This was an unexpectedly realistic treatment of the first manned voyage to Mars. It is far from scientifically accurate in every respect, but it scores more points for realism than films with 10 times its budget.The story is a bit slow, but then again, that would be reflective of the pacing on a real voyage to Mars lasting years. The computer graphics were at times so convincing that it is easy to buy into them, especially the EVA scenes.I found the acting more than adequate; they were convincing enough for me to care about their characters. That's more than I can say about many films.The title is a bit of a deception. This is not a "race" to Mars rather than a slow sailing boat voyage with plenty of time for reflection. Eight stars out of ten.

I really enjoyed "Race to Mars" and have watching it several times.One of the things that people forget is that space travel is SLOW and BORING. Yes there will be people who find the level of action slow but it also brings to light just how routine the astronauts lives will be.I am old enough to remember the first and the last Apollo mission. From when people cheered and watched in awe, to when they complained because the re-runs of soaps were cancelled for the moon missions.The accident scenario's in this are likewise realistic - although they do push the limits a little. But the solutions are likewise realistic and would work.Just my views. Marc

Only just now have I found this nerdy offering via iTunes (Summer doldrums) Scientific Fiction instead of Sci-Fi because this is a Trip to Mars as if scripted by NOVA instead of Hollywood. The focus of this movie is plausible scenarios faced by a ship to and from Mars. The design of the ship, the setup inside it, the cast of characters are all very staid and measured. But then-- we really aren't going to fill a REAL Manned Mars flight with people like "The Sulky Nerd", "The Arrogant Engineer", "The Repressed Doctor", and "The Lesbian Biologist" -- the ship would arrive at Mars with a dead crew.Instead I just took in the sensibly crafted "How would we do it" style of this movie and absorbed the details that are normally glossed over with hand-wavium explanations or failing that close-ups of the "Lesbian Biologist" derrière.Best of all was the condition of the ship on the return leg-- the presence of Mold and it's deadly effect on the ship's environment-- and the possibility of infection by an alien organism or virus.On the fun side-- I was amused by how many times the movie did not deliver the Usual Hollywood plot twists-- and how much I was expecting to see a Martian Alien Plaster its icky face to the porthole and send the mission doctor screaming for help. No alien starships. No ancient dead cities. No guns. No explosions. No incredibly sadistic and improbably lethally armed robots controlled by an insane computer.Think of this as a muted, sedate 21st century "Conquest of Space".If you like HARD Science Fiction, this will fill a few weeknights worth of viewing and it won't feel like a waste of time either if it lends you to a little thought about the possibility.I wasn't overwhelmed. . .but I liked it.

All the negative things that people said about Brian de Palma's Mission to Mars can be said about this dud of a mini-series. The acting is lazy, the story is dull, the special effects are terrible. Race to Mars starts off okay, but it falls apart badly.It is a two episode mini-series. Judging the episodes individually, the first one is not too bad, but it is the second that really ruins Race to Mars in its entirety. As it progresses, the programme gets increasingly less involving, or convincing. It needs to generate more suspense rather than provide, badly scripted dialogue.The only good thing about Race to Mars is that it gets you thinking about the future. this could very well be the first century where man sets foot on another planet. I've read some articles, and saw a couple of documentaries (more informative than this). Concpts of how to get a ship out a hundred million miles, are floating around NASA as we speak, we have yet to find out if it will be put to action.Anyway that's a slightly different matter. I strongly suggest you avoid Race to Mars even if it sounds interesting. It is cheap, superficial and all that really gets sold is an idea, not a programme worthy of your time investment.