Movie Review – Flight to Mars (1951)
Back in 1950, Destination Moon took viewers on what was seen as a realistic flight to the Earth’s Moon.
One year later a film decided to take viewers one step further —- to the planet Mars. Released in 1951, Flight to Mars portrays a secret rocket flight to the Red Planet. A team of engineers along with a newspaper reporter embark on the incredibly risky journey, not even knowing if they’ll be able to return to Earth. But when they arrive on Mars, the crew discovers that the planet is nothing what they expected.
Directed by Lesley Selander, Flight to Mars is a relatively low-budget science-fiction film that was filmed in only five days. The film even borrows details and props from previous sci-fi films such as Rocketship X-M (1950) and Destination Moon (1950).
Flight to Mars stars Cameron Mitchell as Steve Abbott, a prestigious newspaper reporter who documents the space flight to Mars. Arthur Franz plays the role of Dr. Jim Barker, the chief engineer and pilot of the spacecraft. Virginia Huston has the role of Carol Stafford, an engineer who is in love with Jim Barker. Marguerite Chapman plays the role of Alita, a Martian assigned to help Jim Barker and later falls in love with him.
Flight to Mars (1951) – (c) Monogram Pictures
Flight to Mars begins with two scientists ominously looking at planet Mars through a massive telescope. One of the scientists remarks that the spaceship will be leaving in two days. He also wonders if they’ll actually make it to the planet. Perhaps there’s life up there on the red planet.
Over at the Pentagon we meet Dr. Lane (John Litel), an engineer and adventurer. Dr. Lane is more concerned about him and his rocket crew landing on Mars. Finding a way back home is not a concern to the scientist. We also meet Steve Abbott (Cameron Mitchell), a prestigious newspaper reporter who will be documenting the space flight.
Flight to Mars (1951) – (c) Monogram Pictures
Steve heads out and meets with Dr. Jim Barker (Arthur Franz) the chief engineer of their mission and pilot of their spaceship. Jim is confident that their mission will succeed and they’ll make it safely to Mars. Carol Stafford (Virginia Huston) arrives, ready for her date with Jim. Unfortunately, he has forgotten about their date tonight, and Carol proceeds to give her attention to Steve and tell him a little bit about herself. Carol is an engineer and one of the crew members for the space flight.
Flight to Mars (1951) – (c) Monogram Pictures
The following night the crew arrives at the spaceship (named Rocketship M.A.R.S.). This is Steve Abbott’s first time seeing the interior of the rocket. Dr. Lane explains to him that gyroscopes will keep the cabin in an upright position during their horizontal flight through space. Jim Barker makes a final radio check as the crew straps into their beds (in a similar fashion in Destination Moon). He then triggers the engine and Rocketship M.A.R.S. launches into the night sky.
Two days later the rocket is orbiting the Moon and the crew still has radio contact with the Pentagon back on Earth. Jim Baker explains that there were some moments of weightlessness until they could properly use the magnetic field stabilizers to equalize the gravitational pull. It’s fancy talk for saying artificial gravity.
Flight to Mars (1951) – (c) Monogram Pictures
Leaving lunar orbit requires another burn of the rocket’s engines. The crew has to hang on tight until the rocket can accelerate and escape the Moon’s gravitational pull. The rocket succeeds and the mission to Mars continues. After passing the Moon, the crew loses radio contact with Earth and they have to resort to sending physical messages back to Earth through special “space cylinders.”
The space flight continues and the crew spends some time getting to know one another. This implies that none of the crew members trained together for the mission. It’s as if they were all picked for the flight at the last minute.
Flight to Mars (1951) – (c) Monogram Pictures
A flash of light outside of a window catches Steve and Carol’s attention. They watch in fascination as a meteor shower races past their rocket. Dr. Lane explains that the Earth will not be harmed from the space rocks as the vast majority will burn and explode in the upper atmosphere.
On the seventh day of the mission Steve and Carol continue to grow closer together. Carol is still upset with Jim Barker’s sudden change in attitude, and she’s allowing Steve to make advances. They place their handwritten notes into a space cylinder, and the cylinder is jettisoned out of the rocket and sent back to Earth. Suddenly the Rocketship M.A.R.S. is rocked by an unknown contact. They’re right in the path of a meteor shower!
Flight to Mars (1951) – (c) Monogram Pictures
Jim Barker has to fire the rocket’s engines and send their ship slightly off course to avoid the incoming space rocks. The crew has to endure the high forces from the rocket’s engines, but it works and they’re in the clear. Unfortunately, when a meteor hit the ship the ship’s landing gear was damaged. It’s beyond repair out in space. The crew has to decide whether to return to Earth and hope for a safe landing, or proceed and make a crash landing on Mars. They all vote to try for a landing on Mars. If they return to Earth on a failed mission, it’s doubtful that the government will try another such space flight. They must succeed for the future of manned space flight!
Flight to Mars (1951) – (c) Monogram Pictures
Rocketship M.A.R.S. flies through the Martian atmosphere and ultimately makes a crash landing into the side of a mountain. How the crew survived such an impact isn’t explained. What we do know is that nobody is seriously injured, and the impact triggered a small avalanche that partially buries the rocket. If they want to survive, then they’ll have to explore the planet and search for life.
Flight to Mars (1951) – (c) Monogram Pictures
The crew dons oxygen masks and proceeds to explore the area around their crash site. They ultimately discover what looks like a man-made structure. Suddenly human-like Martians walk around the structure and greet the visitors from Earth. The Martians are wearing spacesuits (the same suits from Destination Moon). They’re able to speak and understand English as they have been listening to the signals being broadcast from planet Earth. However, they are unable to broadcast powerful enough signals back to their neighboring planet.
Flight to Mars (1951) – (c) Monogram Pictures
The Martians invite the Earthlings into their underground city. One of the Martians explains that they have several underground cities that house their entire population. The Martians are able to separate elements from a mineral and produce oxygen and artificial light.
The Earthlings are taken before the Martian council where they meet Ikron (Morris Ankrum). Ikron welcomes the visitors and generously allows them hospitality as well as whatever supplies are needed to repair their spacecraft. He explains that space travel has always been a fascination to him, but it’s something that their advanced Martian technology has never been able to acquire.
Flight to Mars (1951) – (c) Monogram Pictures
Terris (Lucille Barkley) leads the Earthlings to an apartment where they’ll be living for the duration of their stay. She shows them how to access food, and tells them that she’ll gladly assist with whatever they need. Needless to say, the Earth travellers are very impressed by the advanced and friendly culture that they’ve discovered on Mars.
Jim Barker and Dr. Lane meet with the Martian council and ask for their assistance with repairing and fueling their spaceship. It’s decided that the mineral that the Martians use to create oxygen and artificial light for their cities can also work as a fuel source for their rocket. Ikron gladly accepts their call for assistance and dispatches a team of workers to begin digging the rocket out of the mountain.
After the Earthlings leave the room, it’s revealed that Ikron wants to use the rocket to deliver a deadly payload back to Earth that will wipe out its population. Tillamar (Robert Barrat), a senior advisor to the council, objects to this plan, but Ikron overrules him. The Martian environment is crippled and it’s only a matter of time before they’re unable to mine more of the minerals. If the Martian species is to survive, then it needs to relocate to another planet. This means that the host planet will first have to have its native population exterminated.
Flight to Mars (1951) – (c) Monogram Pictures
After Dr. Jim Barker requests for an assistant to help him repair the damaged rocket, he meets Alita (Marguerite Chapman). The beautiful young woman was assigned to be his assistant, and Jim Baker is at a loss for words. He couldn’t be more pleased with his luck of having her assigned to help him. Meanwhile, Steve and Carol continue to grow closer together as Jim focuses his attention on Alita.
Flight to Mars (1951) – (c) Monogram Pictures
A little while later we see Jim and Alita perform a test on the rocket’s new trigger mechanism. If it works then they’ll be able to leave and head back home. Terris spies on them as the new trigger mechanism proves to be powerful enough to ignite the rocket’s engines. She slips away and reports this information to Ikron.
Flight to Mars (1951) – (c) Monogram Pictures
The eavesdropping works against the Martians as Alita accidentally overhears Terris and Ikron discussing the plan of using the rocket against the Earthlings. She slips away and reports her discovery to Jim Barker and Dr. Lane. They believe her but it’s not going to be easy to slip away from Mars. It’s already been announced that repairs on the rocket are progressing well and they’ll be ready for flight in a month.
Flight to Mars (1951) – (c) Monogram Pictures
A few days later there’s a small explosion inside of the rocket. The Martian workers are unharmed, but Dr. Jim Barker is shaken from the incident. He’s clearly upset and claims that the explosion will set them back by at least another month. Once Terris and the Martian workers leave the scene, Alita commends Jim on his acting job. As we now know, the explosion was a fake. There’s nothing wrong with the spaceship. It’ll still be ready to fly in a couple of weeks.
Later that night there’s a bridge card game between Steve, Carol, Jim and Alita. During the game Steve mentions to Alita that Jim is in love with her. As predicted, this greatly upsets Carol as she still had some hope that Jim would remain with her. Jim and Alita leave the room and Steve councils with Carol.
The day before leaving for Earth, Jim Barker convinces Alita to join them and leave Mars. Alita won’t do so unless they can bring along her father, Tillamar. They meet in secret and agree to make the voyage. The crew also meets in secret and learns that their rocket is operational and ready for flight. They’ll have to discretely enter it tomorrow so the Martians won’t know that they’re a few weeks ahead of schedule.
The next day Terris is suspicious of the Earthlings. She reports to Ikron that none of the Martian workers have been allowed inside of the rocket, and the fuel tanks are missing, presumably inside of the rocket. Ikron agrees that they need to grab Alita and bring her before the council so she can be interrogated about the Earthlings’ true intentions.
Flight to Mars (1951) – (c) Monogram Pictures
Meanwhile, Steve and Carol are inside of the rocket, and Carol has a change of heart. She tells Steve that if they make it back to Earth, she’d like it if they would be a couple. Steve accepts her offer for a long-term relationship.
Flight to Mars (1951) – (c) Monogram Pictures
Alita is grabbed by a Maritan security force and taken before the council. She swears that she doesn’t know anything about the rocket leaving earlier than scheduled. When Alita doesn’t arrive at the rocket, Jim Barker looks for her and finds her with the council. Ikron orders for the rocket to be seized immediately and the crew taken prisoner.
Flight to Mars (1951) – (c) Monogram Pictures
Jim Barker fights his way out of the council and takes Alita and Tillamar with him to the rocket. They barely make it into the rocket and close the hatch before being overrun by the Martians. Everybody secures themselves into the seats, the sky hanger is opened, and the rocket lifts off from the Martian city.
Flight to Mars ends with Rocketship M.A.R.S. escaping from Mars and flying back to Earth.
So is Flight to Mars a good movie?
Flight to Mars is decent when you consider that this is a low-budget sci-fi film written with a very simplistic viewpoint on space travel. The dialogue is somewhat cheezy, the special effects are extremely basic, there are horribly edited scenes, and props and effects have been reused from previous films.
One has to remember that when it comes to the rocket itself and the concept of space flight, Flight to Mars was released six years before the Soviets would launch Sputnik 1, the world’s first artificial satellite. Yuri Gagarin wouldn’t become the first man in space until 1961. Back in 1951, much of space travel was viewed in terms of larger versions of the V-1 and V-2 rockets that Germany used in the later days of World War 2.
Flight to Mars (1951) – movie trailer
Flight to Mars is a simple science-fiction film that’s easy to follow. Don’t try to think about all of the errors throughout the film. That’ll just ruin your experience. Instead, sit back and enjoy this classic piece of science-fiction from the glory days of the 1950s. Just because pretty much everything is wrong doesn’t mean that you cannot enjoy this film.
Dr. Jim Baker – “At least we won’t land on the Moon!”