Robinson Crusoe on Mars

When I first started watching this, I was put off a bit by it's hokey 1960's portrayal of Mars. As I watched more, I was intrigued by the peril of Commander "Kit" Draper and his monkey "Mona". I was concerned that he would run out of oxygen, water or even die of starvation. Once I'd forgotten about some of the cheesy props and sets, I was enamored with Draper's predicament. Credit has to go to the great Byron Haskin. His direction and impressive shots of the alien landscapes were terrific. There are also some pretty cool matte paintings and colors that mix nicely to create the horizons of Mars. The first half of the film and it's tale of survival are superior to the second half and the relationship between Draper and Friday. At the time this was made, I'm sure a number of the theories about Mars were accurate enough to make this as much a science lesson for kids as it was an adventure.