Angry Red Planet:
Jan 14, 2020 15:51:50 GMT -5
Post by Radrook Admin on Jan 14, 2020 15:51:50 GMT -5
Angry Red Planet
Short clip
When I first saw this film, many of the things that were depicted seemed plausible. That was understandable since we had not yet sent space probes to take photos of the Martian surface. So that permitted the imagination to take certain liberties. Below are some things that seem very strange now but were more acceptable back then due to our ignorance.
1. Gravity on the ship during the voyage?
The spaceship is not shown rotating in order to produce artificial gravity rotating. So where is the gravity coming from? No mention is made in reference to it? So I guess they are depending on viewer ignorance. Actually, as a kid seeing that film, that didn't seem strange. So it did work with me.
2. Liquid water on the Martian surface?
The extremely low Martian surface atmospheric pressure prevents liquid water from being present. Again, no problem.
3 No concern for radiation pouring through the atmosphere?
Of course they knew nothing about how thick the Martian atmosphere was at that time. Now we know that the thinness of the Martian atmosphere allows deadly solar radiation and cosmic rays to scour the surface. So the time spent unprotected can kill a us.
4. An intense and constant, exaggerated red glow blurring everything.
Lush vegetation illuminated by an intense red glow! Who knew then that the landscape is barren and resembles a rubble heap interspersed with impact craters?
5. Constant ship acceleration via thrust.
The ship is shown constantly using the rocket thrust. The quantity of fuel required to keep that up during the whole trip would be too much. They also appear to squander fuel while attempting trying to take off while being held by a strong gravitational force . Strange how gravity holds the ship down but leaves the crew totally unaffected. Gravity doesn't work that way. Everyone inside would have been crushed.
6. Unbelievable stupidity
The guy handling the sonic weapon, Sam, is portrayed as being too dumb to consider aiming for the eyes of that rat spider which was trying to devour a crew member. He had to have it suggested. He is also depicted as being too dumb to stay away from the door when that giant amoeba might reach in and grab him. Too dumb to realize that if the sonic gone had no effect back at the sea, it would not affect it at the ship. Also depicted as being more concerned with the effectiveness of his weapon than on the exploration itself.
7. Ridiculous rotating eyes.
Now even as a kid that rotating eye just looked too fake to be believable to me. Why would anything have eyes that are constantly rotating? Eyes are designed to focus. Otherwise they are useless and even a handicap. If it depends on them to navigate on land, then it would be confused. It makes the so-called amoeba look more fake than it already does. Like some wound up toy. In any case, why didn't Sam aim for that eye when he had the chance? Needed to be told?
8. A landscape background that looks flat and badly sketched.
This was a great disappointment. I had expected a grand dazzling revelation of perceptual alien-world-magnificence but got those Micky Mouse drawings instead. Well, that does explain why they used the blurring red glow. Twas in order in order to prevent the drawing from standing out too much as drawings. Unfortunately it did not help at all.