The Last Days on Mars (2013)

A group of astronaut explorers succumb one by one to a mysterious and terrifying force while collecting specimens on Mars.

Director:

Ruairi Robinson

Writers:

Sydney J. Bounds (short story), Clive Dawson (screenplay)

Stars:

Liev Schreiber, Elias Koteas, Romola Garai

4 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Liev Schreiber	...	Vincent Campbell
Elias Koteas	...	Charles Brunel
Romola Garai	...	Rebecca Lane
Olivia Williams	...	Kim Aldrich
Johnny Harris	...	Robert Irwin
Goran Kostic	...	Marko Petrovic
Tom Cullen	...	Richard Harrington
Yusra Warsama	...	Lauren Dalby
Patrick Joseph Byrnes	...	Flight Commander Ellis
Lewis Macleod	...	Infected Voices (voice)

Storyline

On the last day of the first manned mission to Mars, a crew member of Tantalus Base believes he's made an historic discovery; fossilised evidence of bacterial life. Unwilling to let the relief crew claim the glory, he disobeys orders to pack up, and goes out on an unauthorised expedition to collect further samples. But a routine excavation turns to disaster, when the porous ground collapses, and he falls into a deep crevice and near certain death. His devastated colleagues attempt to recover his body. However, when another vanishes, they begin to realise; the life-form they've discovered is highly dangerous to all human life.

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Plot Keywords:

mars | astronaut | zombie | alien infection | alien life form | 

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Taglines:

The search for life is about to end.

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Genres:

Horror | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence and language

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

UK Ireland

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 September 2013 (UK)

Also Known As:

Last Days on Mars

Filming Locations:

Elstree Studios, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

£7,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$4,608, 8 December 2013, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$23,838, 10 January 2014

Company Credits

Production Co:

British Film Institute (BFI),Irish Film Board,Qwerty Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

May 2012: Olivia Williams replaces Sally Hawkins, who has to drop out due to personal commitments.

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Goofs

When Vincent Campbell confronts astronaut Robert Irwin, he opens the door to cockpit and leaves it open. As the scene progresses, the door is closed as he falls against it.It is closed before Irwin engages the boosters- so it did not close from launch-related forces.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Rebecca Lane: First big one of the season.
Vincent Campbell: Yep. It's heading right for base.
Rebecca Lane: It's gonna mess up Kim's dig. She's not gonna like that.
Vincent Campbell: Yeah, well, I don't like it much either.
Rebecca Lane: There's a surprise. Lighten up, Vince, a bit of dust never hurt anyone.
Vincent Campbell: It's not the dust I'm worried about.

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Connections

Referenced in Filmbarátok Podcast: Episode #1.43 (2014)

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Soundtracks

Blue Skies Are Around The Corner
Written by Ross Parker & Hugh Charles
Performed by Jack Hylton

User Reviews

For fans of science fiction horror

The low IMDb score really sells this film short. I wasn't expecting much but was pleasantly surprised by this small 7m£ production. The production values are top notch and the production design reminded me a bit of 'Moon'. The VFX and designs are by Weta and of the quality we've come to know and love. The posters is not plastered with big names -with Liev Shreiber being the most recognizable one- but who cares; the performances were nothing to complain about. If you have to nag about something you could say that it doesn't bring anything REALLY new but you can say that about so many films. The Last Days on Mars is well executed and scary. If you like the space horror genre you can't skip this one: recommended!