Hollywood's Missions to Mars Are a Varied Lot

The recent Mars movies to hit the big screen haven't always helped instill support for Mars exploration in the public's eye. Ben Steelman takes a look at some of Hollywood's earlier visits to the Red Planet, showing things didn't exactly look better in those days either.

Soon, sci-fi movies were as much about the Cold War as they were about Mars. In Flight to Mars (1951), astronauts led by Cameron Mitchell find Mars to be ruled by a hostile dictatorship. The Martians are running low on the critical mineral "Corium" and plot to hijack the Earthmen's ship to conquer their primitive planet. A sympathetic Mars girl (named "Alita") helps the astronauts escape, though.

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