'Mars Needs Moms' could frighten kiddies

Director: Simon Wells

Cast: Dan Fogler, Seth Green, Joan Cusack

Cert: PG

There’s a disturbing message for kiddies at the heart of this disappointing motion-capture film – think 'The Polar Express' to picture what is on screen – and it’s this: if you don’t appreciate all the things mom does for you strange aliens from outer space might well come and take her off.

This form of animation somehow lacks a warmth from its waxy images, and 'Mars Needs Moms' isn’t helped by an indifferent script that doesn’t allow for any true depth of character. It’s also an artform that often offers images that might frighten kiddies: glassy-eyed, jerky and frozen-faced.

Nine-year-old Milos (Green) is going through a phase of not appreciating his mom (Cusack) but when Martians arrive and kidnap her – Mars needs moms because they can keep kiddies in check, apparently – he stows away on board the spaceship in an attempt to rescue her.

On Mars, he meets the geekish Gribble (Fogler) and together they share lots of adventures … none of which really grabs the attention since the storyline is full of inconsistencies.

Star Rating: 2/5