No one ever accused Hollywood of consistent creativity, and often we find “waves” of similarly-themed movies that appear in close succession. For instance, 1998 the “killer meteor” phenomenon represented most famously by dual hits Armageddon and Deep Impact.

In 2000, Tinseltown moved toward space again but filmmakers concentrated on an old favorite: Mars. However, instead of very tired “space invaders” plot in which Martians assault Earth, these films sent us into space.

2000 first brought Brian De Palma’s Mission to Mars. Red Planet appeared later in the year.

I never saw the De Palma entry, so I can’t compare the two, but from what I understand, they come with similar plots. In Planet, we go to Earth circa 2057.

With the planet increasingly uninhabitable due to pollution, projects try to create a livable atmosphere on Mars. The first manned mission heads there to get the process into high gear after attempts already plotted to create an oxygen supply.

In the process of landing, the ship suffers grave damage, and the crew deals with a physical toll as well. They need to deal with a mix of concerns if they intend to survive.

Although the plot offers plenty of opportunities for intrigue, it effectively pursues virtually none of them. On one hand, Planet seems to want to deliver a high-powered action flick, as we find a mix of sequences in this vein.

However, the filmmakers never carry these out in a crisp, exciting manner. They feel tacked on, as though the filmmakers sensed a lull in the tale and wanted to spice it up with something.

On the other hand, Planet doesn’t work as a character-driven piece either. At times it attempts to become “deep”, but it stays in the shallow end of the pool so the various participants offer little more than bland stereotypes.

One departure stems from the inclusion of female commander Kate Bowman (Carrie-Anne Moss) but her presence seems essentially gratuitous. She even boasts a brief nude scene, and we find a burgeoning romance between Bowman and engineer Gallagher (Val Kilmer).

What does any of this have to do with the story? Nothing, but it intends to create a more human element, I guess.

It fails, as do the attempts to offer an introspective look at spirituality through Chief Science Officer Chantilas (Terence Stamp). He spouts a few statements about God and the universe, but that’s as thoughtful as the movie gets and these segments go nowhere.

The other characters consist of glib and cynical geneticist Burchenal (Tom Sizemore), gung-ho pilot Santen (Benjamin Bratt), and weaselly terraforming specialist Pettengill (Simon Baker). None receive much exposition or development, and they stay pretty simplistic throughout the movie.

Red Planet gives us the kind of shallow film that provides some obvious forms of “commentary”. For example, in the early parts of the movie, we hear a couple of songs play.

There’s the Police’s “When the World Is Running Down, You Make the Best of What’s Still Around” and Sting’s “A Thousand Years”. Both tunes make statements that fit with the movie’s theme but their inclusion seems a little clever-clever.

Their use also feels a bit anachronistic - what are the chances these folks will be listening to 60-70 year old music on the trip? The songs aren’t the only examples of modern pop culture seen in the film; we also witness items like a Mr. Potato Head T-shirt.

For some reason, these kinds of references bother me more in near-future films than in those that take place hundreds of years from now. I guess that’s because the latter have so little connection to the current time that I’ll forgive them these bits - such as the “Fly the friendly skies” inscription in Aliens - but more recent references appear less logical to me.

Ultimately, Red Planet offers a fairly attractive visual presentation, as the production seems generally well-executed. Some of the computer imagery looks excessively artificial even for its era - especially in regard to the shots of the ships - but most of the visual material feels clean and believable.

However, Red Planet remains nothing more than a mildly watchable but largely uninteresting exploration of anti-climaxes. The film teases us with threats and potential excitement that it never delivers.

The lack of compelling characters makes these faults even more glaring. Red Planet doesn’t turn into a disaster as a movie, but it offers little spark or fun to make it worth a screening.

Red Planet appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 2.35:1 on this 4K UHD Disc. This Dolby Vision image worked pretty well.

Sharpness appeared quite good. A few shots could be a smidgen soft, though those instances usually related to visual effects shots.

The intersection of real and fake resulted in some slight loss of definition. But not much, as the movie usually demonstrated solid clarity and accuracy.

No issues with jaggies or shimmering occurred, and edge haloes weren’t a factor. The transfer lacked print flaws as well and always came across as clean, with a light layer of grain.

Red Planet used a fairly stylized palette that befit its two locations. On board the ship we found a variety of cool blues and greens, while Mars itself presented a burnished amber tone.

These choices looked full and rich. HDR added impact to the colors.

Black levels looked rich and deep, and shadow detail was always appropriately heavy without any excessive thickness. Whites and contrast enjoyed a boost from HDR as well. In the end, this became a highly satisfying image.

I also felt pleased with the film’s DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack, as it brought an extremely active affair that almost constantly kept all five speakers in action. The soundfield presented audio that was accurately localized and that moved cleanly from channel to channel.

Surround usage seemed very strong. The rear speakers provided excellent ambiance and also kicked in some fine split-surround effects.

The AMEE bits offered the best rear channel activity, as we went into “Terminator” mode to see and hear things from the machine’s point of view. As a whole, however, the entire track worked well and it provided an involving auditory experience.

Audio quality also seemed terrific. Dialogue sounded natural and distinct with no edginess or problems related to distortion.

Effects were clean and realistic without signs of distortion, and they packed a serious punch when appropriate. These components often kept the subwoofer active as I heard some solidly deep and tight bass response.

Music sounded clear and bright, and it also portrayed good dynamic range. All in all, this is the kind of powerful, crisp soundtrack one expects of this sort of film, and the mix for Red Planet worked well.

How did the 4K UHD compare to the 2011 Blu-ray? Both offered apparently identical 5.1 audio.

On the other hand, the UHD’s Dolby Vision image delivered a tighter and more dynamic impression. While the BD looked good, the UHD topped it.

The 4K UHD mixes old and new extras. In addition to the film’s theatrical trailer, we discover eight Deleted Scenes (14:24).

In reality, these offer extended versions of existing clips. As such, we witness nothing particularly revelatory here, as the moments simply expand upon material that already appears in the movie.

Still, some nice character moments show up. As such, fans of the film will be happy to see them.

Three new featurettes appear, and The Martian Chronicles spans 21 minutes, 51 seconds. It brings remarks from visual effects supervisor Jeffrey A. Okun.

With “Chronicles”, we learn about how he got into movies as well as his work on Red Planet. He gives a frank and engaging look at these domains.

Suit Up goes for 10 minutes, 45 seconds. This one features helmet and suits designer Steve Johnson.

The show looks at his career and his efforts on this flick. Like Okun, Johnson proves honest and informative.

Finally, Angry Red Planet lasts 18 minutes, 42 seconds. It delivers statements from film critic Heath Holland.

Billed as a “visual retrospective”, Holland looks at public interest in Mars and "space movies" circa the late 1990s/early 2000s as well as his thoughts about Planet. I think Holland overstates cultural "Mars mania" in this period but he offers a decent look at the various topics.

Expect Red Planet to provide a fairly bland and lackluster experience. The film seems unsatisfying on most levels. The 4K UHD delivers very good picture and audio along with a few supplements. This becomes a nice presentation of a forgettable movie.