The title, Ghosts of Mars, pretty much lays it out for you. The plot of the $30 million film is just as modest -- it's a straightforward, no devil-in-the-details kind of action-packed, gloriously gory thriller, set on Mars, 2176 A.D. Human beings live and work on outposts all over the Red Planet, mining it for its valuable natural resources.
Told in a series of flashbacks (and some flashbacks on top of flashbacks), it follows a small squad of police on transport assignment in Shining Canyon, come to claim a dangerous criminal, James "Desolation" Williams (Ice Cube, "Next Friday"), and bring him to justice. Lt. Ballard (Natasha Henstridge, "Species"), her right-hand man Jericho (Jason Statham, "Snatch"), and a young rookie (Clea Duvall, "The Astronaut's Wife"), come upon the scene and make a grim discovery: no more a bustling mining community, Shining Canyon is now a ghost town. But far from the empty, tumble-weed tumbling outposts of yore, this ghost town is filled with horribly mutilated, decapitated bodies. And at night, the "ghosts" come out to look for fresh prey. Despite the death and destruction, there's a task at hand: the squad has come to claim the prisoner, and that they do. But Williams lives up to his dangerous reputation and makes the most of it. Soon, what started as a battle of brains vs. brawn between cop and criminal brings Ballard and Williams together in a fight for survival against Ghosts of Mars, ostensibly led by a horrifying, once-human creature, Big Daddy Mars (Richard Cetrone, "Nemesis II").
The story unfolds to reveal that during the Silver Canyon mining operation the ruins of an ancient civilization were uncovered and disturbed. The ghostly Martian warriors, unleashed as swirling, unstoppable red dust, systematically invaded the bodies of the human intruders. As new humans arrive, they are either decapitated with wicked flying metal disks, or possessed and used to kill others.
It's an interesting idea and could be a scary one, but the low production values, scanty plot and mediocre dialogue dash all hope about 20 minutes into the film. It's a shame, because John Carpenter has real talent -- it's hard to believe the same person is responsible for such gems as Halloween, The Thing, Escape From New York, and Big Trouble in Little China. In my opinion, Carpenter hasn't made a frightening film since 1994's In The Mouth of Madness. (However, he has not lost his chops as a composer -- the soundtrack to Ghosts of Mars is stirring and exciting.) I'm hoping his next film will wow me, because I know he has it in him.
Word has it that after Courtney Love dropped out of the starring Lt. Ballard role, Henstridge was brought in, unprepared, just a few days before shooting. Furthermore, the preproduction schedule was extremely tight (just 8 weeks). It shows. The claustrophobic sets look like leftovers from the 1960s Star Trek TV series, and so many questions are left unanswered you just don't care what happens to anybody.
Ghosts of Mars is definitely chock full of action and is bloodier than a slaughterhouse on a Monday morning, but that's all it is. I read somewhere that in Big Daddy Mars, Carpenter was creating one of his most memorable characters. Character? That's exactly what is missing. Daddy is cool-looking as the menacing, leather-clad and pierced leader, but all his does is kill from afar (he throws the deadly disks). Who was the human that once lived in his body? Who was he in ancient times? Why does he do what he does? Does he think with the human brain, or is he just a mindless, soulless murder machine? Perhaps if we knew some of these things, he would be an actualized, three-dimensional character. As it is, he's just another forgettable celluloid slasher. The acting was good and the action moves right along, but without an engaging story all you have is a ghost of a movie.
Told in a series of flashbacks (and some flashbacks on top of flashbacks), it follows a small squad of police on transport assignment in Shining Canyon, come to claim a dangerous criminal, James "Desolation" Williams (Ice Cube, "Next Friday"), and bring him to justice. Lt. Ballard (Natasha Henstridge, "Species"), her right-hand man Jericho (Jason Statham, "Snatch"), and a young rookie (Clea Duvall, "The Astronaut's Wife"), come upon the scene and make a grim discovery: no more a bustling mining community, Shining Canyon is now a ghost town. But far from the empty, tumble-weed tumbling outposts of yore, this ghost town is filled with horribly mutilated, decapitated bodies. And at night, the "ghosts" come out to look for fresh prey. Despite the death and destruction, there's a task at hand: the squad has come to claim the prisoner, and that they do. But Williams lives up to his dangerous reputation and makes the most of it. Soon, what started as a battle of brains vs. brawn between cop and criminal brings Ballard and Williams together in a fight for survival against Ghosts of Mars, ostensibly led by a horrifying, once-human creature, Big Daddy Mars (Richard Cetrone, "Nemesis II").
The story unfolds to reveal that during the Silver Canyon mining operation the ruins of an ancient civilization were uncovered and disturbed. The ghostly Martian warriors, unleashed as swirling, unstoppable red dust, systematically invaded the bodies of the human intruders. As new humans arrive, they are either decapitated with wicked flying metal disks, or possessed and used to kill others.
It's an interesting idea and could be a scary one, but the low production values, scanty plot and mediocre dialogue dash all hope about 20 minutes into the film. It's a shame, because John Carpenter has real talent -- it's hard to believe the same person is responsible for such gems as Halloween, The Thing, Escape From New York, and Big Trouble in Little China. In my opinion, Carpenter hasn't made a frightening film since 1994's In The Mouth of Madness. (However, he has not lost his chops as a composer -- the soundtrack to Ghosts of Mars is stirring and exciting.) I'm hoping his next film will wow me, because I know he has it in him.
Word has it that after Courtney Love dropped out of the starring Lt. Ballard role, Henstridge was brought in, unprepared, just a few days before shooting. Furthermore, the preproduction schedule was extremely tight (just 8 weeks). It shows. The claustrophobic sets look like leftovers from the 1960s Star Trek TV series, and so many questions are left unanswered you just don't care what happens to anybody.
Ghosts of Mars is definitely chock full of action and is bloodier than a slaughterhouse on a Monday morning, but that's all it is. I read somewhere that in Big Daddy Mars, Carpenter was creating one of his most memorable characters. Character? That's exactly what is missing. Daddy is cool-looking as the menacing, leather-clad and pierced leader, but all his does is kill from afar (he throws the deadly disks). Who was the human that once lived in his body? Who was he in ancient times? Why does he do what he does? Does he think with the human brain, or is he just a mindless, soulless murder machine? Perhaps if we knew some of these things, he would be an actualized, three-dimensional character. As it is, he's just another forgettable celluloid slasher. The acting was good and the action moves right along, but without an engaging story all you have is a ghost of a movie.