Just bad. Bad acting. Bad story line. Stupid plot.

The only reason I gave 2 stars instead of 1 was the cast. I'm the first one to say that willful suspension of disbelief is needed in many cases to enjoy a movie, but this movie is so rife will scientific inaccuracy and ridiculousness that simple suspension of disbelief doesn't work.

It tells you a lot when you see mostly 10/10 and 1/10 ratings for a particular film. It means it was polarizing. I have to say I'm a bit disappointed in some of my sci-fi counterparts rating this movie a 1/10. Their comments are their own opinion, but to give this film a 1/10 is a pure injustice. This film provides beautiful scenes, a great cast, and a wonderful refreshing story. We get to see tremendous character building like is rarely seen in other sci-fi films and you truly feel for each character. Sure, the story isn't always plausible, in fact, at one point one character explicitly responds to another stating that what they are experiencing should be impossible, however, what they are seeing is just that. This is how story telling should be done in any genre. The musical score helps to add meaning and emotion. At the end of the movie, you feel like you've watched a masterpiece. Left me wanting to know more about what happens to the characters after it ends--but that would ruin what is truly one of the best space sci-fi movies ever made. Please don't be discouraged by all the 1/10 ratings. I've never actually seen a film that deserved less than a 3/10. See this for yourself. If you are a hardcore sci-fi buff that needs movies to live up to a certain preconceived expectation, then don't bother. If you want to enjoy this for the film that it is, regardless of your genre of choice, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.

"Mission To Mars" is not a very good movie. There is little denying that. What's really sad, however, is that the idea behind the movie and its themes seem like surefire winners. Unfortunately, the execution and final product is so bad that the themes completely get lost in the drivel.For a basic plot summary, this movie is set in the year 2020, when humans are beginning to send manned space vehicles to the planet Mars. The first mission is led by Luke Graham (Don Cheadle) and ends almost as quickly as it begins when a seemingly sentient sandstorm wipes out almost the entire crew. For the rescue mission, Jim McConnell (Gary Sinise), Woody Blake (Tim Robbins), Terri Fisher (Connie Nielsen), and Phil Ohlmyer (Jerry O'Connell) arrive on the red planet sometime later, where they make a discovery that could alter mankind as we know it.The idea behind making "Mission To Mars" is a great one, such as the human spirit for adventure, the exploration of a new planet, and some character struggles for each of the leads. Looking strictly at the themes, this film has very much in common with the recently-made "Interstellar", despite not even being in the same universe (pardon the pun) of Nolan's film overall. Basically, "Mission To Mars" showed me how fine a line there is between success and failure when tackling such ambitious themes.There are three main reasons why this film ends up being a dud:1. The backstory created for certain characters leads nowhere. There are some potentially interesting character-development areas introduced in the films opening act, but not a single one still resonates by the end of the film. 2. The script/acting, which is bland throughout. Despite such solid names as Cheadle, Robbins, and Sinise, the script gives them absolutely nothing to work with in terms of dialogue. Adding Jerry O'Connell to the mix is just an absolute joke, as his character is so out of place in such a serious film. 3. The main problem, however, is that a movie that should be about the exploration of Mars spends very little time actually on its surface. Scenes in the beginning of the film set the mission as a go, but then there is nearly an hour of boring spacewalks and visuals from the shuttle in space. Then they finally get to Mars...and waste some more time. Essentially, what is teased in the opener isn't resolved (or even looked at) until the final 15 or so minutes.I can't give this film a bottom-of-the-barrel one star, although it is very close to it. Like I said, its heart is in the right place but it just doesn't execute. I read somewhere that director Brian De Palma wanted "Mission to Mars" to be his ode to "2001: A Space Odyssey". If that is the case, it seems about right, as this movie focuses more on gravitas and visuals than story/characters. If you get bored easily, you might not make it through this one.