Roving Mars (2006)
Average Rating: 6.8/10
Reviews Counted: 37
Fresh: 26 | Rotten: 11
Roving Mars is a decent thrill ride even when it starts feeling like a commercial plug for NASA's failing space program.
Average Rating: 6.8/10
Critic Reviews: 18
Fresh: 13 | Rotten: 5
Roving Mars is a decent thrill ride even when it starts feeling like a commercial plug for NASA's failing space program.
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Average Rating: 3.6/5
User Ratings: 885
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Movie Info
Mars is Earth's closest planetary neighbor, and for decades scientists have been curious about the so-called "Red Planet," wondering if it's possible that life exists there, how its soil and terrain differs from our own, and if water can be found. While sending a manned space mission to Mars has been considered beyond the reach of America's space program, in 2001 the National Aeronautics and Space Administration approved a mission to send two "rovers" to Mars -- wheeled robots that would send
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All Critics (40) | Top Critics (18) | Fresh (29) | Rotten (11) | DVD (12)
Despite audiences knowing the happy ending from the get-go, [director] Butler manages to inject considerable drama.
Top CriticOne of the most educational and entertaining large-format movies ever.
Not having a way to capture images of the machines at work means that too much of Butler's film ... is disappointingly made up of computer simulations.
Capably accomplishes its mission to Mars by blending solid science with sci-fi eye candy.
It's harder still not to root for anthropomorphized Spirit and Opportunity as time and again they perform like whirring, beeping little robots-that-could, far exceeding the expectations of the people who designed and built them.
Only a series of pics featuring a set of strange little nodes that look like blueberries planted in a pile of red rocks carry any kind of translatable otherworldly kick.
The interaction of two amazing NASA roving robots, named "Spirit" and "Opportunity," with the mysterious terrain of Mars is authentically captured by writer/director George Butler on IMAX cameras.
...has been designed to appeal primarily to viewers with an inherent interest in all things outer space...
Originally made for IMAX screens, George Butler's Roving Mars is a visual marvel %u2013 even if it boils down to a piece of corporate propaganda.
Visually impressive, but it's not as exciting as you'd expect.
Clocking in at a mere 40 minutes, and lacking much of the visual scope an IMAX presentation would have in its original viewing circumstances, Roving Mars comes across as a well-meaning shill for NASA's ongoing obsession with the angry red planet.
Standard IMAX docu fare: a few talking heads, some lush narration, and a whole heap of impressive visuals.
The actual images from the barren surface of our solar neighbor don't fill the giant screen.
It's shot through with edge-of-your-seat excitement.
The first third of the film is weak, but from there it blasts off with strength and connects emotionally, visually, intellectually and even motivationally with the audience.
Too small for the giant Imax screen, Roving Mars is an interesting enough documentary about space exploration but doesn't deliver sufficient gee-whizzery.
Considering what it promises compared to what it actually delivers (especially when you factor in the inflated IMAX prices), even the most indulgent fan of space exploration is likely to walk away from Roving Mars feeling slightly ripped-off.
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Foreign Titles
- Objectif Mars (FR)
