Mission to Mars

"For centuries we've been looking for the origin of life on earth. We've been looking on the wrong planet."

2000 1h 54m EN

😐

6.0

MID

😬

METACRITIC

⭐

5.7

IMDB

★6.0TMDB · 1,656●34Metacritic★5.7IMDB · 78,892

Science FictionAdventureMystery

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

When the first manned mission to Mars meets with a catastrophic and mysterious disaster after reporting an unidentified structure, a rescue mission is launched to investigate the tragedy and bring back any survivors.

“For centuries we've been looking for the origin of life on earth. We've been looking on the wrong planet.”

WhatsApp X Facebook Telegram

Where to watch · US

fuboTVSubscription

Amazon VideoRent

Apple TV StoreRent

Google Play MoviesRent

Google Play MoviesBuy

YouTubeBuy

Fandango At HomeBuy

Cast

Gary Sinise
Jim McConnell
Tim Robbins
Woody Blake
Don Cheadle
Luke Graham
Connie Nielsen
Terri Fisher
Jerry O'Connell
Phil Ohlmyer
Peter Outerbridge
Sergei Kirov
Kavan Smith
Nicholas Willis
Jill Teed
Renée Coté

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Brian De Palma
Writers: Jim Thomas, John Thomas, John Thomas
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Mid-budget at $90M — the now-extinct middle tier of Hollywood.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

26 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

CAST

Did you know

258+ people credited in cast and crew — a small city's worth of labour.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Brian De Palma, shot by Stephen H. Burum. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Ennio Morricone. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Paul Hirsch shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Gary Sinise and Tim Robbins and Don Cheadle carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "For centuries we've been looking for the origin of life on earth. We've been looking on the wrong planet.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Brian De Palma directs. Stephen H. Burum behind the camera. Ennio Morricone scores. Paul Hirsch cuts. Profitable at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Mid-budget at $90M — the now-extinct middle tier of Hollywood.
226 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3258+ people credited in cast and crew — a small city's worth of labour.
4Directed by Brian De Palma, shot by Stephen H. Burum. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Ennio Morricone. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Paul Hirsch shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Gary Sinise and Tim Robbins and Don Cheadle carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "For centuries we've been looking for the origin of life on earth. We've been looking on the wrong planet.".
9IMDB entry: tt0183523 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 23 themes, including "spacecraft", "planet mars", "affectation", "space travel".

The technical file

Cinematography: Stephen H. Burum
Original score: Ennio Morricone
Editing: Paul Hirsch
Costume design: Sanja Milkovic Hays
Makeup / hair: Benjamin Robin
VFX supervisor: George Murphy
Sound: Tom Fleischman
Stunt coordinator: Jeff Habberstad
Runtime: 114 min · 1h 54m
Status: Released
Budget: $90,000,000
Box office: $110,983,407
Return: 123% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG
IMDB: Mission to Mars (2000)
Metacritic: 34/100
IMDB rating: 5.7/10 · 78,892 votes
MPAA: PG

Awards

3 nominations total

Also by

Brian De Palma

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

John Chard2015-06-13
★ 3.5/10
Some couples dance, others go to Mars. It was the year of two Mars based movies, with the other being Red Planet, of Pitch Black and the chaotic history that produced the Supernova. Plenty of sci-fi around but sadly few decent offerings. Mission to Mars is a film you can see had good ideas on the page, some brainy and emotion based narrative threads. Effects work is OK for the era, while there's a very impressive cast put together to tell the story. Yet the script stinks to high heaven, the surprises are as absent as Martians are, while the steals from previous sci-fi movies grate on the nerves. The odd sequence has quality about it (dancing in space, woo-hoo, storm attack, yay), while the finale - all be it still a steal - is well constructed and further proof that someone somewhere had the kernel of a good story idea, but it's laborious trite and devoid of the basic film principals - to entertain and engage. So many things wrong here, so much so the names of all involved have been spared. Join this Mission to Mars at your own peril. 4/10
CinemaSerf2023-04-21
★ 6/10
When a mission to explore the red planet goes wrong, stranding "Luke" (Don Cheadle) alone on this hostile world, his colleagues "Woody" (Tim Robbins), "Jim" (Gary Sinese), "Terri" (Connie Nielsen) and "Phil" (Jerry O'Connell) put huge pressure on their boss to let them take the spare rocket ship and head to the rescue. After a minimum of persuasion, off they go and are soon in sight of the planet and of an anomaly that is defying their instruments and their instincts. They land, discover their friend is alive and well and that there is a strange construction on the planet that needs investigating. Sense might dictate they go home and return to proceed in greater numbers but there's no taming the inquisitiveness of mankind and, well, the action starts to heat up. To be fair, this film looks very good and the use of visual effects and the spaceship interiors are complementary rather than overwhelming. The dialogue, well that's another story - it's pretty poor from start to finish and the plot itself is fairly derivative (and a bit repetitive, too). The acting is really only adequate, but Brian De Palma does manage to engender a sense of camaraderie amongst his astronauts and a workable sense of menace as the plot develops. Jeopardy? No, not really. Of course some of the crew are going to end up Martian toast and I found the science a little bit implausible as we advance. As a throw-away sci-fi adventure film this works fine and passes two hours effortlessly. If you are looking for anything more cerebral and/or original then perhaps not...
RalphRahal2024-12-17
★ 6/10
Brian De Palma's Mission to Mars (2000) delivers an engaging space exploration adventure that still holds up as a fascinating depiction of outer space, especially given the limited technical knowledge available at the time. While it may not be flawless in its execution, the film does a commendable job of portraying the challenges and mysteries of space travel. The performances, particularly from Gary Sinise and Don Cheadle, are standout elements. Their characters bring depth and emotion to the story, grounding the film's high-concept premise with human connection. The storyline is another highlight, offering a plot that’s unpredictable in true De Palma fashion. The layers of mystery and the well-written underlying message keep the audience invested throughout. The script may not be perfect, with some moments feeling a bit thin, but it works well in service of the overall narrative. Combined with De Palma’s direction, the dialogue and pacing help to maintain the film’s emotional and intellectual impact. Mission to Mars is a movie for those who appreciate science fiction with a thoughtful touch. Its visuals, strong performances, and engaging plot make it a memorable exploration of both outer space and the human spirit. Even after all these years, it’s a film that remains enjoyable to revisit