Being a fan of John Carpenter it was mentioned , when i gave my review of " They Live" , that i should see his movie Ghosts of Mars. I'm not sure if this was a recommendation or a suggestion just so that i could see that Carpenter is capable of make bad movies as well as good ones. I can only think it was the latter.
Ghosts of Mars is a tale of rescue and escape from a colonized Mars 175 years into the future. Mars, 2176 AD. Long inhabited by human settlers, it has become the dark and dangerous manifest destiny of an over-populated Earth. 640,000 people now live and work at far-flung outposts all over Mars, mining the planet for its abundant natural resources. But one of those mining operations has uncovered a deadly mother lode: a long-dormant Martian civilisation whose warriors, now unleashed and apparently unstoppable, are systematically taking over the bodies of human intruders, bent on ridding the planet of the invaders from Earth.
Every good director must have a piece of work that they are not too proud of. I don't know if John Carpenter is happy with the final outcome of this film but I'm pretty sure most of his fans aren't. Carpenter describes Ghost of Mars as a Western set in space - If only it this was a good as he makes it sound. The thing that i like about John Carpenters movies is that they are not perfect. They nearly always have a raw look . You could almost describe them as having and amateurish look , and that isn't a criticism.
This is different though , GOM is a mess of a movie that looks and feels rushed . The story is good in theory but in practice is badly told. There are important characters that just disappear from the story without explanation and plot holes bigger than a Moon Crater.
Another problem i have , is with Rappers who think they can act. Most people who know me will know i dislike rap music . I would go as far as to say it's not even a form of music but that's a debate for another day . There is one things that irritates me more than rap and that is rappers who go into acting. I cannot think of one rap artist who has made an impression on me in a film apart from Will Smith ( does he count as a rapper?) . Ice Cube is no exception . He scowls his way through this film and look completely out of place. It might have helped if he tried not to play the role like he was a gangster rapper . who knows? perhaps we will be sending the future equivalent of 50 Cent to Mars in years to come......Not a bad idea!
Natasha Henstridge does a pretty good job as does Jason Statham but the rest of the cast are pretty forgettable.
For the gore fans out there this film will not disappoint . There are plenty of blood splatter and severed limbs but it's still not enough to make this film anything other than John Carpenters worst film i have seen to date.
4 out of 10
Ghosts of Mars is a tale of rescue and escape from a colonized Mars 175 years into the future. Mars, 2176 AD. Long inhabited by human settlers, it has become the dark and dangerous manifest destiny of an over-populated Earth. 640,000 people now live and work at far-flung outposts all over Mars, mining the planet for its abundant natural resources. But one of those mining operations has uncovered a deadly mother lode: a long-dormant Martian civilisation whose warriors, now unleashed and apparently unstoppable, are systematically taking over the bodies of human intruders, bent on ridding the planet of the invaders from Earth.
Every good director must have a piece of work that they are not too proud of. I don't know if John Carpenter is happy with the final outcome of this film but I'm pretty sure most of his fans aren't. Carpenter describes Ghost of Mars as a Western set in space - If only it this was a good as he makes it sound. The thing that i like about John Carpenters movies is that they are not perfect. They nearly always have a raw look . You could almost describe them as having and amateurish look , and that isn't a criticism.
This is different though , GOM is a mess of a movie that looks and feels rushed . The story is good in theory but in practice is badly told. There are important characters that just disappear from the story without explanation and plot holes bigger than a Moon Crater.
Another problem i have , is with Rappers who think they can act. Most people who know me will know i dislike rap music . I would go as far as to say it's not even a form of music but that's a debate for another day . There is one things that irritates me more than rap and that is rappers who go into acting. I cannot think of one rap artist who has made an impression on me in a film apart from Will Smith ( does he count as a rapper?) . Ice Cube is no exception . He scowls his way through this film and look completely out of place. It might have helped if he tried not to play the role like he was a gangster rapper . who knows? perhaps we will be sending the future equivalent of 50 Cent to Mars in years to come......Not a bad idea!
Natasha Henstridge does a pretty good job as does Jason Statham but the rest of the cast are pretty forgettable.
For the gore fans out there this film will not disappoint . There are plenty of blood splatter and severed limbs but it's still not enough to make this film anything other than John Carpenters worst film i have seen to date.
4 out of 10