The aptly titled July 20, 2021 Film Detective separate special-edition 4k and DVD releases of the 1951 sci-fi classic Flight to Mars" continues the Detective tradition of keeping these cult classics in the public consciousness.
This typically pristine remastering of "Flight" is especially notable for evoking thoughts of the '70s Saturday morning cartoon classic "Josie and the Pussycats in Outer Space." That spinoff of a "Scooby" clone has the titular teen bubblegum pop group (and their little cat too) experiencing hilarious earth-threatening perils as those far-out space nuts explore strange new worlds and seek out new life and new civilizations.
On a more modern level, this release coincides with the heating up of the space race between Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk.
Once more, IMDb does the heavy lifting for your not-so-humble reviewer by providing an expert synopsis of "Flight." This recap is "five astronauts successfully fly to Mars where they encounter seemingly friendly and advanced inhabitants who harbor covert plans to use their ship to invade Earth." The element of sleeper agents, who are not our favorite Martians, further contributes to the awesome Cold War era vibe of the film.
The following Detective trailer for this release further highlights the awesome kiddie Saturday afternoon movie marathon aspect of "Flight."
Our story stereotypically begins with the best brains on earth making the final preparations to go where no one has gone before. The concern at this time ahead of both lunch and launch is whether this fantastic voyage will be a one-way trip. Of course, the intrepid crew includes the stoic military man, the dedicated scientist, and the token babe with the overlapping personal connections with the group-at-large.
B-movie legend Cameron Mitchell, whose IMDb profile lists 242 credits, stars as journalist Steve Abbott. Bud Abbott ventures into outer space a year later.
Steve Abbott is along for the ride and to mac on the aforementioned modern woman. This allows us to see the extent to which Earth girls are easy.
Of course, the group encounters the obligatory meteor shower on the way to the red planet. This leads to the equally required dramatic landing.
On arriving, the "pussycats" discover the same reason that Mars seems deserted that all humans learn. The first predictable spoiler is that the inhabitants of that planet have gone underground. The equally anticipated threat is that Mars requires a long-term solution to sustaining life more than it needs women.
The ensuing delightfully cartoonish trauma-and-drama in this live-action film revolves around dissent among the leaders of the planets (think Jor-el v. Zod) as to the best course of action. Ala "Josie," a nefarious plot involves the earth ship being a critical element of a plot to establish Mars 2.
All of this culminates in the predictable final showdown just ahead of the final countdown, which includes an element of the Sherwood Schwartz failedcom "It's About Time." The latter has time-travelling astronauts contending with actual neanderthals.
Detective also comes through with its typically stellar extras. These include an insightful written essay on "Flight" and two documentaries on producer Walter Mirisch.