the realm of science fiction has always been an allegory of political and or moral sensibilities . 
the best tales of the genre deal with mankind's struggle for survival or knowledge . 
such popular and noteworthy tomes as " stranger in a strange land " by robert heinlein , " childhood's end " by arthur c . clarke and " man in the high castle " and " do androids dream of electric sheep " by philip k . dick all deal with man's need for identity and struggle for self worth . 
hollywood has regularly adapted the milieu ( if not the message ) of science fiction since it's beginnings . 
most films just created fancy pulp tales with no more thought that the escapism they achieved . 
it really wasn't until producer george pal , took charge of robert heinlein's novel " rocketship galileo " and crafted the film " destination moon " , that 'sci-fi' ( as it is commonly referred to ) , came into it's own . 
from there , such diverse filmmakers as roger corman to stanley kubrick , have sought to express ideas through the medium of the genre . 
with the release of touchstone pictures " mission to mars " , we have an unabashedly nonchalant sci-fi film for those who read the national enquirer and the globe . 
the film opens on a summer barbecue , as phil ohlmyer ( jerry o'connell ) woos a young female with his tales of space glory and the upcoming mission . 
woody blake ( tim robbins ) and his wife terri ( connie nielsen ) commit to his coming authority on the mission , and luc goddard ( don cheadle ) consoles his son . 
entering the party is jim mcconnell ( gary sinise ) , who gave up command of the mission due to the untimely death of his wife , maggie ( kim delaney ) . 
luc consoles jim with woody's assistance . 
the three men are friends and carry a fine bond of trust and caring between them . 
but jim still longs to set foot on the red planet . 
the mission is in earnest as luc and his team land in the cydonia region of mars . 
they send out the rover to investigate the area and discover what seems to be water or ice under the surface . 
going out to investigate , luc and his team approach the famed 'face on mars' . 
a strange noise emanates from the rock . 
as the team tries to scan through the rock with radar , a violent wind storm erupts , creating a vortex that kills all members of the team , save for luc . 
back on the space station orbiting earth , woody and jim receive the information that the mars landing team is missing . 
luc's interference laden emergency message urges the two men to attempt a second mission to the red planet in the hopes of rescuing the previous team . 
the second journey to the martian world is fraught with danger . 
meteorite showers , explosions , and rescues all come into play as the intrepid heroes make there way to the planet's surface . 
the big question is , is there now or has there ever been intelligent life on mars . 
and if so , what is its relationship with us ? 
now for the bad news . 
the entire plot of " mission to mars " is based almost wholeheartedly on outdated and preposterous national enquirer type martian civilization tripe . 
the famed 'face on mars' becomes the centerpiece of the film , revealing some of the most harebrained sci-fi pabulum the screen has witnessed . 
borrowing ideas from such films as " robinson crusoe on mars " ( 1964 ) , quatermass and the pit ( 1967 ) , " 2001 : a space odyssey " , and even mario bava's " planet of the vampires " ( 'terrore nello spazio' ) ( 1965 ) , " mission to mars " is a hodgepodge of ideas that don't add up to a satisfying whole . 
while some sequences are wonderfully handled and executed , the film remains flat and un-involving . 
so much time is giving to establishing the lead characters in the film , but to no good use . 
the performances are all workmen like , with only don cheadle ( as luc ) carrying any sort of real chemistry . 
gary sinise is wasted in role that requires him to look as if he is experiencing sleep depravation . 
and the mistaken idea of having jerry o'connell ( as phil ohlmyer ) play his part for comic relief is just too painful to excuse . 
and the less said about tim robbins called in from home performance the better . 
he's just having too much fun here to give a damn . 
the script has a few lapses , namely that after discovering several breaches in the hull of the ship caused by a meteorite shower , no one thinks of checking the fuel tanks or the remainder of the ship for damage . 
this of course leads to our heroes having to abandon their rescue ship . 
also , when one character sacrifices himself , the character takes on a religious demeanor that is completely at odds with the situation . 
but the biggest offence in the film is the horrid , intrusive score by ennio morricone . 
subtlety is non-existent here . 
in fact in some scenes the music becomes so extravagant that dialogue is almost drowned out . 
the only sequence in which the score almost works is during the protracted meteorite shower . 
the pacing of the film is very leisurely . 
after the opening introduction of the characters ( which lasts a full 22 minutes ) , we are finally dropped onto the martian surface . 
then , there is another long pause in the plot for more character development , including an elaborate dance sequence in zero gravity . 
the film could lose about 30 minutes and actually gain some momentum . 
there are so many scenes of talking heads , discussing what we already know is going to happen , that it drags the film to a dead stop . 
the good news is that the film is absolutely sumptuous to look at . 
the vistas of the planet mars are majestic and awe inspiring . 
the design of the numerous spacecraft and suits are all expertly drafted , with a level of realism that hasn't been seen since " 2001 : a space odyssey " . 
the visual effects are just stunning , from the space walk sequences , to the visualization of evolution on earth . 
the only fault come with the martians themselves , which look more like something out of a plastic model kit than something from another world . 
director de palma stages some wonderfully creative scenes through out the film . 
the opening sequence alone in a seemingly un-interrupted cut lasting almost 15 minutes ( an homage' to hitchcock's " rope " ) , as we are introduced to all of the characters . 
scenes in the rescue ship , with its rotating centrifuge , are just amazing in their execution . 
but the nagging question , is the final explanation worth all of this sturm und drang . 
sadly it is not . 
director brian de palma has crafted an extravagant production . 
the set design and visual effects are all arresting . 
but it's the comic strip denouncement that ruin what might have been a fine return to good adventurous , thought provoking science fiction . 
a disappointing film , but one that might still entertain if you can settle for the visuals .