Movie Review: The Last Days On Mars
It is no fluke that director Ruairi Robinson, in his debut, releases a film about the demise of a group of astronauts on Mars just as the world prepares to send its first permanent human settlement to that planet (supposedly in 2023).
Goran Kostic as scientist Marko Petrovic, discovers a bacterial life form on Mars. Picture: Ster-Kineko
Could it be that he is trying to relay a message: are we really prepared for what the red planet has to offer?
The Last Days On Mars tells the story of a group of researchers, an eight-person crew, who are stationed at a Martian base collecting specimens that might indicate there could be life in its dusty desert. In only 19 hours, they are set to return to Earth after six months of uneventful exploration – but it is not only their mission that is set come to an end.
A mysterious force takes over, killing them one by one, before changing them into aggressive zombie-like creatures.
Scene from Last Days on Mars. Picture Supplied
The action begins when crew member Marko Petrovic (Goran Kostic) makes an astounding discovery: a bacterial life form. As he goes out on an unauthorised expedition to collect further samples, his luck runs out.
In moments, the film transcends from a shadowy science fiction piece to a ghastly horror movie. The majority of the movie is filled with people fighting for their lives against a backdrop of similiar-looking terrain.
The audience is never given a chance to identify with the characters, which would make it easier to experience some form of emotional response.
If you want to switch off, lounge back and merely absorb what’s happening on screen, this is fine; but by the standards of recent space dramas such as Gravity, there’s nothing exceptional about this offering.
