Nine-year-old Milo (motion-capture performer Seth Green and voice actor Seth Dusky) stows away on a Mars-bound alien spaceship as it races away with his mom (Joan Cusack), who has been abducted so the Martians can steal her mom-ness in order to raise their young. Once he arrives on the Red Planet, he's befriended by Gribbler (Dan Fogler), an immature young adult whose mother was also stolen by the Martians when he was a boy. It's a race against time as Milo struggles to save his mother from imminent doom at the hands of the aliens.

This is a decent family film that starts off pretty slow but picks up steam in the second act as you get to know the main characters. The motion-capture techniques developed by producer Robert Zemeckis in The Polar Express have improved over the years, especially with adult faces, but the children come across a little creepy. Despite the shortcomings in the story, both the 3D and 2D presentations are outstanding, and the DTS-HD MA 7.1 soundtrack is definitely demo-worthy.

Mars rover

• Chapter 1, 0:01:19
• 3D depth
• As the camera pans away from the Mars rover, the three-dimensional image comes to life. The depth of field is mesmerizing with the rover in the foreground, various rocks in the mid-field, and the mountains in the background.

The abduction

• Chapter 3, 0:10:43
• Dynamics, frequency response
• Milo tries to stop the Martians from escaping with his mom, but the ships starts its launch sequence anyway. When the rockets finally engage, the room is filled with a sonic blast, yet you can still clearly hear Milo calling for help as he's lifted into space.

Martian underground

• Chapter 9, 0:50:37
• Color saturation, 3D depth, detail
• Relish the neon colors of the underground city as Gribble tells his sad story to Milo. Look at the detail in his round face, the texture in his clothing, and the amazing colors in the various rock formations.

Release Date:August 9, 2011
Studio: Disney

Movie: 6/10
Picture: 9/10
3D Effect: 9/10
Sound: 9/10