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Mars Needs Moms
| Released |
8 April 2011 |
| Director |
Simon Wells |
Starring
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Seth Green, Joan Cusack, Mindy Sterling, Dan Fogler, Elisabeth Harnois |
| Writer(s) |
Simon Wells, Wendy Wells |
Producer(s)
|
Steven J. Boyd, Jack Rapke, Steve Starkey, Robert Zemeckis |
| Origin |
United States |
| Running Time |
88 minutes |
| Genre |
Animation, action, adventure |
| Rating |
PG |
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A lack of atmosphere.
The latest 3D offering from Disney suggests that there is indeed life on Mars but to quote David Bowie, it’s a God awful small affair. The story goes that Martians have evolved an all-female society who are more keen on military manoeuvres than child-care. For each new generation of little Martians they build some Nanny-Bots and program them using the skills of some specially selected human moms- zapping them into oblivion in the process. Enter ungrateful child Milo (voiced by an astonishingly young sounding Seth Green), who must save his strict Mom (a shrill Joan Cusack) from annihilation.
Style-wise, Mars Needs Moms is on the action/adventure side of Disney’s output and while the running, jumping and laser shooting are all present and correct, it’s just no fun. There are no likeable characters and the few attempts at comedy are misjudged. Side-kick Gribble (Dan Fogler), an overgrown child stranded on the planet following the death of his own mother, is pitched as zany but is instead sometimes pitiful and often annoying. The decision to have their Martian ally Ki (Elisabeth Harnois) spout hippy catchphrases learnt from a human sitcom is just as baffling.
Visually too it’s flawed, if not in execution then definitely in style. The animation is a strange mix of the hyper-real verging on the grotesque (the human characters) and the cartoonish (the Martians). Both are undeniably impressive (if a little creepy on the human side of things) but when the two species interact with each other the effect is disorientating, as if two different films have been spliced together. The environments are all nicely rendered owing a debt to the Star Wars prequels but the characters still remain troubling. Oh, and as usual the 3D effects are so superfluous as to be forgotten if it weren’t for that uncomfortable weight on the bridge of the nose.
All in all, I fail to see how Mars Needs Moms will be of any interest to either kids or adults. If you’re looking for a Mother’s Day treat, maybe a box of chocolates would be more appreciated.
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Linda O’Brien |
