The Dude’s High 5s: Mars!
Curiosity has landed! It will now spend the next two plus year rolling around Mars’ surface killing cats. With that, this High 5 will take a look at my favorite facts and uses about Mars fiction. So here we go.
5. Birthplace of Spike Speagel
I don’t like anime. It’s the animation style that digs at me. However I was able to power through Cowboy Bebop. Spike is pretty damn awesome, able to bounce from goofy to serious in the blink of an eye. Spike quickly became one of my favorite Martians.
4. Total Recall
The original Total Recall is one of my favorite movies of all time. I have yet to lower myself to watching the new one, and I refuse to believe that it was clever enough to set the release date to the same week that Curiosity landed. The REAL Total Recall is full of action, one liners, social messages, and mutants. Its par for the course on a Paul Verhoeven movie.
3. Red Faction
Red Faction was a revolutionary game. Its geo-mod technology set the bar for how a PS2 game should be. The story is about a revolt in a mining colony where the workers are treated like slaves. The main character, Parker, is wealthy kid from a privileged family who wants to make his way in the world. He fantasizes about working on Mars. However the reality of the dream, as it often does, fails to live up to the hype. The visuals alone would make this game great. Red Faction also burned its way into my memory as I woke up early on a September morning, played it for hours and hours and hours. Turned it off and found that the Twin Towers had been struck by planes.
2. Marvin the Martian
There are few things as influential on a child’s life as cartoons. For me, that was G.I. Joe, Ninja Turtles, and Looney Toons. From a young age, I always loved Marvin the Martian. I was a rambunctious kid. I would fly off the handle at the smallest infraction and try to impose my will on the world around me. I was Yosemite Sam. Marvin showed me that it was possible to do evil and be calm about it. I think it changed me for the better, as now my attempts to bend the world around my will are much more successful as they often pass unnoticed.
1. The Martian Chronicles
The Martian Chronicles are the most influential use of Mars fiction out there. At least I like to think so. My favorite story from the Martian Chronicles is “- And the Moon Be Still as Bright”. When I first read it, it was combined with “The Settlers”, so that’s how I remember it. The Martian Chronicles may be science fiction, but Ray Bradbury’s awesomeness was science fact.
What’s your favorite thing about the Red Planet?