Excellent, Without a doubt!!

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

This movie was so-so. It had it's moments, but wasn't the greatest.

Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

ROBINSON CRUSOE ON MARS is a lively and fairly childish science fiction picture of 1964 that feels worlds away from the real-life space exploration and Moon landings that were taking place some five years later. The title gives everything away, telling of an astronaut who finds himself stranded on the Red Planet with only a monkey for company, at least until a friendly alien (who bizarrely looks like an Egyptian) shows up to act as his Man Friday. There are UFO attacks borrowed from WAR OF THE WORLDS (which Byron Haskin also directed) along with very little realism or attention to detail. The monkey is cute, though, the sets and FX are very colourful, and Paul Mantee works hard to invest us in his role.

***SPOILERS*** Remake of the 1719 Daniel Defoe classic "Robinson Crusoe" taking place in the far future as Commander Chris "Kit" Draper, Paul Mantee, avoiding a runaway meteor crashes on the red planet with his co-pilot Col. Dan McReady, Adam West, getting killed and only having his pet monkey Mona, Barney the Wooly Monkey, as his only companion. Trying to survive the harsh environment Draper has to rely on Mona to find him water as well as the Martian rocks when their heated to provide him both heat and oxygen.It's some time later that Draper comes upon an alien concentration camp on the planet that is using slaves to construct a landing site for it's space crafts and rescues one of the escaping slaves that he names Friday, after the character in the original Defoe novel, played by Victor Lundrin who looks like Elvis Presley wearing a "Beatle" wig. This partnership between Draper and Friday at first a slave master relationship grows over time where the two learn to respect each other and treat themselves as equals together with Draper's pet monkey Mona who not only leads the two to water but to freedom up in the planets freezing northern regions.****SPOILERS**** Attacked by alien spaceships on their trip up to the frozen north the trio are saved when a giant asteroid that strikes the Martian North Pole melting the ice and snow there making it possible for them to be rescued by a US space probe mapping the planet. Beautifully photographed in dazzling color the film, like the novel, shows how men of different backgrounds or in this case planets can work together and learn to respect each other when their survival is at stake.Draper who at first looked down on Friday as an uncivilized savage found that he in fact was an intelligent as well as religious, yes Friday did believe in a supreme being or God that created the Universe. As for the lovable monkey Mona she in fact used her animal instincts to save the day for both Draper and Friday as well as adding a bit of comedy relief in this at first hopeless and depressing situation that the two found themselves in.

This is a great sci-fi film, an excellent premise, thought-provoking, touching and almost sappy but not quite. Adam West's supporting performance is far better than he managed in his later, lead role on TV as Batman.The suspense in this film, and the down-time between, is nerve-wracking. Just a real nail-biter. The character interactions are fascinating throughout, and even the faux science (present in all sci-fi flicks) is fun to think about. I was prompted to write this review when I read the news today 9/28/2015 that there is, currently, flowing water on Mars which means there is life on Mars for sure.

I recently watched this movie on TV. What a waste of time and thankfully I didn't have to pay to see it.First of all the main character would have frozen to death, or died from lack of oxygen within minutes of the crash.Secondly, even if by some amazing miracle he could have survived the -100 degree temperatures and breathing carbon dioxide, what's with the monkey co-star? And what's with him exhaling on the monkey to help it survive? Humans breath in oxygen and breathe out carbon dioxide. Breathing on the annoying co-star wouldn't provide it oxygen,Then, he and the highly annoying monkey (who should have been cooked for dinner by now) meet a semi-Eskimo/Indain looking guy who happens to be prancing around sub-zero temperatures in a skimpy Indian outfit and magically understands English. Apparently Mars has Barber Shops specializing in bowel cuts, since this alien, enslaved there for years, has one.Then there's the visits from the Eskimo/Indian/Alien's overlords. Ooooh, scary stuff. So the star amazingly realizes they are homing in on the alien's bracelets. Fascinating how he knew that. Good thing is he happens to have some kind of amazing diamond coated cutting wire to get those nasty bracelets off.If you haven't fallen asleep by this point of the "film" there's a sudden random nuclear bombing. Not sure what relevance it had to the story, other than maybe heating up the sub- zero surface of Mars for a bit.Then the movie ends within seconds. A random Earth spaceship flies over, is contacted by radio and all is well. Anti-climactic, seems like the writer ran out of lame ideas and just called it quits.Totally unwatchable, lame and a waste of time... unless you like cheese.