Most of these movies were made during the Cold War and as such reflect a feeling of fear and paranoia about the unknown. And make sure your navigator passed Astronomy 101. A Soviet engineer builds a spaceship to reach Mars. He kills his wife, Natacha and flees to Mars, where he falls in love with Aelita, the Queen of Mars. This could be a Jerry Springer episode.
Government tries to cover up the existence of a deadly organism that has been retrieved from Mars.
Martians attack first Earth expedition to Mars. They were angry we took so long to visit. Space officials recruit a pilot to pose as an astronaut who died on Mars. Honesty is the best policy. The story deals with rival space missions to Mars.