The first thing that came to my mind after only a few minutes of watching Criterion’s new Blu-ray transfer of Robinson Crusoe on Mars was Forbidden Planet. This isn’t exactly a mind-blowing revelation. In fact it’s a rather elementary observation at best, which is exactly where my knowledge of old school sci-fi films lies.
I like old school science fiction, but I don’t have the patience to search out the quality amongst the crap. I’m a huge fan of the original “Star Trek” television series, I enjoyed Forbidden Planet and had fun with director Byron Haskin’s Robinson Crusoe on Mars, but Haskin’s original War of the Worlds did very little for me. I know in some circles this is probably considered blasphemy, but if it helps any Steven Spielberg’s remake, while I admit to enjoying it when I saw it the first time in theaters, hasn’t been a film I’ve ever been interested in returning to. I would, however, far quickly return to watching Robinson Crusoe on Mars out of sheer interest in the story.
The curious thing about science fiction is the attraction typically has little to do with the visual effects, which are often touted as the ground-breaking aspect of so many of these films. While the effects in films such as Blade Runner and Star Wars are quite cool, the stories, characters and ideas are what audiences become most attached to. Science fiction proposes alternate universes or futures we can either expect or only hope to dream of. The fascination with Robinson Crusoe on Mars, as evidenced from Criterion’s selection of special features, seems to be its advanced thinking when it comes to the science of it all. After all, when you get that right you allow the audience to focus on the story rather than proposterous scientific theories.
Robinson Crusoe on Mars is loosely based on Daniel Defoe’s novel and centers on a U.S. astronaut Commander “Kit” Draper (Paul Mantee) who’s spaceship crash lands on Mars where he must fight for survival with limited means and the threat of an alien species looming. Many of the aspects of the story and the science behind it were taken from actual scientific theory of the time as detailed in the included special feature, “Destination Mars”.
Many of the theories surrounding the geology and ecology of the Mars surface as posed in this film, such as any kind of breathable oxygen being available, simply are not true. Yet, there are aspects such as the forward-thinking design of the spaceship and the factual reality of the Mars polar ice caps that show some actual thought was put into the script rather than just relying on little green men and proton phasers. Things such as this lend credence to the story in such a way that allows it to still hold up today.
The features also detail certain story aspects that were removed from screenwriter Ib Melchior’s original screenplay such as monsters and ray guns. I honestly believe had these portions of the story remained this film would not be among those selected for the Criterion Collection.
This was my first time seeing this film so I, unfortunately, can’t supply any comparisons to previous release. But I can say this release was rather impressive, most importantly from a sound aspect, something I noticed almost immediately.
Robinson Crusoe on Mars begins with Draper’s spaceship, piloted by Col. Dan McReady played by one Adam West (“Batman”), as it zooms from one side of the screen to the other. Even though we’re talking about a monaural soundtrack, the restoration is impressive with balanced bass and the higher audio ranges aren’t as tinny as one may come to expect from a mono track for an effects heavy sci-fi feature.
The accompanying features are strong but rather limited. The “Destination Mars” feature I mentioned earlier runs approximately 19 minutes and is the best of the bunch. There’s an audio commentary that’s been pieced together from previous interviews with screenwriter Ib Melchior, actors Paul Mantee and Victor Lundin, production designer Al Nozaki, special effects designer Robert Skotak and excerpts from a 1979 audio interview with director Byron Haskin that’s worth a listen, but nothing I would personally rush to since I traditionally don’t necessarily love these patchwork commentaries.
Additionally there’s a silly music video for a “Robinson Crusoe on Mars” song, a stills gallery with some cool concept art and a theatrical trailer. As always, also included is a 14-page booklet with an essay by space historian Michael Lennick (he also leads the “Destination Mars” featurette) as well as Melchior’s “Brief Yargorian Vocabulary” (a glossary of original alien dialect) and a list of facts about Mars, both from Melchior’s original screenplay.
Everything considered, this is a no-brainer for sci-fi fans. Robinson Crusoe on Mars is a fun film that makes sure to consider story first and while the science-fact of it all may be easily disputed it never goes so far off the rails that it becomes too campy.
My largest complaint is the rushed ending. I can only imagine seeing this in theaters back in 1964 and, as the credits began to roll, looking around wondering if everyone was as confused by the abrupt ending as I was. It’s one of those “and they all lived happily ever after” endings that has you thinking the filmmakers had something else they needed to do and just didn’t have time to finish the last ten minutes.
Nevertheless, I’m sure I’ll return to this film just as I’ve returned to Forbidden Planet over the years. It’s a fun film and perfect to fill the void when nothing else seems to fit the moment. Best of all, it’s unlike the movies being released today and offers a nice reprieve from the same-old, same-old.
