Studio: Arrow Video
Release Date: November 18, 2025
Rating: PG-13
Film: 3/5
PlotIn the not-so-distant future, the ecological crisis on Earth has taken a turn for the worse, and humanity's only hope may lie in seeking refuge on neighboring Mars. After years of unmanned missions to terraform the planet, a crew of astronauts aboard Mars-1 are finally sent to establish Earth's first Martian colony. But a giant solar flare sends their landing module crash-landing on the planet, leaving our pioneers stranded in a harsh crimson wasteland. As the crew battle the elements and rising inner tensions, they soon discover that Mars' newly formed atmosphere has had unexpected and terrifying consequences.
My ThoughtsRed Planet was torched by reviewers (Tomatometer 14%) and fans (28%), but count me in the minority on this one because it isn't that bad. It has a decent premise about a terraforming mission gone wrong, and it's entertaining as a straightforward sci-fi survival thriller, with solid tension among the crew led by Carrie-Anne Moss' commander and Val Kilmer's engineer. While the CG is quite dated today—they were cutting edge at the time, pushing early-2000s effects in ambitious ways. What I found interesting in revisiting the film 25 years later is how many elements from it found their way into
The Martian, from the isolated habitat struggles, the trek across the landscape to find a way to escape, and how eerily similar the attempted rescues were; it makes me wonder if Andy Weir used elements of the film for his best-selling book that was turned into the hit movie—which is one of my favorites. The isn’t very deep and it’s interesting to see how the crew tackles problems when they are facing personal extinction.
Arrow has done a very good job on the restoration and video presentation with a freshly minted 4K transfer that boasts both HDR10 and Dolby Vision. There’s not much to see in the Martian barren landscapes, but scenes onboard the ship teem with detail in suit textures and close-ups—Moss looks particularly fetching while showering—while color reproduction is accurate despite the harsh lighting. Some of the CG shows some soft edges in the upscaling, which is not unusual, and there’s some slight digital noise that makes its way into the picture, but overall this is a very fine presentation.
The audio is a lossless DTS-HD MA 5.1 track that delivers clear dialog and effective surrounds for the atmospheric effects on the planet, background ship noises, and the robot’s drone flying through the room. The score has decent dynamics, but the LFE doesn’t dig very deep given the genre.
Video 8.5/10
Audio 8/10 (DTS-HD MA 5.1)
Special Features:- The Martian Chronicles
- Suit UP
- Angry Red Planet
- Deleted Scenes
- Theatrical Trailer
- Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Matt Griffin
- Illustrated collector's booklet featuring new writing on the film by Mark A. Altman
ConclusionArrow Video has redeemed the maligned sci-fi thriller with a solid presentation that modernizes the look of the film with audio that’s quite good from the era. The film holds minority appeal as decent and entertaining and fans of
The Martian will probably see the same similarities that I did. If you’re a fan of the genre, then you’ll be pleased with the presentation and will want to add it to your collection.
Reference Review System:JVC DLA-RS3100 4K Ultra High-Definition Front Projector
(I utilized
Portrait Displays' Calman color calibration software)
Stewart Filmscreen - Firehawk 110” 2.35:1 Screen
Trinnov Altitude 16 Audio/Video Processor
ATI AT527NC Powering Bed Channels
ATI AT524NC Powering Atmos Speakers
Zidoo UHD8000 Media Player
Panasonic DP-UB820 Ultra HD Blu-ray Player
System Controller: URC MX-990
M&K S-150 THX Ultra (R-C-L Speakers)
M&K SS-150 x4 (Surround Speakers)
Atlantic Technology IC6-OBA x 4 Overhead Speakers
Dual Rythmik FV15HP2
Mini DSP HD
Audioquest and Monoprice - Audio/Video/Speaker Cabling
PureAV PF60 Power Conditioner
4 Replies
486 Views