Yesterdays Movies on Tuesday: Robinson Crusoe on Mars 1964
Do you enjoy classic science fiction like me?
During the past several weeks I've been looking at the first 7 films in the Star Trek franchise to prepare for the new film that just premiered. During that time I, of course, was enjoying movies thanks to Netflix but I was also looking for new films that I can talk about here on this weekly quick review feature. I'm in danger of repeating myself, but it's no secret that science fiction is my favorite genre in film and television and with that in mind I've been looking for SF films via Netflix that I've never seen before and for this weeks quick review I watched for the first time Robinson Crusoe on Mars.
If you've been reading NFD for a while and you've read my past television quick thoughts you'd know that I was a viewer of Crusoe starring Philip Winchester but it was recently canceled for awful ratings. It wasn't a bad show honestly, and although I enjoyed it for it's fun qualities I won't miss the series now that it's gone. When I saw the cover for Robinson Crusoe on Mars I was intrigued although I wasn't really looking for a early 60s science fiction to watch. As a matter of fact, I was looking for 80s scifi because that was the best time for the genre. If you don't know the story of Crusoe, the quickest explanation I can give you is that Crusoe gets stranded on a island by himself and must find ways to survive. Soon after, he meets Friday who becomes his friend and brother saving Crusoe from isolation. Although I didn't yet know what Robinson Crusoe on Mars was about, the title pretty much gave me an idea. So here I am, now finished viewing it for the first time - it's a classic for sure and for a uber-scifi fan like myself it's a pleasure to see early science fiction at work.
"Commander Kit Draper and Colonel Dan McReady are orbiting Mars in an exploratory surveyor. A malfunction forces them to eject with only Draper and a monkey named Mona surviving. Draper must learn to survive in this hostile environment fighting thirst, hunger and even hostile aliens if he expects to see home again." [IMDB] Robinson Crusoe on Mars was directed by Byron Haskin who also directed the classic SF film War of the Worlds. Adapted from a novel by Daniel Defoe Robinson Crusoe on Mars stars Paul Mantee as Kit Draper and Victor Lundin as Friday. Also making a small appearance is Adam West as Col. Dan McReady.
The concept of this film is an intriguing concept to say the least although all of the scientific exposition is completely ridiculous and scientifically wrong, however, I'm not holding that against the film. There's only so much people knew about Mars back in the 60s - besides, movies are meant for us to step out of reality no matter the subject. In any case, Robinson Crusoe on Mars is actually a movie I'd like to see remade even though I'm not a supporter of remakes. If it's going to get remade, it better not be for the money - it should be about the concept of the story and if done right, it could be pretty epic. I suppose, however, if you want to see a film that parallels this check out Enemy Mine with Dennis Quiad and Lou Gossit Jr. because these two films are in a way the same concept, although largely different. Those of you who've seen both films might agree.
Everything about this film screams 1960s classic and I think that's great. Part of me feels used to that type of filmmaking because I'm a huge fan of the original Star Trek series and much of the special effects in this film are the same as well as reminiscent of Star Trek.
The connection to Robinson Crusoe becomes obvious as the film continues - Man stranded on a planet, man looks for shelter, man looks for food, man looks for air, man looks for water, man looses his mind because he's alone, man rescues another man from slavery, etc.
It's without a doubt an interesting film to watch and for science fiction fans who love the genre as much as I do, I'd expect them to enjoy it as well. Sadly, however, I wouldn't recommend it to everyone else because they might think it's laughable considering the age of the film - the effects, the style of acting and so forth. The story itself isn't as engaging as you'd get from today's science fiction but if your a fan of film, it's definitely cool enough to watch just to simply study it and look for the experience.
Personally, I'm glad I saw it and although I don't plan on buying it on DVD, it's something I wouldn't mind seeing again.
For more of Yesterdays Movies, CLICK HERE!
-Phil
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