I won’t even deny the fact that I have somewhat of a man-crush on Liev Schrieber. It’s not that I’m physically attracted to him, though he is quite strapping, it’s that I think he is one of the most underrated actors working today. He has a very demanding screen presence, which is why I jokingly refer to him as “The Panty-Dropper”. I generally try and stay up-to-date on any projects with which he is involved. Recently he got his own show on Showtime called Ray Donovan, where he plays the title role. The show is pretty great all around, but it most certainly wouldn’t be what it is without Liev. When I heard that he was making another jump into the horror genre, I anxiously awaited the opportunity to take The Last Days On Mars in. I knew literally nothing about the film, except for that it was a “space” horror/sci-fi hybrid, and it starred Liev Schrieber. The Last Days On Mars was part of the 2013 Toronto After Dark film festival, but I heard little to nothing from any of the attendees that were able to see it. I don’t think that’s really at the fault of the film, as much as it is there were so many solid genre titles there last year, that this one sort of got lost in the shuffle. Cut forward to March 4th of this year, and we finally have a Blu-ray release of the film to peruse. Yes, I’m a little late with this review, but here we are, nonetheless.
In The Last Days On Mars, a group of “astronaut explorers” are finishing up their last day on Mars before making the 6 month long trek back to earth. They stumble across what appears to be some sort of biological growth, and when attempting to collect a sample, tragedy strikes, and one of their members falls into a newly-formed crater, and is presumed dead. What they don’t know, is that the biological growth that was being collected, has now infected their colleague, and quite literally transformed him into a bloodthirsty zombie. It’s not quite zombies like you’re used to, in that, they’re more full of rage than they are hungry for flesh. There is one scene later in the movie where an on-screen act could be construed as one of the infected consuming the flesh of one of their victims, but it also could be construed as just an act of violence, tearing his victim limb-from-limb. The point I’m trying to make is, at no point within the film, is flesh-eating a focal point of the narrative. These “zombies” are more in the style of 28 Days Later, only they actually are reanimated corpses, somewhat anyway. It seems as if the virus begins while its host is still alive, and continues after death. It actually does take a pretty tired genre vehicle, and makes it feel a little less tired, which is always a positive thing.
The one gripe I have with The Last Days On Mars, is that it is clear that we are supposed to care about each individual character, but the story never develops anyone. We’re given enough to be able to tell who is who, but only the bare minimum. Not every film needs to flesh out its characters to a heightened level of depth, but when said character’s death is presented as if it should have some sort of emotional impact on the viewer, it would help to spend at least a little bit of time introducing us to who they are as a person, before you take them out. On the flip side, however, this does lend to the qualities of the pace of the film. There aren’t any real lulls in action. Pretty much, once the virus is found, the tension never lets up until the end of the film. I suppose it is a give and take type of situation, where you’re sort of missing out on any meaningful character development, but you’re trading it for a somewhat fast-paced film that would normally be on the slow side. The “zombies”, if you will, look pretty fantastic. When we catch our first glimpse of one of the infected, as he makes his way back from a research site on mars to the rover in which the rest of the crew are holed up, it is extremely eerie. Rather than being a battered and bloody grotesque display, it’s more of a skeletal, “sucked in” look, as if the infected’s body was just exposed to the harsh elements of the Mars atmosphere. However you describe it, I found it to be quite effective.
Overall, The Last Days On Mars is a solid Science Fiction/Horror mashup. Some people are going to hate it, but that’s pretty much a given. In the age of the internet, it’s almost considered uncool to like anything at all, that’s not considered obscure. This isn’t a love it or hate it affair, either, there is plenty of room for the middle ground. The pacing, as mentioned above, allows you to never become bored with the situation, the cinematography and set designs are top-notch, and all of the performances are well above average. There are much better horror movies in space, but I’ve seen much worse as well. Personally, I probably enjoyed it more than most people will, but I think there’s a little bit to enjoy for everyone in this one, if you are willing to submit to it, that is.
The Blu-ray itself is a solid release, as is the case with most Magnolia titles. If anything, it looks a little too clean. That isn’t to say that it is the victim of too much digital noise reduction, but much of the film has been rendered in post-production, so you get a more digital look than filmic. It doesn’t look like a Mexican Soap Opera, though, so it is never a distraction. The audio is presented in the form of a lossless DTS-HD MA 5.1 track, and is really quite impressive. A lot of thought went into the audio presentation of the film, and in many scenes, it almost convinces you that you’re seeing it at a theater. There are a few extra features on the disc, which include: behind-the-scenes photos, a special effects featurette, and of course the theatrical trailer. The Last Days On Mars is now available on DVD and Blu-ray, from Magnolia entertainment. You may purchase yours here.
*******½~~ (7.5/10)