The Last Days on Mars
| The Last Days on Mars | |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Ruairí Robinson |
| Produced by |
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| Screenplay by | Clive Dawson |
| Based on | "The Animators" by Sydney J. Bounds |
| Starring | |
| Music by | Max Richter |
| Cinematography | Robbie Ryan |
| Edited by | Peter Lambert |
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Production
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| Distributed by | Magnolia Pictures |
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Release date
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Running time
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98 minutes |
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| Language | English |
| Budget | $10.6 million |
| Box office | $24,084 (US) |
The Last Days on Mars is a 2013 science fiction-horror film directed by Ruairí Robinson with a screenplay by Clive Dawson, based on the short story "The Animators" by Sydney J. Bounds. It was screened in the Directors' Fortnight section at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival. The film received a limited release on 6 December 2013 in the United States and 11 April 2014 in the United Kingdom. It stars Liev Schreiber, Elias Koteas, Romola Garai, Goran Kostić, Johnny Harris, Tom Cullen, Yusra Warsama, and Olivia Williams.
In the 2040s, a Martian research base, Tantalus Base outpost, is created. The eight person crew, who have been stationed there for six months, are only nineteen hours from the completion of their research mission. The spacecraft Aurora is inbound from Earth and will collect the team by lander from a prearranged site. Mars scientist Marko Petrović has found samples that may point to life on the planet. Without revealing his discovery, he devises a ruse for one last sojourn on the surface. Crewmate Richard Harrington drives Petrović in a solar powered rover to the spot where he had found the sample. After he obtains soil with the biological agent present, a fissure swallows Petrović.
Captain Charles Brunel and crewmate Lauren Dalby plan to explore the pit to retrieve Petrović's body. Dalby remains at the pit but disappears before the team can return with equipment. Brunel authorizes Vincent Campbell to explore the pit, and he finds a fungus-like life that grows in the fissure. Dalby and Petrović reappear at the main outpost, but the Martian bacteria has mutated them into fast, aggressive, zombie-like creatures with blackened skin and no trace of their original personalities. Harrington dies from a power drill attack by one of the zombies, and he subsequently revives as a zombie himself. The remaining crew hold off the zombies while Brunel and Campbell return. Brunel is also fatally injured and reanimates, which provides the crew with new insight into the symptoms: thirst, memory loss, and aggression.
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