Review of Passage to Mars (2016) by Lynn C — 05 Oct 2016

Saw this doc. with my two young sons on a big screen in NY. I had the feeling to really take them to another planet. What we loved is that it's a real adventure. The landscape, the story, the narration, and above all, those actual images of Mars that I had never seen before.

The film took me off guard. I din't know what to expect. The style is both cutting edge and classic. Classic because the story telling it reminded me of of the epic adventure movies. It's an expedition journal, keeping you on track with dates, temperatures and locations with amazing, beautiful animated maps, adding to the feeling of being onboard with these NASA guys.

The Mars imagery is stunning (I wish there were more, it's just fascinating), but after all, they are preparing the Martian journey here, on Earth, in what seems to be the next most hostile environment after Mars: the high Arctic.

Also, loved the characters. They don't speak much, they are in their world, and we are invited to share their world. You learn many things about Mars and yet, what stays with you, is the beauty and the mystery of it all.

It makes you want to go there, to be an explorer. After watching this thrilling doc, we have been there. Stunning and sometimes scary. Great music too. Just bought it again online for the kids.