The very title of
“The Last Days on Mars” is erroneous as it all takes place within one day on
the Red Planet, but, hey, somehow it recalls a ’70s Brit prog rock concept
album. Never mind that. This is “Alien” meets “Night of the Living Dead,” with
Liev Schreiber as a scientist on a Mars research gig with a motley crew (Elias
Koteas and Olivia Williams among them) who are all gung-ho to finish up until
that one last errand goes bad bad bad
oh so wrong. And then people start turning into zombies and start attacking
each other. Why? No idea. I don’t need to know. “Alien” didn’t explain a
thing. But I peered in too deep because there has to be something else here
other than zombies attacking people on Mars, with no escape. But there’s just
not. Oh, I dug Schreiber’s messed up astronaut, with his fear of closed spaces,
and space ships (huh?), and some accident that struck before the
film, but that’s not enough to carry this story. Not when the best
character –- Williams’ cold officer -– is tossed off with a shrug. C+
Lean on Pete
8 years ago
