Well, this isn't technically an adaptation of Robinson Crusoe, because Robinson Crusoe isn't even the character's name! In fact, we actually hear the word "Robinson Crusoe" being said at one point! As in, it's the name of a novel in universe! Still, this movie is a lot better than you would think. Judging from the title, I thought it would be pretty dumb. I expected it to have a lot of goofy looking aliens, given on par with 1960's effects.Instead, we actually got none of that but instead a faithful retelling of the classic tale! It's never campy or anything. Speaking of camp, I didn't even recognize Adam West in this movie and may he rest in space. The monkey is very entertaining here. I checked that he had a tail and is indeed a monkey! The colors are very nice and so is the character Friday. ***

ROBINSON CRUSOE ON MARS has a lot going for it, especially during the first half, when he's trying to figure out a way to stay alive until he can be rescued. (PLANET OF THE APES would kinda sorta follow suit a couple of years later.) This part of the movie gives ROBINSON CRUSOE ON MARS a verisimilitude that the second half sadly lacks. (In PLANET OF THE APES, this "down to Earth" feel CONTINUED all the way through to the end, making for a much better film overall.) It's in the second half that ROBINSON CRUSOE ON MARS starts to deviate too far afield: the alien ships (which we last saw in George Pal's WAR OF THE WORLDS) aren't used very effectively (two or three sequences seem to be repeated over and over) and the whole idea of slave-driving aliens would've been much better if both of the alien races looked like ALIENS instead of ancient Egyptians and Earthlings in spacesuits. "Crusoe's" uber-Butch tack with his newfound companion rings of a jailhouse relationship (BROKEBACK PLANET...) and, if this one were to ever be remade, it's likely that THAT would become a point of departure...

Okay, don't even bother with the science in this wonderful little sci-fi retelling of Daniel DeFoe's Robinson Crusoe. It's just too out there.With that said, and my reiteration that Robinson Crusoe on Mars is wonderful, sit back with this fanciful, fun, and suspenseful story of an American astronaut marooned on Mars, battling to stay alive, and getting in the middle of slave-holding aliens. You guessed it. Friday is an escaped mining slave who provides the Terran the motivation to continue on, to defeat the Martian elements and the search parties looking for the slave.I remember seeing this movie when I was about 8. I fell asleep. It was boring. Strangely enough, RCOM isn't really a kid's movie, but it is a movie that patient children can intellectually access.I think the two things I liked the best about this flick were the slow and careful establishment of Paul Mantee's astronaut, Kit Draper, as a character we care about, and we want to see him survive. When he is confronted with this strange alien escapee, he doesn't trust him (in fact, he warns him repeatedly about stepping out of line). Through adversity, the two men from different planets begin to trust each other. That was very satisfying.The other part of RCOM that impressed me was the art direction, the graphics and visuals. Shot in Death Valley, the sky is a superimposed matte that gives the planet a (duh) extraterrestrial look. Great matte paintings, imaginative landscapes, and the alien ships that swoop in at about Warp 7 and start shooting, all make for a visual delight for somebody who can see past the lack of CGI, and mutter OMG.I caught the movie on Netflix. If you can find it, I would strongly recommend this dandy little space thriller!

An astronaut (Paul Mantee) is stranded on Mars with only a monkey for company. He must learn to survive on the seemingly barren planet. Just when it looks like he's got things figured out, aliens show up. Fanciful, old school sci-fi adaptation of the Daniel Defoe story of Robinson Crusoe. While most of the science in this is balderdash, it does a great job at making you believe it's plausible. Paul Mantee is a one-man show for most of the runtime and gives a good performance. Adam West has a small part as another astronaut. Great visuals and a solid script help make a simple story work so well. This is one of those movies that just sneaks up on you. You read about it and think it's going to be one of the many disposable sci-fi junkers from the '50s or '60s but then you watch it and can't help but be impressed. An underrated classic.