Robinson Crusoe on Mars

In the 1950s and the first half of the 1960s, Hollywood made about 270 low- and high-budget sci-fi films, and this piece is one of the last representatives of the 'Golden Age of vintage sci-fi', when the demand for this type of films gradually began to wane. Very nicely produced, with nice visual effects and a cinemascope format that was not standard in sci-fi films. It's basically the granddaddy of Ridley Scott's The Martian, 50 years older. Here too, a stranded lone astronaut struggles to survive on inhospitable Mars, and in fact the entire first half is a bit of a solo for him, his ape companion and one inhabitable cave. It's all commensurate with the scientific knowledge of the time, of course, so our hero parches around Mars without an oxygen mask, indulges in a refreshing bath, in short, things Matt Damon could only dream of. Towards the end, it turns into total nonsense, with a native "Friday", aliens whipping deadly rays from a flying saucer in orbit, and changing ecosystems that include fresh snow. The whole thing looks pretty nice, but I can't shake the impression that the long running time is rather untenable given the sparse filler. (07/07/2024)

The visually stunning environment of Mars, where the story of Robinson Crusoe is transported into the science fiction age. Surprisingly, it works very well, simply because the setting is very intimate, and it's easy to empathize with the characters, including the monkey, which is a beautiful example of how one doesn't have to be a genius to survive. It's a shame that such an excellent film is so underrated. (11/02/2015)