Marcwolf-2 I really enjoyed "Race to Mars" and have watching it several times.One of the things that people forget is that space travel is SLOW and BORING. Yes there will be people who find the level of action slow but it also brings to light just how routine the astronauts lives will be.I am old enough to remember the first and the last Apollo mission. From when people cheered and watched in awe, to when they complained because the re-runs of soaps were cancelled for the moon missions.The accident scenario's in this are likewise realistic - although they do push the limits a little. But the solutions are likewise realistic and would work.Just my views. Marc

Rabh17 Only just now have I found this nerdy offering via iTunes (Summer doldrums) Scientific Fiction instead of Sci-Fi because this is a Trip to Mars as if scripted by NOVA instead of Hollywood. The focus of this movie is plausible scenarios faced by a ship to and from Mars. The design of the ship, the setup inside it, the cast of characters are all very staid and measured. But then-- we really aren't going to fill a REAL Manned Mars flight with people like "The Sulky Nerd", "The Arrogant Engineer", "The Repressed Doctor", and "The Lesbian Biologist" -- the ship would arrive at Mars with a dead crew.Instead I just took in the sensibly crafted "How would we do it" style of this movie and absorbed the details that are normally glossed over with hand-wavium explanations or failing that close-ups of the "Lesbian Biologist" derrière.Best of all was the condition of the ship on the return leg-- the presence of Mold and it's deadly effect on the ship's environment-- and the possibility of infection by an alien organism or virus.On the fun side-- I was amused by how many times the movie did not deliver the Usual Hollywood plot twists-- and how much I was expecting to see a Martian Alien Plaster its icky face to the porthole and send the mission doctor screaming for help. No alien starships. No ancient dead cities. No guns. No explosions. No incredibly sadistic and improbably lethally armed robots controlled by an insane computer.Think of this as a muted, sedate 21st century "Conquest of Space".If you like HARD Science Fiction, this will fill a few weeknights worth of viewing and it won't feel like a waste of time either if it lends you to a little thought about the possibility.I wasn't overwhelmed. . .but I liked it.

blackhawk66 I am surprised by the unfavorable comments for "Race to Mars." I found it plausible and enjoyable. I appreciated the attempt to present a realistic story of what the first human trip to Mars might be like. Yes, there were a few minor gaffs; objects floating around the spacecraft while it was under acceleration being one of the most obvious. But the vast majority of the sets, costumes, spacecraft design and performance, cgi created environments, action and behavior seemed, to me, to be very believable. The show convinced me that it could happen that way. The actors were unknown to me but I thought they did an outstanding job. Not having recognizable faces in the show was an asset in that it contributed to the realism. The problems and obstacles the characters had to overcome were mostly convincing and interesting (I expect it is true that the doctor should have detected the CO poisoning in blood tests but must admit that did not occur to me while I was watching the show).Overall, I was very impressed and satisfied with "Race to Mars." I consider it one of the better things I've seen in this field in some time. It is certainly superior to most of the sci-fi/space opera that passes as science fiction.

Randy Cliff Race to Mars was promoted well enough if you watch "Discovery", but I'm sure most people missed this one. It was presented as two 2-hr segments. The story will be for most one of "how to get to the planet, and actually return". I saw a story with a lot vision of what would be necessary to accomplish this mission, with good blend of what kinds of things can go wrong -- and how well prepared is the crew able to maneuver through all the struggles that they encounter.We enjoy Science Fiction of all kinds -- reality is tough enough, and most people's idea of reality (if I may say) is just plain stupid. We like being entertained. I have no idea of how exact the science is here, and I since I enjoy sci-fi movies from the 50's, I can't get real hung up on whether the special effects and animations are the most excellent -- so I'll just have to recommend that sci-fi fans will have to checkout "Race to Mars" the next time the mini-series comes into orbit.