The Last Days on Mars, Zombies and Microbes Attack

Sometime in the near future we are able to put all of our differences aside in the spirit of harmony and peace.  That is the good news.  Nation embraces nation as the collective wisdom of the human race can be used for good.  Space exploration excels as we visit distant worlds in search of where we came from.  All good.  Yep!  About as good as Chamberlain and Hitler signing a peace treaty.  We all know what happens.  World peace on Monday...carnage on Tuesday...infection and cannibalism by the week-end. Hence 2013's "The Last Days on Mars."

Eight nations join forces for a Martian expedition.  Uh oh...none of them saw John Carpenter's "Ghosts of Mars."  As we know, those that don't learn from their mistakes are doomed to repeat them. The six-month mission is in the final day with only modest discoveries.  But wait!  The Russian suddenly discovers a bacteria...Life!  Through some carelessness and a cave-in, Marko (Goran Kostic) and his international GF (Yusra Warsama) get infected...and immediately turn into homicidal fiends.  Apparently they are no longer human and can survive on the Mars surface without suits.  After gaining entry into the base, they begin a murderous journey at the expense of their former mates.  International cooperation out the airlock, the bodies accumulate..and eventually turn into Martian zombies.  

The handful of survivors must think fast to repel the invasion, avoid infection, and get off Mars.  Vincent (Liev Schreiber), a claustrophobic engineer with a proclivity for panic attacks, is an unlikely hero.  He joins forces with the very cute, Lane (Romola Garai) and together are able to figure out what they are up against...which doesn't serve to cheer them up.  Kim (Olivia Williams), a scientist with no bedside manner, knows the score and figures out that the victims of the zombies...become zombies themselves. Even worse, the bacteria is in the air, so everyone inside the lab may eventually be infected?  Battles against the infected will occur inside the lab and on the Mars surface.  The gore will emerge as intestines emerge from gut wounds, and this science fiction story turns into a horror story.

The acting is terrific as we instantly like the combo of Mr. Schreiber's Vincent and Ms. Garai's Lane. Both flawed, and very human, these two characters are ones we can relate to. As the monsters invade we find ourselves pleading to the screen for these two to survive.  Made in Ireland, "The Last Days on Mars" is now available on Netflix. With weak, family-friendly science fiction films hitting the screen this summer and fall, enjoy this bloodbath of Martian zombies and killer microbes.