Synopsis

In 2020, the first crewed mission to Mars is devastated by a mysterious force after discovering an unusual formation on the planet's surface. When contact is lost, a rescue mission is launched. The surviving astronauts uncover evidence of an ancient intelligence and must determine whether the discovery represents a threat, a message, or humanity's first contact with extraterrestrial life.

Factoids & Trivia

• The film was inspired in part by Disney's theme park attraction Mission to Mars. Its connection to the attraction was later extended when props from the production were displayed near the Mission: SPACE ride at Epcot.

• The Martian landscape was built in a massive sandpit near Vancouver. The set reportedly covered about two million square feet, and more than 14,000 gallons of paint were used to give the soil its distinctive red color.

• The visual effects were shared by several major facilities, including Industrial Light & Magic, Dream Quest Images, Tippett Studio, CIS Hollywood, and Trans FX. More than 400 technicians worked on the film's effects.

• The Martian vortex was created with a proprietary fluid-dynamics system capable of rendering hundreds of millions of particles. The technology had previously been developed for gaseous effects in Armageddon.

• ILM created the film's holographic evolution sequence, depicting life developing from simple organisms to modern humans with a 3D morphing technique.

• Each space suit reportedly cost about $100,000 to construct. The suits were designed to look practical and functional while remaining considerably less expensive than an actual NASA suit.

• Production used locations in Vancouver, Jordan, and the Canary Islands to create the film's contrasting Earth, spacecraft, and Mars environments.

• Mission to Mars opened in the same year as Red Planet, making 2000 notable for the release of two large-scale Hollywood films about crewed expeditions to Mars.

• The film received a Golden Raspberry Award nomination for Worst Director and was regarded as a commercial and critical disappointment on release, although its visual design and effects continue to attract interest from science-fiction fans.