" mission to mars " is one of those annoying movies where , in the middle of the movie , you get the sneaking suspicion that the reason the trailer looks so good is because they showcased all the best parts of the movie : all five minutes of it . 
 " mission " * does * give you payoff ; but when it does come , it's too little , too late . 
 " mission " has some good ideas , but they get lost in the unbearably boring delivery , dime-a-dozen dialogue , and spate of good actors wasted in cardboard-cutout roles . 
i'm sure the director and writers were very proud of each hallmark moment they came up with , so they stretch each dramatic moment out like silly putty until it loses all its charm . 
glances don't communicate any deeper emotions just because you draw them out for five hours on end . 
the film spends an hour on this kind of stuff , building to its climax . 
a lot of it is a cliched glorification of family relationships , marriage , friendship , unite we stand divided we fall kind of crap . 
there are some spectacular special effects sequences in this film , and i give it points for trying to stay true to the science i know ( trying is the key word here ) . 
the sequence with the martian demonstrating their history is oddly beautiful and touching , but as mentioned by then we're so sick of the goddamn thing we want the movie to be over . 
great design , good intentions , but no cigar . 
if you're not a die hard sci-fi , fx or jerry o'connell fan ( his character is the only one who has some semblance of character ) , don't waste your eight bucks on this . 
and what the hell , tim robbins died halfway through the movie , in a stupid way too . 
that's just unforgiveable .