The real mission to Mars is a rescue mission. What happens to them and what they find is almost beyond belief. By treating the script intelligently, De Palma is following Kubrick's example. The impossible is only credible when taken literally. Spielberg's musical message from the landed saucer in Close Encounters Of The Third Kind seems crude compared to the Martian sound waves that Luke records.
Endings are hardest in outer space.
Kubrick didn't crack it. Nor does De Palma. The inexplicable requires faith and rationality. Homo sapiens cannot handle mystery. Copyright 1997-2001 insideout.co.uk.