Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Overlooked Movies: Robinson Crusoe on Mars

I've been hearing good things about a new book called The Martian, and I was reminded of this movie, which I saw in the theater long ago.  We've learned a lot about Mars since then, and we know that nearly nothing in this movie is possible. That doesn't mean it's not still fun, though.

Paul Mantee plays Draper, the survivor of a space accident.  Adam West plays the other astronaut, but he's in the movie only briefly.  He doesn't survive.  A monkey named Mona does, though, and makes the movie more fun.  

Draper learns how to survive on Mars and eventually finds himself a man Friday, an alien enslaved by other aliens.  There's some cat-and-mousing as the masters try to retrieve their slave, and the canals of Mars come into play.  

I can't guarantee you'll like this movie as much as I did when I first saw it, but you might if you can put aside your disbelief for a while.  It has a very high rating on Rotten Tomatoes, if that matters to you.

4 comments:

Tom Johnson said...

I also found it a fun movie. If I'm not mistaken, the later movie, ENEMY MINE was slightly based on this one. I haven't seen either one in years.

pattinase (abbott) said...

Somehow this one got by me.

Marsdon said...

I also. Saw this in the theater when it came out. I still have the Criterion Laser Disk of this, but sadly no way to play it any more.

Anonymous said...

I first saw it very late night when I was at my grandparents. I fell asleep before the end. It was 30 years before I got to see it again.