Highway To Mars artwork

Highway To Mars

200 episodes - English - Latest episode: almost 5 years ago - ★★★★★ - 5 ratings

The Highway To Mars team explore the Universe of Science fiction, in books, movies, Television, Games, Audio and any other format they can think of.

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Episodes

The Day of the Doctor

November 26, 2013 12:29 - 2 hours - 65.4 MB

So, the Day of the Doctor. Stephen Moffat has been hoarding Dr Who action figures for years and this episode is his best shot at increasing their value by claiming the “10th Doctor Action Figure” with David Tennant is a misprint. That and living out a River Song fantasy date with a big red button […]

Enders Game Book

November 24, 2013 09:41 - 2 hours - 75.6 MB

Yes I know it’s the 50th but while everyone was busy celebrating Odile and I caught up to talk Enders Game, the book that is. The movie isn’t out in Oz until the 5th of december so I thought I would review the book ahead of that outing. Despite my fears of disappointment Ender’s Game […]

The Apocalyse of the Doctor

November 22, 2013 01:00 - 23 minutes - 10.7 MB

The Doctor Who 50th is meant to be fun isn’t it??? The Apocalypse joined me to have a less serious look at The Night of the Doctor, the short pre 50th story. If you haven’t seen it, make sure you do, it will only take 6 mins. 🙂

Cloud Atlas

November 18, 2013 12:49 - 2 hours - 76.5 MB

This is a beautiful movie that tries to tell a really complex story and in some ways succeeds in others fails. The smaller character driven stories in this rock as does the first of the future dystopian stories. The other half of the stories are weak and somewhat contrived, ending with an unsatisfying conclusion. I […]

The Tomorrow People

November 15, 2013 00:27 - 1 hour - 36.7 MB

Mutants that can use telepathy, telekinesis and teleportation walk among us. They are sexy and they can’t kill. Dayam. I loved the 1970s version of the Tomorrow people so it was with great trepidation that I went into this one. I have been blown away by the writing on this one, it’s intense, I love […]

The Sorcerer and the White Snake

November 11, 2013 11:24 - 2 hours - 55.2 MB

I don’t often want a happy ending, I am not against them but to want it you have to feel like the characters have earned it. More to the point if they have earned it but don’t get it you want a good reason. Damnation because you are “a great evil” when patently you aren’t […]

Thor – The Dark World

November 06, 2013 07:24 - 1 hour - 36.5 MB

I am not a huge Thor fan and this installment didn’t make me a fan but it was fun. Kat Dennings and Tom Hiddleston are obviously having a ball and despite providing and perfect demonstration of why Gods should never have children, Anthony Hopkins is awesome as well. Thor himself? He has a big hammer? […]

Starship Troopers

November 02, 2013 07:40 - 1 hour - 49.6 MB

Do not believe the press that this book gets. If you have seen the movie, disregard it. In it’s heart this is a thoughtful examination of the process of taking a normal person and turning them into a soldier. This shares some similarities with Enders Game, but explores a lot more philosophy. While it can […]

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

October 27, 2013 04:08 - 1 hour - 28.2 MB

Agents of SHIELD carries the Whedon name so it’s going to be highly anticipated. Having said that it’s so far been quite un-Joss like. Not a lot of memorable dialogue, or characters that grab me is not exactly what I expected. I can’t say this one has gripped me but I am sticking with it.

Consider Phlebas

October 19, 2013 23:58 - 2 hours - 58 MB

This martian is officially in uncharted waters. With the theme of the show being exploring the universe of science fiction it’s nice when we divert from ground I haven’t been over and this was a big diversion. I took a little time to warm to this book but what I will say is it totally […]

28 WEEKS LATER

October 13, 2013 02:03 - 1 hour - 47.1 MB

How did The Apocalypse put again, oh yeah, ROBERT F***ING CARLYLE. For a number of reasons this movie isn’t as loved as the original but you have to say that Carlyle takes zombiedom to a whole new level and his character arc is just awesome. To be honest this set is best watched as we […]

Gravity

October 09, 2013 03:18 - 1 hour - 42.4 MB

Don’t go looking at the physics, put away your text book rage and just enjoy the ride. This is an awesome film, that owes a LOT to Ray Bradbury’s “Kaleidoscope” and while the ending is different, the themes are the same, what meaning does our life have when you are on breath away from death. […]

28 Days Later

October 06, 2013 11:53 - 1 hour - 53.2 MB

Back from 2 weeks working away and this week the Apocalypse and I returned to well worn zombie territory with 28 Days Later.

Riddick

September 18, 2013 04:16 - 1 hour - 31.8 MB

The third part of the Riddick trilogy returns to what riddick does best, surviving. Not perfect but there is a lot to enjoy about this late in the movie season offering.

The Uncomfortable Conversation 2 – Fandom

September 15, 2013 02:43 - 2 hours - 65.5 MB

Fandom is an interesting thing.  From the early days of geeks at late night venues talking doctor who to the modern fandom that has real power and ability to influence the shows they follow.  Gareth joins me with the Apocalypse to talk about fandom across the eras with a surprising lack of bad language.  

Falling Skies Part 2

September 10, 2013 07:23 - 2 hours - 71.2 MB

Falling Skies was a little overstuffed this season with plot lines but the good stuff was good, it had probably the best episode to date and the last 4 episodes rocked.

The Illustrated Man – Part 2

September 08, 2013 07:19 - 1 hour - 53.2 MB

Rod Steigers man junk, mr shouty, Jim and Odile sans wine and the best of the stories dominate the discussion on The Illustrated Man.

The Illustrated Man

August 31, 2013 23:05 - 2 hours - 70.1 MB

The illustrated man is a widely celebrated collection of short stories by Ray Bradbury. As with all anthologies, there are some bright starts, then lesser lights usually because there is another story with the same theme that’s better. The first half is the weaker with the great opening of The Veldt and Kaleidoscope giving way […]

Elysium

August 28, 2013 15:00 - 59 minutes - 27.2 MB

Not very subtle but beautiful in it’s own way.

Now You See Me

August 21, 2013 15:07 - 1 hour - 32.2 MB

Okay now I did have some trepidation about this movie but in all honesty – It’s the Bomb. I don’t often give movies a 10 but this one I do, only minor disappointment was that Jesse and Woody didn’t have much time to spark off each other but hey, it’s more than made for with […]

Bioshock Infinite

August 18, 2013 11:45 - 23 minutes - 32.8 MB

I haven’t played it but I have watched a play through and by god this is a beautiful game. Science fiction, retro with an impressive storyline and fantastic characters. Gareth talks Bioshock for me and now I soooo want to play the game.

The Worlds End

August 08, 2013 11:43 - 2 hours - 62 MB

The Worlds End = The End of the World... Get it?

Ultraviolet

July 30, 2013 09:38 - 1 hour - 46.9 MB

No we don't only cover the "popular" stuff. This week, the 2006 movie UltraViolet which I don't hate like many reviewers it seems, but it certainly could have been a lot more than it ended up being.

The Chyrsalids

July 21, 2013 13:47 - 2 hours - 60.7 MB

John Wyndhams The Crysalids is probably his best book. A post apocalyptic view of the world and the consequences of Man's arrogance.

Pacific Rim

July 17, 2013 04:55 - 1 hour - 42.5 MB

Big Arse Robots, Monsters, Riding Kangaroos, Selfies, some shameless Aussie Patriotism and why the Apocalypse is moaning about sore muscles.

The Martian Chronicles

July 13, 2013 10:25 - 3 hours - 98.3 MB

Never kick a martian in the chronicles. Odile, Jim and Stefan work their way through Ray Bradbury’s collection of stories. This one is an epic and apologies for issues with the sound, Odile’s mic was having an off day – it needed a good hug. Due to the length we don’t have any synopsis however […]

Falling Skies

July 10, 2013 10:35 - 2 hours - 76.9 MB

Al and I catch up on Series 3. Aliens, Explosions, Intrigue, not to mention Body Snatching. This is every kind of invasion story all wrapped up in one and it does an awesome job while it’s at it. Facing up to limitations both technical and practical, the producers of this show have forged a gem […]

Man of Steel

July 02, 2013 01:40 - 1 hour - 42.1 MB

For some reason Superman is something of a polarising figure, maybe because he represents something America aspires to be but falls short of, so he is the twin ideal and reminder of failings. Either way this version is either great or crap depending on your point of view. We went to see the movie, loved […]

Shake and Blake

June 30, 2013 01:52 - 2 hours - 74.5 MB

We like being meta on Highway to Mars and what is more meta than a podcast on a podcast, well I guess we could review a podcast that reviews podcasts but that would be silly now wouldn’t it. (File in ideas bank). Shake and Blake is an awesome podcast that covers the Blakes 7 series […]

World War Z

June 27, 2013 00:17 - 59 minutes - 27.3 MB

World War Z, awesome Zombie movie and while we have probably had “enough” Zombie movies over the past few years it was nice to see a movie that treated them seriously. It had all of us on the edge of our seats and it’s been a while since that happened.

Pitch Black

June 23, 2013 09:19 - 1 hour - 45.9 MB

The first of the Vin Diesel/Riddick movies and to be honest a fine start. While I don’t totally get the Riddick character here (is he a sick twisted evil man or just misunderstood?) there are a couple of really good characters and the premise is awesome. Overall I love this film but the Riddick character […]

After Earth

June 20, 2013 10:21 - 55 minutes - 51.3 MB

Moooooooooooooooo! That is all.

Forbidden Kingdom

June 16, 2013 06:10 - 1 hour - 49.1 MB

Jackie Chan and Jet Li is one of the dream matchups in martial arts movies. Forbidden Kingdom is an iconic story, worthy of these two giants, not so sure about the addition of a karate kid style extra but lets be honest, when Jackie and Jet are in full swing, who notices the rest. As […]

Fast & Furious 6

June 11, 2013 11:07 - 1 hour - 29.8 MB

Fast 6 is Bitchin’. Not exactly a clever story but it does have a heart, the set pieces are fun and the fighting is refreshingly real. Scary but short of Iron Man, this might be one of the movies I most enjoyed for the year.

An Uncomfortable Conversation 1

June 09, 2013 14:30 - 2 hours - 57.6 MB

An additional irregular episode where we talk about subjects in and around science fiction. Kiarra shared some of her experiences being a teenager and provided some definite food for thought on how we see where young people are at, their challenges and how they see their hero’s and influences. The genesis of this discussion was […]

Shaun of the Dead

June 02, 2013 04:00 - 2 hours - 80.4 MB

Special guest Simon Meddings joins us to decode english culture for Shaun of the Dead. I am never riding a bus or attending a pub in england after this.

Arrow

May 29, 2013 14:51 - 1 hour - 34.8 MB

Phoenix and I have been watching the TV series Arrow and are somewhat surprised to be loving it. We both thoroughly recommend the show, here is a quick round up and impression of the characters.

Undead

May 26, 2013 01:33 - 2 hours - 60.1 MB

A Highway to Mars special that nobody was demanding but we did it anyway. In 2003 a couple of enterprising Aussie filmakers Michael and Peter Spierig made a clever but not exactly brilliantly dialogued Zombie Sci-fi movie called Undead. So in order to shine a light on the movie we watched it together to share […]

Doctor Who – The Name of the Doctor

May 22, 2013 07:12 - 40 minutes - 18.7 MB

So here we are… end of the season already. Not sure I like these shorter seasons but hey it ended with a bang!

Who Am I?

May 18, 2013 07:08 - 2 hours - 62.4 MB

Jackie F****** Chan as Kiarra would say. This episode we review the Jackie Chan movie Who Am I, Kiarra offers to teach Jaden Smith Martial Arts and we run out of cows to cover Kiarra’s potty mouth.

Dr Who – Crimson Death and a Nightmare in Silver

May 16, 2013 13:09 - 1 hour - 43 MB

More value than ever from highway to mars. Kiarra hands out relationships advice to some fictional characters who clearly need it and the Doctor Who fans are getting on my nerves. Having said that enjoying who for the first time in a long time, can’t wait for 50th.

Star Trek – Into Darkness

May 11, 2013 13:52 - 1 hour - 32.3 MB

We went to see Star Trek Into Darkness, enjoyed the movie but there is something about this star trek series that doesn’t quite sit right with me.

Oblivion and Iron Man 3

May 05, 2013 14:23 - 1 hour - 33.4 MB

This week we skip a Dr Who episode to do spoiler free discussions of the movies Oblivion and Iron Man 3.

The Day of the Triffids

May 04, 2013 11:35 - 2 hours - 147 MB

Normal Service is resumed. Our Audience is safe this week as Odile restores order with Sharon McGuiness as we discuss one of the best post apocalyptic stories ever. Wyndham got killer plants spot on, something that really hasn’t been repeated since. This is a scary and thought provoking story.

Dr Who Hide and Journey to the Centre of the Tardis

April 29, 2013 22:19 - 1 hour - 62.8 MB

At the risk of offending the 2 fans we have left, I let kiarra loose on Dr Who and well she excelled, insulting fan boys, taking pot shots at the tardis and of course once more getting us an explicit tag. She tells me it’s a phase but its only just started so she wants […]

The Fifth Element

April 17, 2013 10:59 - 2 hours - 63.9 MB

What can I say, it’s the fifth element. One of the most fun movies in science fiction and one of our favourites. Joined once again by Kiarra, who can’t stop wiggling and knocking the table thus next podcast we are getting a mic stand upgrade.

Dr Who – The Cold War

April 14, 2013 12:10 - 26 minutes - 12.1 MB

There will be a normal episode next week, either Day of the Triffids or The Fifth Element. This week a minisode on Dr Who The Cold War. Loved this episode, it wasn’t the best ever but after a spate of episodes that haven’t really done it for me, this one was good writing for the […]

Doctor Who – Series 7 So Far

April 11, 2013 15:00 - 2 hours - 67.7 MB

Last year we recorded a set of minisodes for Doctor Who where we talked about the latest episode just after it came out well why not everyone else does. 🙂 The recording equipment didn’t live up to the task so we never put them out, but I decided we would try again so here is […]

Zombieland

April 07, 2013 04:51 - 2 hours - 66.2 MB

A little later than planned due to easter but Kiarra joined me for a romp through the awesome zombie movie, Zombieland. Kiarra is going to do a regular with me and we might even do a bunch of Zombie movies, including Shaun of the Dead and 28 Days.

Midwich Cuckoos/Village of the Damned

March 17, 2013 10:13 - 1 hour - 81.5 MB

This episode Odile takes the chair once more and is joined by Jim Moon and Stefan to talk the Midwich Cuckoos. This was a three in one episode because we cover the book and two movies the best of which is the 1960s version, The Village of the Damned.