Mars: Phase 1 & Phase 2

Updated
Mars: Phase 1 & Phase 2
Faneditor Name:
Original Movie Title:
Fanedit Type:
Original Release Date:
2016
Original Running Time:
270
Fanedit Release Date:
Fanedit Running Time:
183
Time Cut:
87
Available in HD?
Brief Synopsis:
My two part edit focuses on the fictional narrative of Nat Geo's Mars taking place between the years 2033 and 2037. The 2016 documentary element has been left on the cutting room floor.
Intention:
National Geographic series MARS is a unique hybrid of different storytelling techniques. On one side it's a fictional drama starting in the year 2033 and tells the story of the Daedalus crew by following their epic journey as the first manned mission to the red planet and their attempts to colonise it and on the other hand it is a documentary that focuses on how we will get there and more importantly survive and flourish. My intention is to separate fiction from fact.
Other Sources:
- National Geographic MARS bluray
- MARS original soundtrack
Special Thanks:
Nick Cave, David Bowie , Warren Ellis , ASH, the Flaming Lips and the Pixies who's Mars influenced noise were all in my ears during the process
Release Information:
  • Blu-Ray
  • Digital
Special Features
- The Documentary will be available with the two episodes
- The Documentary, Before Mars - A Prequel , and Trailers will be available on the Bluray.
Editing Details:
I enjoyed both the fictional and science portion of each episode but i also found it frustrating. Why? because as i was getting engrossed in the story we would suddenly be pulled away for a chat with Elon Musk and friends at Space X or similar, which is all very interesting but i would have preferred to watch the science aspect as a separate entity. I decided once the bluray was available for purchase i would set about removing the documentary element . My work print was a three hour movie but i decided to split the story in two which made sense from a narrative and viewing perspective as the opening three episodes were set in 2033 and known as Phase One - Initial Human Presence and the final three episodes focused on Phase Two - Construction and Expansion between the years 2035 & 2037.
Cuts and Additions:
- All documentary elements have been removed.
Cover art by Last Impressions (DOWNLOAD HERE)
image

Trailer

User reviews

5 reviews
Overall rating
 
9.3
Audio/Video Quality
 
9.8(5)
Audio Editing
 
9.2(5)
Visual Editing
 
9.2(5)
Narrative
 
9.0(5)
Enjoyment
 
9.2(5)
Overall rating
 
8.4
Audio/Video Quality
 
10.0
Audio Editing
 
9.0
Visual Editing
 
8.0
Narrative
 
7.0
Enjoyment
 
8.0
The pacing is kinda weird, but that is caused by the source material, not much can be improved there.
I’ve noticed a few of the cuts but the overall quality is still high.

One thing I would have liked: for the story to focus more on Mars and less on Earth. I’m not talking about removing the Earth scenes, some are needed to move the story forward. But, e.g., many scenes of the IMSF Board Meetings could be cut or shortened. They bring nothing to the story (except for maybe 1-2 scenes) and, as they are right now, they just slow the narrative and are a bit of a nuisance to watch.

Another thing I’ve noticed (totally unrelated to the edit) is some of the actors are really weak, no emotion at all, it definitely worsens this story as a sci-fi drama (that doesn’t change my score for this edit of course, it’s all due to the original material).

For anyone wanting to experience the sci-fi story without the documentary attached, this does its job really well.

User Review

Do you recommend this edit?
Yes
Format Watched?
Digital
Report this review Comments (0) | Was this review helpful? 0 0
Overall rating
 
10.0
Audio/Video Quality
 
10.0
Audio Editing
 
10.0
Visual Editing
 
10.0
Narrative
 
10.0
Enjoyment
 
10.0
Exactly what you think it would be. The Mars show with the documentary removed - and it works just as well. Yes, the show itself has its own issues, but that wasn't this edit was meant to tackle.

If you want to watch the show without the documentary, this is as good as it gets.

User Review

Do you recommend this edit?
Yes
Format Watched?
Digital
D
1 reviews
Report this review Comments (0) | Was this review helpful? 0 0
Overall rating
 
9.8
Audio/Video Quality
 
10.0
Audio Editing
 
9.0
Visual Editing
 
10.0
Narrative
 
10.0
Enjoyment
 
10.0
loved it ! way better than the original !

User Review

Do you recommend this edit?
Yes
Format Watched?
Digital
L
1 reviews
Report this review Comments (0) | Was this review helpful? 0 0
Overall rating
 
9.2
Audio/Video Quality
 
9.0
Audio Editing
 
9.0
Visual Editing
 
9.0
Narrative
 
10.0
Enjoyment
 
9.0
As soon as this series started I thought "I can't wait till someone fan edits this to remove the "documentary" sections. So bravo on this! You did a great job. Some tiny imperfections with a cut or 2 and some audio pops but I'm really impressed. I have to be honest that I really didn't like the fanedit intro and the text that came up with the Phases on it was really out of place. I think if you removed those it would be even better. But it's still amazing either way. Thanks!

User Review

Format Watched?
Digital
C
2 reviews
Report this review Comments (0) | Was this review helpful? 0 0
Overall rating
 
9.0
Audio/Video Quality
 
10.0
Audio Editing
 
9.0
Visual Editing
 
9.0
Narrative
 
8.0
Enjoyment
 
9.0
Watching the series without constant interruptions is definitely the definitive way to watch it, and it is in no way is pulled down by the lack of its documentary aspects.

The scenes are blended together surprisingly nicely considering how little was cut, with the only exception being a cut which was somewhat too quick in the first part making it seem almost as if the characters teleported forward.
The Audio flows seamlessly between scenes, and with the exception of a pop in the first of the two parts and the audio in a very early scene favoring my right ear slightly, the experience was very smooth.
As you can tell the issues mentioned were mostly limited to the very first part of the first act, and then never reoccurred, which is what my score reflects.

I would argue that the largest drawbacks are due to sticking so close to the original material, as although it is definitely the definitive way to watch the series, the series itself suffers from a fair amount of pacing issues, and although the cuts does improve the pacing in some scenes it also makes some scenes (particularly in the very beginning) seem a bit rushed without the padding of the documentary content.

Having seen this cut I can't imagine watching season 2 uncut, and if the forums are to go by I wish Last Impressions the best in tackling it.
That being said I can't help but wonder what the result would be if he took more creative liberties to craft this and the current season into a movie more concise than the series.

User Review

Do you recommend this edit?
Yes
Format Watched?
Digital
O
1 reviews
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