Review of Mars Needs Moms (2011) by Gerry M — 26 Mar 2011

Lamont (son) and I went to a matinee showing of Mars Needs Moms 3D today. The movie wastes no time in getting into the point of the story - how crucial Moms are to a child's development. I loved the double-entendre style of writing employed in the script - delightful for kids and adults. Basically, the Martians have long since went to Nanny-Bots to rear their hatchlings (children) that hatch every 25 years. There is an evil Martian matriarch behind this lie about Martian child-rearing that seeks out Earth mothers that have the most control over their children, steals their memories and use that memory-data as the root of the operating program that runs the Nanny-Bots. Well Milo (kid protagonist) tries desperately to save his mom with the help of Gribble, who has been stranded on Mars since the last 25 year release of hatchlings, when his mother was taken.

Overall, the social commentary embedded in this delightful movie, is that too many machines (game consoles, computers, television, handheld games, etc,.) are now rearing children in lieu of the human parental touch. This commentary was not overdone, but I did have a problem with the fact that males were not needed in the Martian society, they were sent deep underground to the garbage heap as babies. All the while, the women comprised the complete workforce of the society - since they were not needed as mothers because the Nanny-Bots were the de facto "mothers". Social commentary not withstanding, this was an enjoyable movie for me and Lamont. He gave it the thumbs up, I mean after all he chose it. :-).