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Synopsis
In
the year 2020 AD, a mission is launched whose goal is to
carry humans to Mars for the first time. The mission's four
crew members, upon arriving on the planet, discover a mysterious
geologic formation in their vicinity. After transmitting
their findings back to the command center on the World Space
Station, they head for the site to try and learn more. When
they arrive at the formation, they notice a strange sound,
which they assume to be interference from their Mars Rover.
While attempting to scan the formation with radar, a large
vortex forms around the structure, which envelopes and kills
two of the mission's crew. A third member was killed when
a large rock breaks her visor, exposing her to the Martian
atmosphere. Only the mission's commander, Luke Graham (Don
Cheadle), survived. The formation also emits an extremely
powerful EMP, which irreparably damages much of the electronic
equipment on the spacecraft. Despite the damage, Luke Graham
manages to upload one transmission to the REMO (REsupply
MOdule) orbiting Mars.
After
receiving Commander Graham's garbled message informing of
his crewmembers' deaths, the Earth command center hastily
dispatches another Mars mission. The crew of this new mission
includes Commander Woodrow "Woody" Blake (Tim
Robbins); Co-Commander Jim McConnell (Gary Sinise); and
mission specialists Terri Fisher (Connie Nielsen) and Phil
Ohlmyer (Jerry O'Connell). The goal of the mission is to
investigate the tragedy and bring back any survivors. As
the ship is being prepared for its orbital insertion around
the red planet, a swarm of micrometeorites collides with
the ship and compromises the ship's hull, causing an atmosphere
leak. The crew works quickly to repair the hole, troubleshooting
where the damage is located, and then using a liquid to
help Woody apply the patch.
Unbeknowst
to the crew, the fuel tanks were also damaged, and when
they ignite the main engines, the resulting fuel explosion
destroys the ship. They quickly don pressure suits and abandon
it, hoping to maneuver their way to the REMO. Circumstances
are unfavorable, though, as the REMO is moving more quickly
(in a slightly lower orbit) than the tethered astronauts.
Woody concludes the only hope of a successful rendezvous
with the REMO is for him to launch himself directly at it,
using the remainder of his jet pack fuel, carrying a line
from the others. He successfully attaches this to the REMO
but is unable to stop himself as he does and floats helplessly
away toward the planet. Terri, wanting to save him, decides
to cut her line. Woody, not wanting Terri to be harmed,
commits suicide by taking off his helmet.
When
the remaining crew arrive on the red planet, they find Luke,
the captain of the first team, still alive. He tells the
rescuers about his crew's findings, and informs them that
the formation found was the "face". He had spent
the time alone attempting to learn the secrets of the mysterious
structure. He shows the rescue team his most significant
clue, a recording of the noise heard in the area of the
formation. He had found, after several months of analysis,
that the sound was a map of human DNA, in XYZ coordinates.
Together,
they discover that the mysterious signals are actually a
prompt, requiring input of one missing pair of chromosomes
which would complete human DNA. The crew dispatches a robot
to send the completed signal, at which time an opening appears
in the side of the structure. Curious, they venture inside,
and are soon sealed in, and discover Earth-like atmospheric
conditions. They find a large dark room, and once they step
inside, a three-dimensional projection of the solar system
appears.
A Martian
appears, silently explaining that at some time in the distant
past, Mars was hit by a "planet-killer" asteroid
which decimated the Martian ecosystem. The Martians were
forced to evacuate their home planet and find other places
to settle. During their evacuation, however, they also dispatched
elementary life forms of their own to the nearby planet
Earth, which at the time of the Martian evacuation, contained
no life forms. Over the billions of years following this
"seed-scattering" (see panspermia), these life
forms eventually became the humans who would one day land
on Mars and be recognized as descendants of that ancient
Martian experiment. As the image of the Martian fades away,
an invitation is offered for one of the astronauts to follow
the Martians to one of their new home planets. Jim McConnell
decides to go and after their farewells, the rest of the
surviving crew head back to Earth. As they are heading toward
earth they watch in curiosity as Jim inside a Martian craft
races away at speeds hundreds of times faster than their
ship.(See
here)
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