Review of Robinson Crusoe on Mars (1964) by Byron B — 07 Sep 2012

This is an odd choice for the Criterion Collection to make available. It does contain some beautiful vistas of Death Valley with a red sky matte. A documentary (made a couple years before we landed a rover on the red planet) is included.

The talking heads in the doc about Earth's exploration of Mars say that this movie was more scientifically authentic than most sci-fi. However, it was the year after this movie was released that our assumption about Mars' atmosphere being similar to Earth's was proven wrong.

So the hero of our story can breath for a time without his helmet and only needs to take bursts of oxygen from a tank at regular intervals. The discovery of an oasis and pastel colored rocks are equally fictional though they lend themselves to technicolor.

Commander Kit is our Robinson Crusoe. He has a pet monkey and must learn to be quite resourceful to survive. I love stories like Robinson Crusoe, but there is something too far fetched about being stranded on a planet, especially from the point of view of a 1960s understanding of outer space.

The effects of the attacking space ships and Friday's loincloth costume are laughable as well. There are moments that offer worthwhile glimpses of a future, which are really a look at the past, but they are not sustained overall.