Name: Screenwise
Author: Screenwise

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Screenwise Verdict

Let's be real: Mission to Mars is a slog. With a 23% critics score and 30% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, this isn't a hidden gem—it's a widely recognized misfire from the year 2000 that hasn't improved with age.

The premise is fine (Mars mission goes wrong, rescue team investigates), and there's nothing offensively inappropriate here for kids 10+. But the execution is painfully slow, the effects look dated, and even the most generous reviews call it 'boring.' Your kid would get more enrichment and entertainment from a 20-minute YouTube video about actual Mars missions.

If you have a space-obsessed kid who's already burned through The Martian, Apollo 13, Interstellar, and every NASA documentary on Disney+, then sure, this exists. But for 99% of families, there are far better ways to spend two hours exploring space themes. The low WISE score reflects reality: this movie is technically safe and has some positive themes, but it's just not worth watching when so many better options exist.

Age Fit

Common Sense Media suggests 10+ due to disaster sequences and deaths, which seems right. But honestly, even space-obsessed kids might struggle with how slow and dated this feels—it's more of a 'completist' watch for die-hard space fans than an engaging family movie night pick.

WISE Breakdown

Wholesome

65

The film models teamwork and cooperation among astronauts facing a crisis, with themes of sacrifice and human perseverance. However, it includes some intense disaster sequences and character deaths that may be emotionally heavy. The tone is earnest but not particularly warm or uplifting.

Imaginative

55

Space exploration and Mars mysteries offer some imaginative premise, but the execution is reportedly plodding and uninspired based on critical reception. The 'mysterious structure' concept has potential but reviews suggest the film fails to deliver compelling wonder or creative storytelling.

Safe

70

Common Sense Media rates it for age 10+, suggesting moderate intensity. The disaster sequences and astronaut deaths are present but handled in a PG-style manner without graphic violence, gore, or inappropriate content. Some peril and tension but nothing exploitative or shocking for the genre.

Enriching

45

While it touches on space exploration themes that could spark interest in Mars and astronautics, the overwhelmingly negative critical reception (23% RT critics, 30% audience, 34 Metacritic) suggests it fails to deliver meaningful insights or engaging storytelling. Limited educational or emotional payoff.

Parent Info

✓

Why It Might Be Great

If your kid is obsessed with Mars and will literally watch anything about the Red Planet, this exists
Shows teamwork and problem-solving under pressure (even if the execution is rough)
Could spark conversations about space exploration and what we might find on other planets

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What to Watch For

Multiple astronaut deaths during the disaster sequences—handled without gore but emotionally heavy
Glacially slow pacing that will test even patient viewers' attention spans
Year-2000 CGI that hasn't aged well and may look unintentionally funny to modern kids
The universal critical panning is warranted—this is genuinely hard to sit through

Conversation Starters

"What do you think we'll actually find when humans finally get to Mars?"
"The movie shows how dangerous space travel is—would you still want to be an astronaut knowing the risks?"
"Why do you think people keep making movies about Mars specifically?"

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