A Trip to Mars (1910) User Reviews

Not exactly Georges Méliès

[planktonrules · 6/10 · 5 January 2016]

In 1902, Georges Méliès created a landmark film, "The Trip to the Moon". While very primitive by today's standards, it was years ahead of its time and still is a joy to watch. It's the fanciful story of a trip to the moon and many studios ripped off the film-- making nearly identical (though always technically inferior) versions of the movie and passing them off as the original. Well, this isn't exactly the case with Edison's "A Trip to Mars". It's not a copy but is obviously inspired by the earlier film...but, sadly, although debuting eight years later, it's STILL not even close to the original in quality.

The film is an episodic story of a scientist who creates an anti- gravity formula. Using it, he flies to Mars...but much of this trip is strangely absent. Once there, he finds the place inhabited by giants and they torment him. Ultimately, he returns to Earth.

The film features many special effects and camera tricks--some of which worked very well and some which appear sloppy. Interesting and worth a look...but far from brilliant or groundbreaking.

Wells, Not Verne; Edison, Not Melies

[boblipton · 6/10 · 17 August 2013]

The obvious inspiration for this short film is Georges Melies' 1903 A TRIP TO THE MOON, but while Melies based his movie on a Jules Verne novel, this clearly is based on H.G. Wells' FROM THE EARTH TO THE MOON -- with the names rubbed off and the site of the action changed to avoid lawsuits.

Even though we see the same sort of mix of stage and movie magic that Melies used, the purpose has shifted subtly from being special effects that the audience would gape at, to special effects that are used to get from plot point A to plot point B. When chairs float in the air, it is not to frighten and bewilder the audience and the movie's character, but to illustrate the invention of anti-gravity. When the scientist flails about while seeming to fly through outer space, it is to get to Mars. Special effects are no longer the point of the movie. They are part of the grammar.

To the modern eye it may look abrupt, but Edison had its own style of editing that it would use until 1913. There were few screen titles used at Edison.

Director Ashley Miller seems to have used Edison as a source of income and after they stopped production, gave up the movies. He seems to have had a real career acting and directing on Broadway.

A Trip to Mars

[morrigan1982 · 5/10 · 8 August 2014]

An interesting piece of movie which is based entirely on H. G. Wells book. Melies "A Trip to the Moon" is based mostly on J. Verne's book "From The Earth to the Moon" and has elements from Wells book "The First Men in the Moon" (Wells mentions that the moon is inhabited by Selenites and about huge plants and also in Verne's book they never get to step on the moon).

In this movie, like in Wells book, the scientist discovers a substance which defies gravity (in the book it's a new material called cavorite) which helps him travel up in the air and straight to Mars! There he finds strange creatures and an environment different from Earth. He manages to get back to his house and in a strange twist he spills the substance on the floor.

It is not as good as Melie's movie but is fun small piece of history. If you like the short "magic films" of this era than is a must. You have to love the way they brought fantasy into life and the way they used the means they had at the time to make this possible.

Effective Science Fiction

[Michael_Elliott · 7 October 2012]

A Trip to Mars (1910)

*** (out of 4)

This is a fairly interesting picture from Edison about a scientist who discovers a powder that can defy gravity. At first he uses this to move a few objects in his room but then he decides to take a trip to Mars where he encounters some giant tree people and some sort of monster. I'll admit that I'm not quite certain what the monster did to the scientist but it looks like a very early version of a crack pipe. A TRIP TO MARS isn't a masterpiece like A TRIP TO THE MOON but I think fans of the bizarre should enjoy it. The best moments happen when the scientist lands on Mars and we see the giant tree-looking creatures, which were quite cleverly done and look very good. This is when the film turns really strange as this demon thing takes the scientist and smokes something. Again, I'm not sure what he was doing exactly but it was quite effective. This film was made around the same time as Edison's FRANKENSTEIN and the set here looks very similar to the one used in that film so I do wonder if they're the same.

bizarre Edison-produced madness

[framptonhollis · 7/10 · 10 August 2018]

A replication of the charming trick films of the great Georges Méliès, 'A Trip to Mars' is fascinating for many reasons that may or may not have actually been intentional. The acting itself is broadly comical, and the over the top performances help heighten this strange and almost surreal vibe the entire short has. The entire premise is absurd, largely because of what science has, by this time, taught us, and is in itself laughable, but also inexplicably helps heighten the film's confusing, bizarre, and flat out weird atmosphere. The film's most iconic visual by far is that of the giant alien lord(?), king(?), ruler(?), or something(?), the film never at all specifies much of what is going on (another element that helps heighten the atmosphere, albeit very possibly unintentionally), which looks like some sort of disturbing vision of Satan. It's all extremely odd, and ends in a wild, almost experimental note when the camera flips over and around and spins, creating an effect that replicates something by the likes of a Stan Brakhage(!).

The first American 'science-fiction' movie

[jamesrupert2014 · 7/10 · 15 June 2019]

Admittedly, here's not much 'science' in this 'fiction' as an inventor develops an anti-gravity power that he then spills on himself, resulting in him flying (falling?) to Mars where he encounters immense animate trees and a satanic looking giant who eventually blows him back to Earth. Although not as ingenious or as visually intriguing as Méliès' 1902 'A Trip to the Moon' (to which it is often compared), Edison's film has its clever moments: the inventor arrives upside down on the underside of Mars and the split-screen matte as he moves through the 'trees' is very effective. 'A Flight to Mars' was produced for Edison's 'Home Kinetoscope' (an early 'personal-media' device) and in the context of the history of the genre (and film in general) is an imaginative, entertaining and historically interesting short.

First Comedy Sci-Fi Movie in U.S.

[springfieldrental · 6/10 · 19 February 2021]

In the early 1900's, people felt there really was an extreme possibility of Martians living on Mars. Edison Studios took advantage of this popular thinking by producing "A Trip To Mars" in February 1910. The movie was a parody of a human traveling to the planet and confronting giant martians.

Some say this is the first science fiction movie to be made in the United States. With certainty, "A Trip To Mars" is the first sci-fi comedy produced in this country. Even though the title parallels to France's Georges Melies' 1902 classic, "A Trip To The Moon," the similarities end there. Edison's movie is noted for its use of (at the time) sophisticated special effects. Wires are implemented frequently to uplift furniture and our hero into outer space. Once on Mars, our hero walks through a forest of stationary giant martians, where a double exposure technique is used effectively. And when our human lands on a martian's humungous hand to get the frosty treatment, mirrors and depth perception are applied--similar to those seen in 1909's "The Nicotine Fairy."

Many of today's viewers are disappointed at the poor quality of the Martian movie. Edison Studios released more than a dozen movies specially made for its recently invented Home Kinetoscope, a forerunner to our parent's home 8mm projector. Edison's home viewing projector used three film strips together, each 6mm wide. Today's transferal methods onto video is taken from this Edison 6mm film, which was the smallest width ever made for commercial use. When blown up for larger video viewing, the image becomes fuzzy. Until an expensive, high tech resolution of the movie is produced, the film we watch today will have to suffice.

The American spin on A Trip to the Moon.

[ofpsmith · 8/10 · 16 January 2015]

Everyone knows about A Trip to The Moon. One of the first science fiction films it was a major milestone in film history. So when Thomas Edison was making films under his studio he decided to make an All American remake. Instead of a giant bullet, it's a scientist discovering reverse gravity. And instead of going to the moon, he goes to Mars. One step beyond. Well the scientist get's discovered by Martians, and he is soon sent back home by the giant overlord Martian. The scientist throws something on the ground and the room starts to spin. Just saying that description will make you laugh. But still it is pretty impressive. And the special effects are good. It's not as good as A Trip To The Moon but I still have to give it credit.

Bizarre, weird, and cool sci-fi movie

[Tornado_Sam · 17 May 2018]

This 5-minute movie from Edison studios was made eight years after Georges Méliès's "A Trip to the Moon" and while other reviewers have been calling it a knockoff of this film, I disagree. This movie may be much shorter and more simplistic, but the effects are amazing, and honestly are just as good as those in Méliès's film.

The story of the movie is very fast-paced and doesn't slow down. Basically, a scientist discovers an anti-gravity formula and uses it on various objects. However, he accidentally spills some on himself and ends up on mars where he's threatened by various tree-like creatures who threaten to snatch him (which are convincing even today). Then, some giant martian gets him and turns him into what looks like a snowball (too bad the edits here were much too obvious) and tries roasting the guy over a fire but he escapes and gets back to earth. There's a twist at the very end where the scientist spills the formula on the floor and makes the room spin.

Like I said, amazing effects. Many of them are very convincing even today, and at only 5 minutes this is pretty entertaining (although some of this could come from the fact that the YouTube uploading I've seen had some fun piano music with it). Even today I think most people would find it very watchable--and that's saying something.