List of films set on Mars


There is a body of films that are set on the planet Mars. In the late 19th century, people erroneously believed that there were canals on Mars. Into the early 20th century, additional observations of Mars fed people's interest in what was called "Mars fever". One of the earliest films to be set on Mars was the short film A Trip to Mars, which was produced by one of Thomas Edison's film companies. In the 1920s through the 1960s, more films featured Mars or extraterrestrial Martians. In the 1960s and 1970s, the Mariner program and the Viking program revealed new scientific details about Mars that showed little prospect for life. The Guardian said, "These disappointing discoveries changed the place of Mars on humanity's mental map. Films began to reflect this." Films such as Total Recall and Red Planet focused more on the colonization of Mars by humans.
The Guardian, reporting on the release of John Carter, said, since 1995, six films featuring Mars performed poorly at the box office. Wired, reporting on the release of The Martian, said prior films set on Mars—Red Planet, Mission to Mars, and The Last Days on Mars —were "notable flops" that were the most recent in a "dismal track record of Mars movies". The Atlantic called The Martian "the subgenre's newest and best entry", citing the positive reviews and strong box office returns on opening weekend. It said, "Many films seek to dramatize the Red Planet’s harsh landscape as a romantic frontier, but The Martian is one that actually succeeds."

List of films

The following films are listed alphabetically. The list can be sorted chronologically by clicking the diamond shape which follows the word "Year":
FilmYearDescription
2036 Origin Unknown2018After a failed mission to Mars, A.I./ARTI is now used for the 2036 mission with a few human supervisors. A monolith of unknown origin is found there. It will have a big effect on Earth.
Aelita1924In the silent film, a man travels to Mars and leads a popular uprising against the authorities and attracts the love of Queen Aelita.
'1959Astronauts who return to Earth after a human flight to Mars recount encountering hostile creatures, with only two surviving the encounter.
Christmas on Mars2008The film tells the story of experiences during the first Christmas on a newly colonized Mars.
Conquest of Space1955A team of American astronauts leave their space station on the first mission to Mars.
'2001The feature film spin-off of the Japanese anime series is set on Mars.
Doom2005Based on the video game series Doom, a group of Marines embark on a search-and-rescue mission after a research facility on Mars is attacked.
Escape from Mars1999Five astronauts make the first human trip to Mars.
Flight to Mars1951A human expedition team lands on Mars and discovers an underground civilization that is dying out.
Ghosts of Mars2001On a mostly terraformed Mars, a team of police officers search for missing miners and discover that they have been possessed by spirits from an ancient Martian civilization.
It! The Terror from Beyond Space1958At the beginning of the film, the sole survivor of a human mission to Mars is recovered by a second rocket ship, but a monster stows away on board for the trip back to Earth.
John Carter2012Based on the 1912 novel A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs, former American Civil War Confederate Army captain John Carter is transported to Mars and becomes involved in a conflict between its inhabitants.
Just Imagine1930A young man is in love with a woman and must impress government officials to marry her. To do this, he travels to Mars with this best friend, and they are accompanied by a stowaway.
'2013On the first human mission to Mars, a crew member discovers fossil evidence of bacterial life. When contact is lost with him, the rest of the crew investigates and learns that there is still life on the planet.
Mars Needs Moms2011In the animated film, a boy's mother is abducted by Martians, and he pursues them back to Mars to rescue her.
'2015A human mission to Mars goes awry, and an astronaut is presumed dead and left behind on the planet by his crew. He fights to survive in the harsh environment and to signal to others that he is still alive. Upon discovering his signal, NASA, scientists all around Earth, and his crew members collaborate to find a way to rescue him.
Martian Land2015The direct-to-video science fiction film is set on Mars in the future, and humans live in domed cities that become threatened by sandstorms.
Mission Mars1968Three astronauts travel to Mars on an expedition but encounter strange forces on the planet.
Mission to Mars2000A rescue mission is sent to Mars to recover the sole survivor of a scientific expedition, and the astronauts learn that Mars is not a dead planet.
Princess of Mars2009In a modern-day update of the 1912 novel A Princess of Mars, the direct-to-DVD film features former U.S. Army sniper John Carter being transported to Mars and becoming involved in a conflict between its inhabitants.
Red Planet2000When a terraforming project on Mars goes awry, a rescue mission is sent to fix the system but crash-lands on the planet.
Robinson Crusoe on Mars1964The film, based on the survival story Robinson Crusoe, features an astronaut stranded on Mars.
RocketMan1997In the comedy film, a substitute astronaut joins the first human mission to Mars with the goal of finding fossils.
Rocketship X-M1950Rocketship Expedition-Moon is accidentally hurtled beyond Luna on a trajectory towards Mars. Ship and crew touch down briefly on the Red Planet, where they encounter the survivors of a nuclear war.
Santa Claus Conquers the Martians1965In the comedy film, Martians kidnap Santa Claus and two children and bring them back to Mars.
'2017In the science fiction film, humanity successfully colonizes Mars, and a colonist gives birth to a boy who ultimately travels back to Earth.
Space Odyssey: Voyage to the Planets2004Science fiction documentary about a crew of multi-national astronauts visiting planets, moons and planetoids of the Solar System, among other Mars which they land on.
'1996The first mission to Mars is accompanied by a reporter that does regular television reports. The commander of the mission is discovered to have been infected by a group against the mission. He survives and in the last scene he sees something on the surface of Mars that is not shown to the audience.
Species II1998In the science fiction horror film, the beginning shows a human mission to Mars in which alien ooze infects the first American man to walk on Mars. The astronaut unknowingly brings the infection back to Earth, where it spreads to others.
Star Crystal1986The science fiction film introduces an expedition to Mars, from which scientists recover an alien egg and take to their ship.
'2017The computer-animated science fiction film, one of several in the Starship Troopers franchise, features a demoted general stationed on Mars who has to train poorly-performing troopers. The military has to confront alien bugs that decide to target Mars.
Stranded 2001A human mission to Mars crash-lands on the planet, stranding the crew.
Total Recall1990Loosely based on the Philip K. Dick story "We Can Remember It for You Wholesale", a man recovers the memory of being a secret agent and travels to Mars to figure out his true identity.
'1910The short film, 4 minutes in length, stars a professor who uses an antigravity powder to float to Mars, where he encounters aggressive trees and a giant creature. The creature then sends him back to Earth, but the powder spills and the whole laboratory flies in the sky.
'1918An adventurer travels to Mars in a ship of his own construction, and finds the planet's inhabitants living harmoniously.
Watchmen2009In the superhero film mainly set on Earth, the superpowered being Dr. Manhattan exiles himself to Mars after being accused of causing cancer in those in his company.
'1965A rocketship crew is stranded on Mars, and they travel through a ruined civilization before they find a yellow road that leads to a Martian city and a wizard who can help them.

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