Mission Mangal: Reaching Mars on the First Try

We recently celebrated the 50^th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon Landing—still the greatest achievement in human history. The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) also celebrated its 50^th anniversary. Although its finest hour cannot compare with the successful exploration of the Moon, it has the considerable advantage of being much more recent. ISRO’s successful launch of the Mars Orbital Mission (MOM) or Mangalyaan “Mars Craft” probe is dramatized and romanticized in Jagan Shakti’s Mission Mangal, which is now playing in New York.

The unsuccessful launch of the GSLV-F06 (a.k.a. “Fat Boy”) was not ISRO’s finest hour. Perhaps a nickname that evokes memories of one of the original Manhattan Project atomic bombs was bad karma. Regardless, mildly eccentric mission director Rakesh Dhawan takes the fall, even though it was his senior subordinate, Tara Shinde, who made the bad call. Hoping to encourage his resignation, ISRO ostensibly promotes him to director of the Mars Probe Mission, which is universally considered a futile dead-end.

However, Dhawan stars believing when Shinde devises a method to reach Mars with preexisting light rockets, through fuel conservation, inertia, and Mars’ own gravitational pull. Although Dhawan’s inter-agency rival, former NASA scientist Rupert Desai pooh-poohs the idea, the agency director is intrigued enough to give them some budget—but of course, not quite enough. Dhawan will also have to make do with the hand-picked agency cast-offs Desai assigns to him. Most of them are women, but there is also an old dude and a sad sack, whose hopes of marriage have been undermined by bad astrology charts. Think of the second act as Hidden Figures, with a cup of 40-Year-Old Virgin mixed in.

Unlike Chazelle’s First Man, Shakti is not shy about flying the Indian flag—and why should he be? Still, it is a little odd when the film ends with a triumphant speech from Modi, especially since the MOM Probe launched before he was elected. On the other hand, it is nice to see stills of the real-life ISRO scientists, none of whom are as photogenic as their cinematic analogs, especially not Sonakshi Sinha as propulsion expert Eka Gandhi, who would be comfortable as a cast-member of Sex in the City.

Be that as it may, there is no denying how much fun it is to watch Akshay Kumar somewhat play against his action-romance type as Dhawan. Think of him as seven parts Ed Harris as Gene Kranz in Apollo 13 and three parts Fred MacMurray in The Absent-Minded Professor. Frankly, most of the supporting ensemble largely represents stock characters, but Sanjay Kapoor adds some interesting wrinkles as Shinde’s more-complex-than-we-initially-assume husband, Sunil, who also has a chance to get down on the dance floor. Remember, this is a Bollywood movie.

Mission Mangal is big, rousing, and patriotic, but most importantly, it is refreshingly idealistic about the possibilities for space exploration. Sure, it was nice to celebrate Apollo 11, but now what? Maybe the scrappiness of the MOM Mission isn’t such a bad example to emulate. Recommended for fans of Kumar and space program boosters, Mission Mangal is now playing in New York, at the AMC Empire.

Passage to Mars: It Starts in the Arctic

It is reassuring to know the spirit of exploration is still alive and well at NASA, but it is frustrating to see the agency’s procurement problems also continue unabated. A gutsy expedition will attempt to make a punishing 2,000-mile journey across Arctic ice that simulates conditions on Mars, but their vehicle does not inspire confidence in Jean-Christophe Jeauffre’s documentary Passage to Mars (trailer here), which opens this Friday in New York.

For the HMP Okarian Martian Rover Humvee, the trek over frozen and thawing ice to the NASA station on Devon Island is the closest thing to a dress rehearsal for a manned mission to Mars. For the crew led by NASA scientist Pascal Lee, this might be the closest they get to Mars. Unfortunately, malfunctions will repeatedly jeopardize their terrestrial journey.

By combining his fly-on-the-wall footage with extracts from Lee’s journals narrated by rebooted Star Trek actor Zachary Quinto, Jeauffre vividly conveys the desolation and extreme climate of the Arctic Journey. The film also clearly establishes its applicability to the wider Mars project. However, it does not explain why the project is so wedded to the Okarian Rover, especially considering the frequency with which crew members have to set off for civilization in search of spare parts. Presumably, that would not be an option on Mars. It makes you wonder in whose congressional district was it built?

It is not an idle question. Aside from our interest as taxpayers, the Okarian’s performance also raises safety issues for a prospective crew. Yet, rather bizarrely, Passage does not even acknowledge this as an issue. Perhaps Jeauffre and his subjects were understandably more preoccupied with matters of survival, which were very real concerns.

Indeed, Jeauffre captures some amazing images and compellingly documents the courage and commitment of the Okarian crew. Frankly, the real stuff is more impressive than the planetarium show-style Mars recreations (but don’t worry, it is not in exploitative 3D). For extra added authenticity, Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin also lends his voice to the proceedings.

Arguably, Passage is a needed corrective to the tiresome conspiracy theories recycled yet again in Operation Avalanche. Like the Apollo, Gemini, and Mercury astronauts before them, the Okarian crew are both idealists and adventurers who inspire by example. Recommended for those who will appreciate its science and optimism, Passage to Mars opens this Friday (9/30) in New York, at the IFC Center.

Approaching the Unknown: Mars Beckons

Captain William D. Stanaforth is going where no man has gone before—and he is going it alone. He was always meant to arrive on Mars first, but he might have to wait longer than he expected before anyone joins him. That assumes he will reach the Red Planet, but that is far from assured in Mark Elijah Rosenberg’s Approaching the Unknown (trailer here), which opens tomorrow in New York.

Stanaforth is the very model of a modern major astronaut. He is a crackerjack pilot, but he is also a first rate engineer. In fact, one of the primary reasons for his selection was the water harvester he invented. Unfortunately, the contraption worked just fine in the desert, but he cannot get it up and running in his module, which indirectly causes other technical issues. Captain Emily Maddox, who is piloting the mission directly following his, also has mechanical breakdowns. There is a good chance it will just be Stanaforth heading towards Mars, with his shaky sanity, failing life support systems, and the nagging transmissions from his pal Louis “Skinny” Skinner at Mission Control.

Yes sir, it is like Gravity for The Martian, with a bit of Europa Report thrown in for good measure. Nonetheless, it is hard to resent a bit of borrowing in a film that celebrates the daring sacrifice of space exploration. Approaching is also unusually cerebral film, relying far less on effects than the obvious big budget comparison films. Production designer Steven Brower and his team also make the module interior look spectacularly trashed when conditions start going south.

Yet, the key to the film is the ever-reliable but strangely under-heralded Mark Strong, who really is one of the best in the business. Frankly, he is probably too big to be an astronaut, but in all other respects, he is perfect for the tightly-wound, relentlessly driven Stanaforth. He pretty much carries the film single-handedly, which is fortunate, since his co-stars only appear boxed-up on Stanaforth’s monitor screens. However, Anders Danielsen Lie (from Oslo, August 31^st) and Charles Baker genuinely radiate bad karma as the two twitchy, stir crazy space station astronauts who are supposed to be Stanaforth last human contact for months (perhaps even years).

Viewers will probably have a good idea where Approaching is headed, but Rosenberg still lands his big, significant closing. In fact, it is rather refreshing to see an idealistic film that believes in the values of the Apollo missions and the original Star Trek. Recommended for those who support interplanetary exploration and intimate chamber drama, Approaching the Unknown opens tomorrow (6/3) in New York at the Cinema Village.