Common Sense Media Review
So-so sci-fi with some very intense scenes.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 10+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Mission to Mars
What's the Story?
MISSION TO MARS takes place in 2020. Don Cheadle plays an astronaut who leads a team to Mars to investigate the possibility of colonization. When a huge tunnel-like dust storm kills the rest of the team, and communication with the space station is cut off, four of his colleagues, played by Tim Robbins, Jerry O'Connell, Gary Sinese, and Connie Nielson, go on a rescue mission.
Is It Any Good?
This movie makes Close Encounters of the Third Kind seem like rocket science -- it even makes The Day the Earth Stood Still look like rocket science -- but the pictures are pretty.
Director Brian DePalma is known for movies that have two qualities: striking visual flair and frustrating narrative incoherence. If you are the kind of person who talks about the plot after seeing a movie, this is not your kind of movie. But if you would enjoy seeing an old-time Flash Gordon-style movie with 21st-century special effects and computer graphics, you just might want to see it twice.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the choices made by the characters, including one who commits suicide to save the lives of others, and about the prospects of space exploration and colonization.
Science-fiction movies and novels have long been fascinated with the planet Mars. What are some other examples of movies and books set on Mars? Why do you think Mars arouses such curiosity and speculation?
What similarities do you see between this film and other science-fiction movies, most notably 2001?
Movie Details
- In theaters : March 10, 2000
- On DVD or streaming : June 4, 2002
- Cast : Don Cheadle , Gary Sinise , Tim Robbins
- Director : Brian De Palma
- Inclusion Information : Black Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Walt Disney Pictures
- Genre : Comedy
- Topics : Adventures , Robots
- Run time : 114 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : sci-fi violence and mild language
- Last updated : October 1, 2025
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