Gurlyndrobb
While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.
Jenna Walter
The film may be flawed, but its message is not.
Billie Morin
This movie feels like it was made purely to piss off people who want good shows
Payno
I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.
Martin Wilson
I'm a fan of cheesy old 50's scifi and this was what I was expecting from this film. Sadly its not scifi at all. It's really more pro Christian and anti-communist propaganda and not much else.It's a film that is hard to just watch without either laughing or simply questioning the competence of the director and production team.However I do suggest people watch it interested in how movies have evolved. It's whole premise is quite strange and could never be made in recent times its just too ridiculous.It probably ranks up there with 'Glen or Glenda' in suspect movies that don't actually work and just come across as a bit embarrassing and amateur.There is some very competent actors delivering some amazingly un- inspired lines that often extremely cringe worthy.The film is available on youtube for free to watch and even at that price I feel slightly scammed.It feels like a film that should be watched by a film history class at college and then discussed at length because it throws up so many questions especially who signed the cheque and why.
Theo Robertson
Planet Earth has been receiving radio messages from its nearest neighbour Mars . Messages telling of a new type of technology means that fossil fuels will become redundant meaning that millions of jobs will be lost in the Western world . Are these messages genuine or is there another more Earthly power behind it ? After seeing INVASION USA I found myself watching yet another American propaganda film from the same year . I was attracted to the title thinking it might be an obvious film where the red planet decides to enslave the countries of Western democracy because that's what reds do . This isn't how things developed but any sort of rugs being pulled out from under you or irony of the red planet not being communist at all is hardly a recommendation . I can understand the thinking behind INVASION USA and the points its making within its own twisted reality but this isn't the case with RED PLANET MARS I don't know if I'm stupid or simply because I wasn't concentrating hard enough but I had difficulty paying attention to the plotting . It's not really a film that grabs your attention and is very static . I wasn't surprised in the slightest that this film was adapted from a stage play . One would have thought in that case it would be easy to follow since it's dialogue based but this isn't the case at all . Scientist Chris Cronyn receives messages from Mars and before he - and the audience - knows it religion is sweeping the world including the Soviet Union . The writers some entirely ignorant of religion and Marxism . Suppose we take on board the idea that our view of religion comes from a race from a higher civilisation . Ask yourself how does this explain life after death ? If a Martian lives 300 years then surely it'll die the same a human dies after 70 years . There will be no life after this one no matter what planet you're from . This is one of a number massive plot holes , and these plot holes even have the totally illogical nature of drawing attention to themselves such as the Soviet politburo asking themselves where are the Soviet population getting all their radios from ? Yeah I'd like to know too . I suppose this falls under the heading of plot connivance ? Perhaps the most irritating thing is the ending and the way it's developed . For large sections of the film you're being led along that the Soviets are behind these messages and it's all a communist plot , so much so that the counter revolution in the Eastern bloc is just a staged event and the British ambassador is being used as a stooge the same way plenty of useful idiots were taken on tours to the USSR in the 1920s and 30s . The communist double dealing is reinforced at the end when a former Nazi now working for the communists turns up at the Cronyn's lab at the end . This villain despite being a former Nazi and communist reveals himself to be a Satan worshipper . Let me get this right ? He's not a Neo-pagan like the Nazis and he's not a Marxist atheist like all communists but he worships Satan ! . Like I said the writers haven't thought any of this through especially where religion or Marxism is concerned . One massive plot hole that jumps out and grabs you is that the Cronyns' and the villain are killed in a lab explosion with no witnesses but the final scene sees the American referring to their sacrifice to the United Nations . Either this unnamed president has second sight or this film has a really poor screenplay . Guess what one I'm putting my money on ? If you thought NOAH was a genuinely bad film you obviously haven't seen this one
jose oliveira
I saw this movie in 2013 and I think it has some good ideas. After 61 years we see that some things are naive and anyone who likes action movies will not like this movie. But who likes intellectual movies might like this one. 100 years more and many ideas of this movie will make a lot of sense: the collapse of the political and economic institutions and people turning to religion. Unfortunately the movie seems much like a play with a very passive action. Peter Graves also does not help the action. This is not very appealing to today viewers. I think it would be a good idea to do a remake. Taking out the bad things, it is a good movie!
mauro volvox
Pretty interesting idea, but poorly developed.RPM is a rather well-made movie, acting is good. But, it is rather slow, too talky at times, and there are no Martian monsters in it (too bad!). It is not what one would expect from a movie with a title like that. I really don't care about the propaganda and the portrayal of the soviets as the bad guys (they also were bad, after all!). But what bothers me is the heavily religious bias in this film... It gets to the point of being extremely annoying, it destroyed what could have been a good sci-fi film and transformed RPM in an exercise in evangelism. Three stars for the effort and for what it could have been.