''Martian Land'' is a 2015

direct-to-video Direct-to-video or straight-to-video refers to the release of a film, TV series, short or special to the public immediately on home video formats rather than an initial theatrical release or television premiere. This distribution strategy wa ...

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel uni ...

action film Action film is a film genre in which the protagonist is thrust into a series of events that typically involve violence and physical feats. The genre tends to feature a mostly resourceful hero struggling against incredible odds, which include l ...

directed by Scott Wheeler and starring Alan Pietruszewski, Lane Townsend and Jennifer Dorogi. It was made by

The Asylum The Asylum is an American independent film company and distributor that focuses on producing low-budget, direct-to-video films. It is notorious for producing titles that capitalize on productions by major studios, often using film titles and sc ...

. In the tradition of The Asylum's catalog, ''Martian Land'' is a

mockbuster A mockbuster (also known as knockbuster or a drafting opportunity) is a film created to exploit the publicity of another major motion picture with a similar title or subject. Mockbusters are often made with a low budget and quick production to max ...

of the film '' The Martian''.

Plot

In the distant future, the human race has made Earth all but uninhabitable due to pollution, the eruption of the Yellowstone volcano, and misuse of the planet's resources. Now mankind lives on

Mars Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and the second-smallest planet in the Solar System, only being larger than Mercury. In the English language, Mars is named for the Roman god of war. Mars is a terrestrial planet with a thin at ...

, in cities that resemble those once found on Earth, and are protected from the alien environment by dome-like force-fields. When a sandstorm of record intensity breaks through the dome and destroys Mars New York, those in Mars Los Angeles must figure out how to stop the storm before it wipes them out next. The sandstorm's power was heightened due to the terra-forming efforts on Mars reactivating long

dormant volcanoes A volcano is a rupture in the crust of a planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface. On Earth, volcanoes are most often found where tectonic plates are ...

. Dr. Foster is sent from Earth to Mars Los Angeles, "MLA," to find a solution to stopping the storm from hitting the city, but is partnered with Neil, a pilot who is dating Foster's ex-wife Miranda. Dr. Foster is more interested in cleaning up Earth, and comes up with a last ditch plan to use EMF pulses to weaken the storm. Miranda. the lead researcher based on Mars, is distracted as their teenage daughter Ellie, is trapped in the tunnels beneath the ruins of Mars New York, "MNY," with her girlfriend/life partner, Ida. The two of them are trying to find a safe passage to MLA, as the series of tunnels that once connected the cities have been blocked or destroyed. Reiger is the military commander who feels that the scientist's response in inadequate to prevent loss of life.

Cast

* Alan Pietruszewski as Neil * Lane Townsend as Foster * Jennifer Dorogi as Miranda *

Arianna Afsar Arianna Ayesha "Ari" Afsar (born October 22, 1991) is an American singer, composer, beauty queen and activist best known for her starring role in Hamilton, as the songwriter of the musical ''Jeannette'', and as a top contestant on American Idol. ...

as Ellie * Chloe Farnworth as Ida * Dionne Neish as Reiger * Eddy Owdish as Klaus * Caroline Attwood as Dana * James Wong as Bryce * Chaim Dunbar as Andrews * Dan Czerwonka as Carlos *

Caroline Williams Caroline Williams is an American actress and producer. She is best known for her role as Stretch in ''The Texas Chainsaw Massacre'' film series. Her other film roles include '' Alamo Bay'' (1985), ''The Legend of Billie Jean'' (1985), '' Step ...

as Ulyana

Reception

Radio Times gave the movie 2 out of 5 stars. The Movie Scene also gave the movie 2 out of 5 stars, noting that Lane Townsend's acting was the best part of the movie. Movie Mag found the premise of the movie intriguing, but found that the movie "screwed it up at every turn." Moria noted that while this movie used the same setting as The Martian, of which it is said the be a mockbuster, that the story was entirely different. Moria also notes that this movie works better than most of the Asylum's other movies, although the scientific accuracy of the movie is questionable.

References

External links

Official site
at The Asylum * {{IMDb title, 4943934 2015 films 2015 direct-to-video films 2015 science fiction action films 2015 LGBT-related films American science fiction action films American LGBT-related films The Asylum films Direct-to-video science fiction films LGBT-related science fiction films Lesbian-related films 2010s English-language films Mars in film Films shot in California 2010s American films