Movie Review - Mars Needs Moms

Mars Needs Moms (2011)

Featuring the voice talent and/or motion capture of Seth Green, Joan Cusack, and Dan Fogler

Directed by Simon Wells

It's no secret that Mars Needs Moms is one of the biggest failures in Disney's long history.  As it stands now, the film ranks as the fourth biggest box office bomb ever losing over $100 million dollars.  I'd love to come here and say that people just didn't "get" this one or that the marketing just didn't get things right, but the fact is Mars Needs Moms simply isn't a good film, lacking any heart despite numerous attempts to shove tenderness and compassion on to the viewer.

On the positive side, Robert Zemeckis' ImageMovers Digital Studios which utilizes motion-capture technology to animate has actually crafted a rather pleasant-looking film.  Some people have an absolute hatred for mo-cap animation, but I don't mind it at all and the craft has gotten much better from the days of the likes of The Polar Express.  The animation of both the characters and the space-age environment was a bright spot for sure.

That character animation is obviously helped by good performances by the actors taking part in the motion capture experience.  Seth Green's voice was deemed too adult during the midst of production so although his physical performance was captured by the camera, his voice was dubbed by a younger actor.  Still, Green rather brilliantly physically embodied the young protagonist Milo whose mom (played by Joan Cusack) is kidnapped by Martians and taken to their home planet.  While on Mars, the aliens attempt to utilize his mother's mind to create the "ultimate mom" robot caregiver to raise their young.  Milo manages to hop onto the alien spacecraft in an attempt to save her.  Once on Mars, though, nothing much happens and the movie, despite a short eighty minute running time, flounders aimlessly attempting to create emotional moments between a mother and son.  

Right from the beginning, I found myself checked out as Milo in a fit of anger yells, "I wish I didn't have a mom!"  When your premise and emotional arc starts on such a typical, been there-done that flimsy note, it's difficult to rebound.  In the end, a disappointing story trumps a good-looking film and Mars Needs Moms lacks any type of promising narrative.

The RyMickey Rating:  D