns into a sort of Flash Gordon-type space opera (with specific effects on about the same level). The first rocket of exploration launched by the United States decides to bypass the moon and head straight for Mars (the reasoning for this curious choice is clearly cinematic; we know there is nothing on the moon in 1951 but who knows what we might find on Mars). The crew for this monumental expedition consists of Dr. Jim Barker (Arthur Franz), who created the rocket, his assistant Carol Stafford (Virginia Huston), a pair of older scientists, Dr. Lane (John Litel) and Professor Jackson (Richard Gaines), and a war reporter, Steve Abbott (Cameron Mitchell). At first I was wondering why these were letting too older guys go on this dangerous mission and I thought it might be because they were old and wise, but it turns out to be because this way only Jim and Steve join Carol in the film's love triangle. Once they arrive on Mars they discover a complex underground civilization. There are delights to be seen and offers of help from the ruling council, but it turns out to be a sham. The Martians want to use the rocket to get off their dying planet and colonize earth. But that is okay. The Martians might want to take over the earth but Jim gets them back: he teaches the natives how to play bridge ("They will never forgive you," warns one of the professors). Meanwhile, Steve is interested in Carol, but Carol has been pining for Jim for three years. Jim has been too busy being a scientist to notice Carol, but he falls for local gal Alita once they get on Mars. When Carol finally adds up the score she dissolves into tears while Steve spends an hour playing solitaire waiting for her to wise up. Amazingly enough when the rocket was sabotaged and they were all going to die in space or on Mars Carol never shed a tear. "Flight to Mars" is directed by Lesley Selander, who primarily made Westerns and directed eight other films in 1951. The film is made in color, which matters little except for the red costumes of the Martian's ruling council, which are kind of neat looking. Made during the Cold War there is an inclination to see an appropriate sub-text to "Flight to Mars," especially with those red outfits, but that seems to be a bit of a reach in this case. Again, this film ultimately reminds me more of a Flash Gordon serial than anything else. Besides, it proves once again that not even an advanced civilization on a distant planet can stand up to a small group of Americans with a plan and a strong right hook.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Took all of five days to make, 19 Jun 2008
"For centuries science has studied Mars, the only planet were life may exist. Now the screen creates for you the fascinating frightening spectacle of the first flight to mars."
Usually the Sci-Fi genre is just a vehicle to bring social and emotional conflicts out in a palatable format. However in the case of this film it is more fun to look at their technological advances than the conflicts. We see the need for a slide rule to be sure we are on course and they do not need space suits. The spacesuit thing comes full circle until we have the movie "GATTACA" (1997) in which once again we no longer need fancy space suits. There are lots of other great technologies and speculations as we travel to a 1951 Mars.
Five unlikely astronauts actually four astronauts and an astronautess (Virginia Huston, Jane in "Tarzan's Peril") travel to Mars; each has their own reason and agenda. Due to technical difficulties they crash. They are befriended by what looks very very humanoids including Alita (Marguerite Chapman). There they are offered help by the friendly natives. But are the natives really friendly or do the have ulterior motives of which only the Martians and we the audience are aware of?
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3.0 out of 5 stars
If it looks like it was shot in 5 days, it's probably because it was shot in 5 days, 21 Sep 2008
Futuristic spaceflight was so much easier back in 1951. No clumsy spacesuits and none of that weightlessness rigmarole. You just pull up in front of the rocket and climb on board in whatever you happen to be wearing at the time, lay down and put your belt on, and before you know it, you're in space. Sure, there's a short period of weightlessness, but that wasn't in the budget, so you don't have to worry about it. Look out for meteor storms, but it's not like they're going to sneak up on you because they make so much darn noise in space. Crash landing? No problem - that's what those leather helmets are for. You don't even have to worry about the atmosphere, temperature, etc., of the planet you crash on - just run out the door and have at it. Best of all, you don't have to leave your pipe and tobacco at home, as it's perfectly safe to smoke onboard the spaceship.
Actually, the most difficult part of this Flight to Mars is putting up with Carol Stafford (Virginia Huston), the "indispensable" assistant to flight engineer Jim Barker (Arthur Franz), who shows her desperate love for Jim by being the witchiest (or something like that) woman in the Solar System. I wouldn't want to spend a few weeks stuck in a big can with journalist Steve Abbott (Cameron Mitchell), either, especially when he starts wooing the ice woman. Thank goodness for the two old male scientists who round out the crew of five; they are likable enough when they aren't waxing philosophical or talking about how they don't expect any of them to survive the mission. By the way, if you think the interior of the spaceship looks familiar, it's basically the same one used in Rocketship X-M a year earlier.
Well, they do make it to Mars, where they are greeted by friendly Martians (clad, unlike their visitors from Earth, in actual spacesuits, the same ones used in the film Destination Moon) who promise to help them in any way they can to repair their ship and return to Earth. If anything, the Martians are a little bit too supportive. Oddly enough, despite all of their technological advances, they can't generate a signal powerful enough to reach Earth - nor have they gotten anywhere with their own rocket program (maybe their scientists are too distracted by the skimpy dresses the young women walk around in). Will Earth's brave space crewmen (you can't call them astronauts) ever return to Earth? Will they sneak off and leave Carol on Mars (I certainly would)? Will Earthlings and Martians be friends or enemies? These are just some of the questions you might ask as this film works its way to the end. You probably won't care very much, but you might ask the questions, anyway.
I can't comment on the picture quality of the DVD, but I do know that the print I saw was pretty grainy - so much so that I couldn't read a word of an urgent teletype message posted onscreen early in the movie. I was impressed that the film was shot in color, though - this is a 1951 film we're talking about here (they were still making plenty of black and white science fiction films as late as the early 1960s). It's worth noting that the model spaceship shots created for this movie were good enough to be recycled in such later films as Queen of Outer Space, World Without End, and It! The Terror From Beyond Space. Story-wise, though, the film is OK at best. The first half of the film (including the space flight itself) is pretty boring, and the mini-soap opera subplots didn't do much for me, either. Things get more interesting on Mars, but not interesting enough for me to give this film more than three stars. Despite everything I've said, though, I did actually enjoy Flight to Mars - and so will you if you share my love for campy old science fiction classics.
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