The second manned research mission to Mars is nearly ended, with six months having elapsed since the team landed on the red planet.
With time running out and no major discoveries or breakthroughs, the crew are tiring and on edge. No-one remembers the second guys to do anything; unless they find something significant.
It is fair to say that some crew members have overreached, going beyond mission parameters, leading to team leader Charles Brunel (Elias Koteas) striving to maintain calm and keep everyone on their toes for the remaining few days of the mission.
Then, just before all hope is lost, a discovery. A breakthrough. ‘We will be remembered!’ Only the guy who makes the find dies before he can explain it, or bring back proof.
After considering the options, not least of which being the safety of the team, a decision is made to go to the site to investigate.
Bad idea.
Actually this film is a bad idea. Rather than worry about what happens next just know that it has happened before. Happened recently in fact. Several times. Pandorum. Sunshine. Alien (ok not so recent but it started it.) Mission to Mars. And all of them were better, or at least no worse, than this film.
Last Days on Mars isn’t terrible. But it has no reason to exist but to fill a quota. Don’t justify it by adding it to any of your queues or collections. You won’t miss anything I assure you.
Final Rating – 5.5 / 10. As dry and consistently dull as the surface of the red planet.
