''Martian Land'' is a 2015
direct-to-video
Direct-to-video or straight-to-video refers to the release of a film, television series, short or special to the public immediately on home video formats rather than an initial theatrical release or television premiere. This distribution strat ...
Science fiction action film
The action film is a film genre that predominantly features chase sequences, fights, shootouts, explosions, and stunt work. The specifics of what constitutes an action film has been in scholarly debate since the 1980s. While some scholars such as ...
directed by Scott Wheeler and starring Alan Pietruszewski, Lane Townsend and Jennifer Dorogi. It was made by
The Asylum
The Asylum is an American independent film production and distribution company based in Burbank, California, known for producing low-budget, direct-to-video films, in particular mockbusters, which capitalize on the popularity of major studio f ...
. In the tradition of The Asylum's catalog, ''Martian Land'' is a
mockbuster
A mockbuster (also known as knockbuster or drafting opportunity) is a film created to exploit the publicity of another major motion picture with a similar title or subject. Mockbusters are often made with a low budget and quick production to maxi ...
of the film ''
The Martian''.
Plot
In the distant future, the human race has made Earth all but uninhabitable due to overpopulation, pollution, the eruption of the Yellowstone volcano, and misuse of the planet's resources. Now mankind lives on
Mars
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun. It is also known as the "Red Planet", because of its orange-red appearance. Mars is a desert-like rocky planet with a tenuous carbon dioxide () atmosphere. At the average surface level the atmosph ...
, in cities that resemble those once found on Earth, and are protected from the alien environment by dome-like force-fields. When a sandstorm of record intensity breaks through the dome and destroys Mars New York, those in Mars Los Angeles must figure out how to stop the storm before it wipes them out next. The sandstorm's power was heightened due to the terra-forming efforts on Mars reactivating long
dormant volcanoes
A volcano is commonly defined as a vent or fissure in the crust of a planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface.
On Earth, volcanoes are most often fou ...
.
Dr. Foster is sent from Earth to Mars Los Angeles, "MLA," to find a solution to stopping the storm from hitting the city, but is partnered with Neil, a pilot who is dating Foster's ex-wife Miranda. Dr. Foster is more interested in cleaning up Earth, and comes up with a last ditch plan to use EMF pulses to weaken the storm. Miranda. the lead researcher based on Mars, is distracted as their teenage daughter Ellie, is trapped in the tunnels beneath the ruins of Mars New York, "MNY," with her girlfriend/life partner, Ida. The two of them are trying to find a safe passage to MLA, as the series of tunnels that once connected the cities have been blocked or destroyed. Reiger is the military commander who feels that the scientist's response in inadequate to prevent loss of life.
Cast
* Alan Pietruszewski as Neil
* Lane Townsend as Foster
* Jennifer Dorogi as Miranda
*
Arianna Afsar
Arianna Ayesha Afsar (born October 22, 1991) is an American singer, composer, beauty queen, and activist best known for her starring role in ''Hamilton'', as the songwriter of the musical ''Jeannette'', and as a top contestant on ''American Idol' ...
as Ellie
* Chloe Farnworth as Ida
* Dionne Neish as Reiger
* Eddy Owdish as Klaus
* Caroline Attwood as Dana
* James Wong as Bryce
* Chaim Dunbar as Andrews
* Dan Czerwonka as Carlos
*
Caroline Williams
Caroline Williams is an American actress and producer. She is best known for her role as Stretch in ''The Texas Chainsaw Massacre'' film series. Her other film roles include '' Alamo Bay'' (1985), '' The Legend of Billie Jean'' (1985), ''Step ...
as Ulyana
Reception
''Radio Times'' gave the movie 2 out of 5 stars. The Movie Scene also gave the movie 2 out of 5 stars, noting that Lane Townsend's acting was the best part of the movie. Movie Mag found the premise of the movie intriguing, but found that the movie "screwed it up at every turn." Moria noted that while this movie used the same setting as ''The Martian'', of which it is said to be a mockbuster, that the story was entirely different. Moria also notes that this movie works better than most of the Asylum's other movies, although the scientific accuracy of the movie is questionable.
See also
*
List of films set on Mars
There is a body of films that are set on the planet Mars. In the late 19th century, people erroneously believed that there were canals on Mars. Into the early 20th century, additional observations of Mars fed people's interest in what was called " ...
References
External links
Official siteat The Asylum
* {{IMDb title, 4943934
2015 films
2015 direct-to-video films
2015 science fiction action films
2015 LGBTQ-related films
American science fiction action films
American LGBTQ-related films
The Asylum films
Direct-to-video science fiction action films
LGBTQ-related science fiction films
Lesbian-related films
2010s English-language films
Mars in film
Films shot in California
2010s American films
English-language science fiction action films