Don't look at the man behind the curtain

Rating: 5/10 (18 May 2000)

This could have been yet another great Philip K. Dick story turned into a movie (Blade Runner). However at the critical moment this movie fails. After doing a good job setting up Quaid's motivation to go to Mars and getting the characters together; the movie does a great job of throwing in a killer plot twist. However it is as this plot twist is being resolved that the movie loses it creditability. Once the Alien air-making machine is put into action realism would dictate that every structure on the planet would be leveled. Just imagine the effect of taking a structure built to handle the near vacuum of the Martian atmosphere and suddenly hitting it with 15 lbs per square inch of weight. The Alien machine, to work properly in the movie would take several weeks to create a Martian atmosphere. And that means that Quaid dies after being sucked out of the airshaft. Even if we look at that scene, think of the incredible damage that would have been done to Quaid's body. He would never be the same. What saddens me is these are small plot points that could have been dealt with properly had the director and screenwriter taken some time to do so. Had they done so, this would be an undeniable instant Sci-Fi classic, instead of a good movie with a hoaky ending.