Ghosts of Mars (2001)

well i went to see this when it came out in the theatre with some friends and they wanted to leave halfway through the movie because of the absolute dragging on of the set-up of the story.well i left with them always wondering what happened in the second half.i rented the dvd when it was released and wished i had stayed the first time to watch the entire picture.i have since bought the dvd and watched the special features[which has the some behind the scenes footage,special effects,and making of the soundtrack]which include the commentary by mr carpenter himself and his lovely star natasha.carpenter explains that he had a real hard time with the first part of the movie.he wanted to get things moving along but he was also trying to develop the characters and set up the movie as well.the flashback scenes were really wearing me out though and this is not shot like a typical carpenter movie.carpenter has always been a master in creating and building up suspense but,it doesn't quite work in this movie.it would have helped if the dialogue had been a little more interesting but it is pretty straight-forward stuff.when we finally get to the action sequences carpenter himself says in the commentary"FINALLY INTO THE ACTION PHASES".even carpenter was really ready for the action pick up.the fight scenes are top-notch and the special effects get kicked into high gear during this second half of the movie.also there is some pretty funny humor during this time which seems to work.during the commentary carpenter keeps heaping praise on his lovely star ms natasha.she does do a good job and considering the fact that she was a last minute addition to the cast{only one week before filming}her performance is worthy of praise.one thing to keep in mind DO NOT TAKE THIS FILM SO SERIOUSLY.this is something that carpenter told his cast and should be told to viewers.yeh it's a little monotonous during the early stages but the payout later is worth it.not carpenters' best movie or worst.village of the damned i thought was his poorest but i have since changed that because like this movie it grows on you.

Fmovies: John Carpenter has made a pretty decent living out of directing low-budget action-horror flicks in various sub-genres. A couple of his sci-fi efforts are genuinely good fun. This movie isn't one of them.

Natasha Henstridge has visual appeal, but delivers her lines with all the emotion of a lump of granite. Ice Cube proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that he is no actor, despite a couple of passable earlier efforts in 'Boyz n the Hood' (1991) and 'Friday' (1995). Jason Statham's character Jericho - supposedly attractive due to his breeding prowess - couldn't get a root in a brothel.

The Martians are about as scary as a good bottle of shiraz... three of which may increase your enjoyment of the movie to a tolerable level. No, make it four. Carpenter doesn't even manage a workable soundtrack... usually one of his strengths. I got really familiar with the bits that were saying: "Go to the fridge and find some munchies. Super-boring bit coming up."

If you want some topnotch Carpenter sci-fi, check out cult favourite 'They Live', either of the 'Escape from...' movies, or mega-classic 'The Thing'. This one, however, deserves a swift and permanent burial.

First of all, i have to say that John Carpenter is a brilliant, flawless director because his every shot, every scene, narrative style is perfect, whatever he wants it's on screen. I know, then why his movies are flops at the theatrical release? - 'cause there's a problem with us(people) to understand his films that are really old-fashioned aiming rather at the people in the 60's-70's and that's the only Carpenter's flaw as a director, his bad timing(maybe born out of time). But when his movies at its core are good it's only a matter of time to be fancied. I think we should start appreciate such a director who's devoted to an old genuine film-making and not to these days where everything has to be big, right in your face. I love his subtle style especially in future classic as Ghosts Of Mars. This film is very essential: it represents every directorial aspect what John Carpenter uses in other films(hardy women equal to men, defiance against authority etc..), but it's not just a hotch-potch of his early works it has its own low-key style and Forbidden Planet-like feel, it combines genres Sci-fi, Horror, Western, Action, Comedy, it has a message(perhaps Carpenter's biggest at all) that beautifully reflects us. I know it is a B-Movie, it has a silly dialogue, silly situations but that's exactly what Carpenter wanted and he takes all these elements to encapsulate into its own form and never let it slip out, it never tries to be serious, it never tries to be something what it's not, there's nothing what doesn't fit in (that's what i can't say about for example Kill Bill), something what should these young filmmakers learn from. i've been watching Carpenter films since the early 80's and still like them all so i'm deadly serious when i'm rating Ghosts Of Mars as a masterpiece and one of his best that will certainly stand the test of time especially for its form and uniqueness.

Somewhere i read a review where one guy as if justifying himself likes this movie only because he's a Carpenter fan but on the top of that i have to tell you that's what it's all about, only his fan can recognize his masterful touches, that he's a true author and that's why he has more cult films(which most of them were then supposed to be a failure) than any other director.

Ghosts of Mars fmovies. Mars has fascinated humans for years. It's the closest planet to us, and the only one that comes close in terms of livability. Its forbidding landscape and dire red color scheme are magnetic (at least in movies; I can't tell you how disappointed I was when that little NASA toy-car thing sent back pictures and Mars looks like Utah. No red sky, even.)

But Mars has a curse. You just can't make a decent movie about it. Think about all the Mars movies in history (...Attacks!, Mission to..., Red Planet, Angry and otherwise, Santa Claus vs. the Martians, etc.), none of which have been able to rise above the "not bad, not great" category, if even that. The lone exception to the Mars Curse is "Total Recall", which is a fine film, but it can be persuasively argued that it never actually takes place on Mars at all.

Throw "John Carpenter's Ghosts of Mars" on the "not bad" pile. Many have argued that it's not really a Mars movie, but a Western with a weird setting, which is indirectly true. It's mostly a re-working of Carpenter's classic "Assault on Precinct 13", which was, itself, based on "Rio Bravo". (I wonder when John Carpenter is just going to give in and make a bonafide Western. You can tell he totally wants to.)

While I'm on the subject, can someone tell me why John Carpenter seems bent on titling all his recent movies with "John Carpenter's", as if we'll forget? It implies, oddly enough, that he didn't actually direct it, the way "Ian Fleming's James Bond" books were published long after Fleming was, technically, dead.

Anyway, the plot involves a squad from the Martian Police Force doing a prisoner transfer from a mining colony. Mars, it seems, is run by the "Matronage", a kind of Lillith-Fair dictatorship, which is a neat twist and gives some original zip to the movie. The transfer is quickly forgotten, as some sort of primal ghostly force is possessing the locals and turning them into a blood-crazed cabal of body-pierced mutilation enthusiasts (the movie often resembles a Slipknot video run amok). The throngs are led by a bulked-up Maximum Leader who looks like Marilyn Manson's steroid-pumped older brother. The cops and criminals join forces with the contents of the Hollywood Gun Shop, and mow down the screaming hordes in an effort to escape. One wonders why Merchant-Ivory didn't pick up this project.

The intriguing setting, the impressive visuals, and some creepy early scenes build up a lot of audience goodwill, which the film then chips away at relentlessly, as if willing itself to mediocrity. The narrative is clumsy,

with way too much reliance on flashback. The story itself is primarily told in flashback, which is understandable even if it does reveal too much about what's about to happen. But do we really need flashbacks within the movie to show us things we've already seen? There are also too many pointless camera tricks, such as time-lapse dissolves in scenes that don't merit them. The characters are needlessly stupid, especially the cops; they too often resort to using their guns in baseball-bat fashion, when they still have plenty of ammunition.

The cast, unfortunately, is not up to the task of raising the movie above the bar. Natasha Henstridge, whose onomastically-pleasing name is inevitably abbreviated in movie criticism as "that chick from 'Species'", is wooden and uncom

Another JOHN CARPENTER movie that is so underrated it's SILLY,like most of his BRILLIANT films they are always underrated & hated on to a ridiculous degree & then like 20 yrs later are rediscovered as lost classic's? Anyway i liked this AWESOME sci-fi Thriller from the very beginning in 2001 when i first rented it on video, i absolutely Love the Atmosphere in this just like carpenter does with his films he creates a scary dread filled atmosphere & here it's lonely setting on mars at an abandoned mining base is really creepy & unsettling. The cast is cool with the likes of ICE CUBE, JASON STATHAM,PAM GRIER & NATASHA HENSRIDGE are all great in their roles i really liked Jason Statham in this early role as a tough security officer before he became a Hollywood action hero. This is a relatively low budget movie compared to the main big movies that Hollywood make but it's great quality & has an excellent setting & really scary voodoo type crazy ancient alien spirits that possess people & turn them into crazy warriors who kill anyone, it's great fun & has very good FX & really well made production design & like i said the empty doom filled atmosphere is excellent & you just want them to hide in a room & board it all up because out there is TERRIFYING!!! So yes Carpenter has made another great film in the mould of ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13 & ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK, it has that feel. Quick story bit, a team of government security officers are sent to pick up a wanted Criminal & transport him back but find there is something very bad happening at the mining colony!!! a very exciting thrill ride with another excellent carpenter score!!! Also the futuristic train the team ride in in AWESOME looking great design & the officers uniforms look great all excellent production design!!! A great fun late night sci-fi Thriller with Horror & excitement just good fun entertainment with that creepy Carpenter atmosphere & cool music.

A team of future cops take a bullet train to a Marsian colony to retrieve a murderer played by Ice Cube. Upon arrival they're attacked by colonists possessed by the Ghosts of Mars. John Carpenter's penultimate theatrical feature to date is easily one of his best, considering the odds against it. The film borrows from Total Recall, The Thing and Assault on Precinct 13, but still looks fresh and original. The pace is steady and the mood consistent. The electronic/metal score recorded by Carpenter and Anthrax, while being uncharacteristically modern, still is very much signature Carpenter. The glorious Panavision cinematography is fresh just like it was in the 80s. The (then) young stars Natasha Henstridge, Ice Cube, Jason Statham and Clea DuVall fit their roles perfectly, most notably Henstridge, who effortlessly portrays a woman in command and *not* a tough chick with a chip on her shoulder. The seasoned actresses Pam Grier and Joanna Cassidy add a punch here and there. Ghosts of Mars leans closer to Escape from LA on the fun meter, but retains the quality and edginess of The Thing. A good movie.