Boobirt Stylish but barely mediocre overall

StyleSk8r At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

KnotStronger This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

Jemima It's a movie as timely as it is provocative and amazingly, for much of its running time, it is weirdly funny.

boblipton Others have described this movie as a scientifictional version of Dickens' A CHRISTMAS CAROL, and that's not a bad tag. On Mars, where everyone wears Medieval garb and a big ankh, E. Holman Clark has committed some crime. For his punishment, he has his ankh taken away and must redeem Charles Hawtrey.This is not the Charles Hawtrey of the CARRY ON films, but a stout, well-to-do man who wants to stay home and read the paper when his fiancee, Crissie Bell wants to go to a dance. After she breaks their engagement and he settles in, a man comes with a note asking if Hawtrey can do something for him. The answer is apparently no. After this, Martian Clark pops in using standard camera tricks, and tries to redeem Earthling Hawtrey by tormenting him.It is based on a play by Richard Ganthony from 1899 and this is believed to be the earliest British sf feature -- make of those distinctions what you will. I found the hour-long restoration a bit abrupt, but well carried out, the story well acted and the print quite watchable; doubtless the tinting helped. I am always glad to see any early movie restored, and to see one, like this, that is quite watchable on its own terms is a pleasure.What I found distinctly not a pleasure is the sound track that the BFI allowed it to be saddled with by Matthew Herbert, credited here as "Sound Designer." I have heard Mr. Herbert's work previously on the Best Foreign Oscar-winning UNA MUJER FANTASTICA, and he is certainly competent in that. For this movie, his sound design sounds as if part of it has been lifted from the 1960s version of DOCTOR WHO; the music, including dance music, is something I can only describe as electro-junkyard Reggae; and his idea of what an Edwardian London Street sounds like on a clear, clean evening, is that of the Indianapolis Speedway on a slushy afternoon. Other sound effects are equally over-the-top.Like many a contemporary musical artist brought in to compose for a silent movie, Mr.Herbert seems to think that there are silent movie fans who will watch this regardless, so he needs to get in the kids who wouldn't watch it without the weird and ugly music. The result, I fear, will be something that will please no one but Mr. Herbert. People like me, who enjoy silent movies, will be rude about it, and the kids won't come to see this movie anyway. Not until they have gone to a lot of the more easily accessible silents. At that point, they will, at best, be puzzled.

Stevieboy666 A Martian is sent to Earth to cure a rich man called Horace of his selfish ways. In other words this is a sci fi variation of the Dickens classic, A Christmas Carol. I watched the excellent B.F.I restoration on the Talking Pictures channel. Needless to say, everything ends well. But one question that I found myself asking - how does a fat, bolding middle aged man get engaged to an attractive woman who looks young enough to be his daughter!? The answer I guess is obvious - his wealth. Some things haven't changed!

Leofwine_draca A MESSAGE FROM MARS is an intriguing little sci-fi movie with two distinguishing factors: it's a silent film, released in 1913, and there aren't too many of them around; also, it's British, which is unusual in itself from this era. We have the BFI to thank for recently cleaning up the print and putting it on general release.As for the film itself, I think it's fair to say this is no classic. I was expecting a low rent British version of A TRIP TO THE MOON from the title, but what we get instead is a morality story along the lines of A Christmas CAROL. The plot involves a disgraced Martian who, in order to reintegrate into his society, must help a selfish human see the error of his ways in order to become a better person.A MESSAGE FROM MARS is an hour long production with accompanying music and sound effects and tinted scenes varying between sepia, blue, and red. The acting is exaggerated, as you'd expect from the era, but the storyline is quite involved. Although the Martians themselves are disappointingly dated, the 'zap' effects are cleverly staged, and there's a decent set-piece involving a burning building. The camera-work is static for most of the time but there's a good rolling shot of a moving vehicle which must have been tough to stage. I should imagine that this was electrifying stuff for audiences at the time although nowadays it's more of a quaint curio than anything else.

davidvmcgillivray-24-905811 Called the first British science-fiction film, this is more precisely a fantasy inspired by "A Christmas Carol" with the moral guidance coming not in a dream but from Mars. It stars Charles Hawtrey, at 56 far too old for the role of a selfish young man, Horace, a part he first played on stage in 1899. Although this play has been considerably opened out, with scenes on Mars and in the streets of London (including Trafalgar Square), it still offers rare insight into the way a drama would have been staged more than a hundred years ago. Hawtrey was regarded as one of the first of the naturalistic actors and yet he still uses what would now be called stock gestures. He rubs his hands with glee about four times in succession. The supporting cast is even more melodramatic. The film is also of interest because of its relative sophistication. Although the camera is static, there are several special effects, the most notable (and contemporary) being the process used to suggest that Horace has been "zapped" by the Martian. The budget also allowed for a burning building, not common in 1913. The version under review was restored by the BFI in 2014. It's tinted and so the tech specs should reflect that, officially, the film is now in colour. (The night scenes, tinted blue, are disorienting because the shoot was clearly done in bright sunlight). The new electronic score, commissioned from Matthew Herbert, suggests other-worldliness but doesn't aid the ballroom scenes. The print, available online and on TV, is around 60 not 69 minutes. It's not clear whether the reviewer who posted here in 2002 somehow saw a longer version; but for the record this is how the new version differs from his. We don't know that Horace is an astronomer, he doesn't read a magazine article about intelligent life on Mars, and he doesn't go to sleep in his study. He is only shown in his living room and the opening scenes and inter-titles imply that what follows is not a dream. The Martian does not wear "tight-fitting black clothes" and he is shown arriving outside Horace's house. There is no indication that the tramp is "an inventor who was cheated out of the fruits of his labour". He too merely turns up at Horace's house seeking work. There are no scenes in which Horace is allowed to eavesdrop on his friends' conversations nor those in which Horace's fortune is lost. The film is also valuable in that it shows that it was once common to tip policemen.