Let’s be real. Mars movies usually go one of two ways. You either get the high-budget, "science will save us" optimism of Matt Damon growing potatoes in his own filth, or you get the existential, psychedelic dread of something like Ad Astra. But then there is The Last Days on Mars. It’s a weird one. Released in 2013, it sort of vanished from the cultural conversation almost as soon as it hit VOD and a few theaters. That’s a shame. It’s not a masterpiece, but it’s one of the few films that captures how genuinely terrifying a dead planet would actually be.
Most people who stumbled onto it on Netflix or a late-night cable crawl probably expected a standard sci-fi thriller. What they got was a claustrophobic zombie movie in space suits. It’s gritty. It’s bleak. Honestly, it’s a bit of a downer. But in a genre often obsessed with the "wonder" of space, this movie’s commitment to being a nightmare is actually kind of refreshing.
What The Last Days on Mars actually gets right about space horror
The setup is pretty simple. A research crew is wrapping up a six-month mission on the red planet. They’re tired. They’re irritable. They’re ready to go home. Then, naturally, someone finds something they shouldn't. In this case, it’s a biological sample in the soil that proves life exists on Mars. The problem? That life isn't a cute little microbe. It’s a fungal-like pathogen that turns humans into aggressive, black-oozing shells of their former selves.
The atmosphere of isolation
Ruairí Robinson, the director, did something smart here. He didn't lean into the "alien" part of the story too early. Instead, he focused on the exhaustion. You can almost smell the recycled air and the unwashed hair through the screen. Liev Schreiber plays Vincent Campbell, a guy who is clearly suffering from some form of PTSD or severe anxiety related to a previous incident. He’s not a traditional hero. He’s just a guy trying to keep his head down until the taxi arrives.
The filming location—Jordan’s Wadi Rum—is the same place The Martian was filmed. But while Ridley Scott made it look like a vast, beautiful frontier, Robinson makes it look like a graveyard. It’s dusty. It’s monochromatic. It feels like a place where things go to die.
The science is... okay. It’s better than Mission to Mars but not as tight as Interstellar. The movie treats the environment as a character. When a suit rips, it’s a death sentence. When a rover flips, you’re stranded in a way that’s impossible to recover from. That grounded reality makes the supernatural/biological horror elements feel much more jarring.
Why audiences were divided on the Martian "zombies"
If you read reviews from 2013, you’ll see a recurring complaint. "It’s just zombies on Mars." People felt it was a bait-and-switch. You start with a serious sci-fi premise and end up with a slasher flick.
But looking back now, that critique feels a bit harsh. The "zombies" in The Last Days on Mars aren't your typical George Romero shufflers. They are smarter. They use tools. They retain a ghost of their former intelligence, which makes them way more unsettling. There’s a specific scene where a transformed crew member is trying to smash through a hatch. It’s not mindless hunger; it’s a weird, predatory drive.
The cast deserved more credit
You’ve got a surprisingly stacked cast for a mid-budget horror movie:
- Liev Schreiber: Brilliantly moody.
- Romola Garai: Brings a level of emotional stakes that the script doesn't always provide.
- Elias Koteas: Basically the king of "I recognize that guy" actors, and he kills it here.
- Olivia Williams: She plays the "ambitious scientist who ruins everything" trope with a lot of nuance.
The performances are grounded. Nobody is doing "movie acting." They’re acting like people who have been stuck in a tin can for half a year and are now being hunted by their friends. That’s a hard balance to strike without becoming melodramatic.
Technical mastery on a budget
The visual effects in The Last Days on Mars hold up remarkably well. This wasn't a $200 million Marvel movie. It was a relatively modest production, but the practical effects—the suits, the rovers, the interior of the Tantalus Base—feel heavy. They have weight. When things break, they look like they’re made of metal and plastic, not CGI pixels.
The sound design is the secret weapon. The whistling of the wind against the helmets. The heavy breathing. The silence of the Martian surface. It builds a layer of tension that never really lets up. Most horror movies use jump scares. This movie uses the sound of a failing life-support system.
The pacing shift
The first act is a slow-burn procedural. It’s about dirt samples and base politics.
Then, Marco (played by Goran Kostić) falls into a sinkhole.
Suddenly, the movie shifts gears.
It becomes a frantic, desperate scramble for survival. Some people hate that shift. I think it works because it mirrors the panic the characters are feeling. One minute you’re worried about your career; the next, you’re worried about being eaten by the guy who sat next to you at breakfast.
The legacy of the film in 2026
Thirteen years after its release, we’re seeing a resurgence in "hard" sci-fi. With real-life Mars missions being planned by SpaceX and NASA, the idea of what we might find in the soil isn't just a movie plot anymore. It’s a genuine scientific concern called planetary protection. We don't want to bring Earth bugs to Mars, and we definitely don't want to bring Mars bugs back here.
The Last Days on Mars serves as a grim "what if" scenario for that exact problem. It’s less about "aliens" and more about the hazards of the unknown.
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Why it didn't hit big at the box office
Timing is everything. It came out around the same time as Gravity. People wanted the spectacle of Alfonso Cuarón’s space debris, not a dark, gritty infection story. It also suffered from a lack of clear marketing. Was it an action movie? A horror movie? A psychological thriller? It’s all of them, which makes it a tough sell for a 30-second trailer.
Is it worth a rewatch?
Honestly, yeah. Especially if you’re tired of the polished, sanitized version of space we see in most big-budget films. It’s a movie that understands that space is a hostile, terrifying vacuum that doesn't care about your mission objectives.
If you go in expecting Alien, you might be disappointed. But if you go in expecting a well-acted, atmospheric "survival horror" that happens to take place on a different planet, you’ll find a lot to like. It’s a mean little movie. It doesn't have a happy ending. It doesn't offer easy answers. It just shows you a group of people losing a fight against an environment they were never meant to inhabit.
Actionable Insights for Sci-Fi Fans
To get the most out of The Last Days on Mars, keep these points in mind:
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- Watch the Lighting: Pay attention to how the movie uses light and shadow. The transition from the bright, overexposed Martian day to the pitch-black night scenes is where the horror really lives.
- Check the Short Story: The film is actually based on a short story called "The Animators" by Sydney J. Bounds. If you like the movie’s vibe, the original story offers a slightly different take on the "infection" mechanics.
- Look for the Practicality: Notice the design of the rovers and the base. They were designed with actual NASA concepts in mind, which adds a layer of realism to the scares.
- Pair it with a Double Feature: If you want a "bad vibes in space" night, pair this with Sunshine (2007) or Europa Report (2013). They all share that sense of "we really shouldn't be out here."
Don't expect a fun time. Expect a tense time. In the world of sci-fi horror, that’s usually a compliment. The movie remains a stark reminder that while we look at the stars with wonder, the actual ground beneath our feet on another world might be the most dangerous thing of all.
For viewers looking to stream it today, it often rotates through platforms like Max or Hulu, but it's most consistently available for a couple of bucks on VOD services. It’s the best five dollars you’ll spend if you want to feel genuinely uncomfortable about the future of space exploration.