THE MARTIAN CHRONICLES is a frustrating mess of a mini-series adapted from the book by Ray Bradbury. It does get better after the first part where the mini-series shines better in the next two parts. This 5 hour mini-series has been newly remastered in HD for the blu-ray release and it looks great. As time goes on it becomes more of a space fantasy tale that also wants to be a Western set on Mars. This mini-series which originally aired on NBC is based on the book by Ray Bradbury as it chronicles the tales of man's first flights to Mars and the colonization of Mars which ultimately becomes man's new beginning on a new world. Earth is on the verge of extinction before the first manned flights to Mars bring tragic encounters of first contact, but the space program keeps pushing on for a world to colonize and exploit. The first settlers sometime encounter the ghosts of the Martians.

Given what is known about Mars, the science of what Mars looks like is totally wrong. The planet has no breathable atmosphere that humans could use without being in an astronaut suit or a sealed environment. Mars has a very thin atmosphere which has lots of carbon dioxide. From a reality standpoint of transporting people back and forth, the settlers are pretty much stuck with life on Mars unless some can get the money to go back. The mini-series starts as a fable before turning to a Western with sci-fi trappings. Given what happens at the end of part 2, I would find it highly illogical for many of the settlers trying to evacuate back to Earth. Unless you're a fan of THE MARTIAN CHRONICLES, you will only want to watch it once. The special effects are cheap compared to the great special effects of STAR WARS and BATTLESTAR GALACTICA. The cast is a range of actors hitting the twilight of their careers like Rock Hudson, Darren McGavin, and Roddy McDowall.

SPECIAL FEATURES:
Interview with actor James Faulkner who played one of the Martians

KLSC trailers for Avalanche, Zone Troopers, The Earth Dies Screaming, Invisible Invaders, and Journey to the Seventh Planet

FINAL ANALYSIS: THE MARTIAN CHRONICLES is either a sci-fi fantasy work you will love or hate. It is by no means a classic work, but fans of this mini-series (made on the cheap for TV at the time) will enjoy owning this on blu-ray despite the brief amount of extras. It is an adaptation that may be colored by a sense of nostalgia. Some who also own the DVD release say the DVD might be a better buy to stick wit due to how the KL Studio Classics release remaster seems to be a little bright and changes the color scheme (but that may what MGM provided to Kino Lorber).

This review is (c)12-7-2018 David Blackwell and cannot be reprinted without permission. Send all comments to feedback@enterline-media.com and look for additional content at http://enterlinemedia.tumblr.com