AniInterview Sorry, this movie sucks

Protraph Lack of good storyline.

GazerRise Fantastic!

Zlatica One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

zee Everyone knew by 1965 – including most 10-year-old kids – that Mars was a cold, airless place. Yes, this movie predates that moment slightly, but they didn't know this little. Or they would have known better if they would've made a single phone call to Lowell Observatory. By 1909, the concept of "canals" was dead due to improvements in telescopes. And if there were such a thing as oxygen pills, surely the screenwriters understood that stomach doesn't equal lungs.This does unfortunately carry with it the obnoxious colonial attitude of the original Defoe, in regards to poor Friday, and while the friendship developed, it was never really equal.The monkey is as irritating as monkeys always are. But the cinematography and visuals are kind of cool. Yes they're retro, but very pretty. And so I couldn't give it one star because of that.

kapelusznik18 ***SPOILERS*** Remake of the 1719 Daniel Defoe classic "Robinson Crusoe" taking place in the far future as Commander Chris "Kit" Draper, Paul Mantee, avoiding a runaway meteor crashes on the red planet with his co-pilot Col. Dan McReady, Adam West, getting killed and only having his pet monkey Mona, Barney the Wooly Monkey, as his only companion. Trying to survive the harsh environment Draper has to rely on Mona to find him water as well as the Martian rocks when their heated to provide him both heat and oxygen.It's some time later that Draper comes upon an alien concentration camp on the planet that is using slaves to construct a landing site for it's space crafts and rescues one of the escaping slaves that he names Friday, after the character in the original Defoe novel, played by Victor Lundrin who looks like Elvis Presley wearing a "Beatle" wig. This partnership between Draper and Friday at first a slave master relationship grows over time where the two learn to respect each other and treat themselves as equals together with Draper's pet monkey Mona who not only leads the two to water but to freedom up in the planets freezing northern regions.****SPOILERS**** Attacked by alien spaceships on their trip up to the frozen north the trio are saved when a giant asteroid that strikes the Martian North Pole melting the ice and snow there making it possible for them to be rescued by a US space probe mapping the planet. Beautifully photographed in dazzling color the film, like the novel, shows how men of different backgrounds or in this case planets can work together and learn to respect each other when their survival is at stake.Draper who at first looked down on Friday as an uncivilized savage found that he in fact was an intelligent as well as religious, yes Friday did believe in a supreme being or God that created the Universe. As for the lovable monkey Mona she in fact used her animal instincts to save the day for both Draper and Friday as well as adding a bit of comedy relief in this at first hopeless and depressing situation that the two found themselves in.

First Name Last Name I recently watched this to see if it was better than The Martian, because the title suggested that it would be similar. But it's not a quality picture at all. I would go as far as to say that it is just plain awful. It is not as great as the rating suggests; doesn't even come close.Let's start with the fact that it just sucks, even for a sixties sci-fi movie. The main reasons are clear: it has low production value, it makes tons of scientific mistakes that would make children laugh - and it is just acted incredibly poorly. The very fact that the space-Crusoe can breathe on Mars says it all. It's just ridiculous. It is the exact opposite of splendid old-timer sci-fi movies like A Space Odyssey...Besides, I can't even begin to criticize the animal cruelty that went into this production. The monkey is clearly suffering in that space suit, and it is depressing to watch that suffering. This movie is a prime example of selfish people exploiting animals to make a buck on some crappy movie that people will never love. I do not consider the suffering of innocent animals a treat. Go screw yourselves, even if you were from another time!!!It's clear by now: I hated everything about this movie. Go see The Martian instead.

jvance83 I enjoyed this film immensely when it came out. I was about 10 years old when I saw it in the theater and it stayed in my mind for decades. Like most sci-fi of the era, the film is certainly dated. The science was inaccurate even at the time. The small-and-adorable animal side-kick seems a bit silly but was standard fare for the period (a duck in "Journey to the Center of the Earth", a poodle in "Lost World". a seal in "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea"), I presume to add a little levity and something for the kids to watch during the boring parts.All that being said, however, this is and enjoyable, seriously done and well-performed piece of entertainment. The starkness of the landscape and the portrayal of lonely, hopeless abandonment is superbly handled. The developing bromance between the human scientist-astronaut and his primitive humanoid companion was credible and added warmth to a cold, inhospitable environment.I taped this off of TV onto a long-lost VHS tape about 25 years ago. Now I see that it is available on DVD and will give it some serious consideration.