Ghosts of Mars (2001)

Yawn. Poorly Filmed Snooze Fest.

As Good As It Gets

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

This is a dark and sometimes deeply uncomfortable drama

If this movie didn't give us enough looks at Natasha Henstridge, I would give it 1 star, but we do get to look at her so it gets 2.

Where to begin on this one: Natasha Henstridge's hair? Ice Cube's flabby belly (which is kept hidden) or short stature (which can't be)? Statham's deplorable acting? The explosions that keep coming out of nowhere and for no reason? The Leader of the pack of possessed miners who can only howl, "Roh-roh-rah," . . . and, everyone seems to understand him? The (apparent) use of stand-in's in a fight scene with no make-up or costuming? The appearance hundreds of possessed miners on cue, when needed, when maybe only fifty were possessed in the first place (and, had already killed all of the -- more numerous -- inhabitants of the outpost)?The fact that the whole film's premise revolves around Henstridge's character, in full uniform, getting de-briefed in meticulous detail by some committee of Officers about the events at the outpost, while we know that she clearly needs medical attention to a deep laceration in one of her legs.A dumb, stupid, and moronic film. Maybe, so bad, it's good???

Ghosts of Mars (2001): Dir: John Carpenter / Cast: Natasha Henstridge, Ice Cube, Jason Statham, Pam Grier, Clea DuVall: Natasha Henstridge plays an officer sent to Mars to transport a dangerous prisoner and she narrates the film because she was the only one to return alive. Bodies litter the prison and Ice Cube is blamed until it is discovered that ghostly beings inhabiting human bodies are responsible. We witness possessed bodies being inflicted with wounds. Eventually Cube and his crew show up and it appears that both forces will have to unite if they are to survive. This leads to a graphic climax where heads detach from torsos and blood splatters the screen. Horror films that are reduced to heavy amounts of gore prove that they lack faith in their delivery. John Carpenter use to make terrific films such as Halloween and Escape From New York. This isn't one of them. In fact, this looks like a variation between his own version of The Thing clashed with Dawn of the Dead. Other than Henstridge and Ice Cube the film features wasted appearances by Jason Statham, Clea DuVall and Pam Grier. They basically spend ninety minutes bickering followed by running and then fighting back where creatures are blasted to pieces and human characters are torn to bits. That is exactly what should be done with the film. The special effects have all the potential of a bag of puke. Score: 0 / 10

This movie, like all Carpenter movies, should be looked at a bit differently than others. Just like The Thing and Escape From New York, his movies had a very unique feel and look to them. You can easily tell a Carpenter movie from any other! When I rate this, I do it as compared to others that he has directed, created, wrote. It's NOT a classic like The Thing or Escape From New York but I still love it for what it is...a sci-fi action horror. Great characters, I love how the scenes are repeated from different points of view just like old detective stories were presented, and the concept was pure fun!!! Action, gratuitous blasting of murderous zombie-like antagonists, and cliché's galore! It's FUN, gang, not serious! A great movie at parties! I've seen it nearly 20 times and I still get a kick out of it! Carpenter rules!!!!!!!!