Passage to Mars

Well, in these last 2 0r 3 decades, I thought the spirit of adventure had died. On the field as well as on screen. The times of Cousteau were gone and the excitement of exploration, curiosity, gone with him and a few others who had showed us a new path. At least, that's what my childhood had been made of. Passage to Mars proves me wrong. This spirit is still alive.Not this adventure of man struggling against wilderness, but adventure with a purpose. Here, to cross 2,000 miles of Arctic sea ice to bring to an isolated NASA outpost a rover, and train for Mars exploration. Starting as an icy road movie, the film transforms the experience into an immersive extra- terrestrial journey, at times ethereal and fascinating, where both the whiteout and Martian storms merge. You learn a lot of new things about Mars, and especially why we have to go there: the quest for life. Another life. But what kind of life awaits behind those Martian fogs?

The pace is quite perfect. From high speed action to slower moments of silent landscapes on Earth and on Mars. You don't really get to know the crew members. However, you feel you share their journey, right with them, aboard the Humvee. The film delivers an optimistic message beyond it's entertaining quality, and poses some crucial questions about our very existence. We loved it.