A sci-fi flop defined by on-set brawls and a box-office disaster
In short: Released in 2000, Red Planet was a critical and commercial failure that struggled to compete with other Mars-themed films. Beyond its poor reception, the production became notorious for the volatile relationship between stars Val Kilmer and Tom Sizemore, who reportedly required body doubles to film scenes together after physical altercations.
Directed by Antony Hoffman, Red Planet was a high-budget science fiction project that arrived in theaters on 10 November 2000. Despite an estimated production budget of $80 million, the film grossed only $33.5 million worldwide. It was one of two Mars-focused films released that year, following the earlier debut of Mission to Mars. Critics were largely unimpressed, with the film holding a 14% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a 34% score on Metacritic. Reviewers, including those at The New York Times and CNN, criticized its pacing and plot, though Roger Ebert offered a more positive perspective, praising its focus on scientists solving problems under pressure.
The film's behind-the-scenes drama often overshadowed its narrative about a crew attempting to save a dying Earth by terraforming Mars. The working relationship between Val Kilmer and Tom Sizemore famously collapsed during production. Reports detail a dispute over production expenses—specifically the shipping of an elliptical machine for Sizemore—that escalated into a heated argument. The tension grew so severe that the two actors refused to share the set, forcing the use of body doubles for their joint scenes. In one instance, a producer reportedly asked Sizemore to avoid hitting Kilmer in the face during a fight sequence, leading Sizemore to punch him in the chest instead.
The plot itself follows a mission to Mars that goes awry after a solar flare damages the ship, forcing the crew to land on the surface. They discover that the terraforming efforts have failed, but they eventually find that the planet is naturally producing oxygen thanks to Martian nematodes. The film concludes with a desperate survival mission, as the protagonist, Gallagher, manages to use a military robot's battery to power a Russian probe and escape into orbit. While the film is often cited as a factor in the decline of Kilmer's status as a movie star, Sizemore later noted that he and Kilmer eventually reconciled.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: Red Planet (film)
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