The Martian Chronicles

If you can get past the fact that the special effects look as if they were designed by Gumby and Pokey, this made-for-TV miniseries based on Ray Bradbury's classic science fiction novel of the same name (in itself, an extended play on Wells' War of the Worlds), offers some serious food for thought at a reasonable price. In The Explorers (Vol. 1), Rock Hudson plays Colonel John Wilder, a man who is committed to exploring Mars. When two initial missions fail to return, Wilder himself embarks on a third to find out what's what on the angry red planet. What he discovers is a delicious bit of irony: the Martian civilization has been all but destroyed by common Earth germs. In The Settlers (Vol. 2), the satire occasionally broaches Swiftian heights as early settlers from Earth (real estate developers, religious enthusiasts, etc.) stake their claims for a piece of the (red) rock. Darren McGavin (remember The Night Stalker ?) and Roddy McDowall, two of the finest whiners to ever come out of Hollywood are standouts here. The final volume: The Martians opens with a long, and rather pointless, detour, featuring Bernadette Peters as a woman who cares about only two subjects in the whole universe (her and herself). But the story winds up rather nicely on a philosophical note when Hudson takes his children to see the "Martians" (and they see their own reflections in a pool.) Patrons who are used to Star Wars type special effects may ford this low-budget film below their standards. But what The Martian Chronicles lacks in glitz, it more than makes up for in intelligent story line (something of which Star Wars cannot boast.) Recommended. (Available from most distributors.) (R. Pitman) [DVD Review--Sept. 21, 2004--MGM, 2 discs, 293 min., not rated, $19.98--Making its debut on DVD, Michael Anderson's 1980 miniseries The Martian Chronicles bows on an extra-less double-disc set that sports a solid transfer and serviceable Dolby Digital mono audio. Bottom line: still a decent thinking-person's treatment of this sci-fi classic, the DVD release--though minus extras--is bargain-priced and recommended for larger collections.] [Blu-ray/DVD Review—July 10, 2018—Kino Lorber, 2 discs, 293 min., not rated, DVD: $24.95, Blu-ray/DVD Combo: $34.95—Making its latest appearance on DVD and debut on Blu-ray, 1980’s The Martian Chronicles features a decent transfer with DTS-HD 2.0 audio on the Blu-ray release. Extras include an interview with costar James Faulkner (5 min.). Bottom line: this classic TV miniseries makes a welcome debut on Blu-ray.]