Ghosts of Mars is a decent John Carpenter outing, but it's clear that Carpenter has run out of ideas for something original in the horror genre. The best way to describe this film is as a guilty pleasure. As a whole, this is one of Carpenter's most disappointing efforts, still there's something amusing about watching
the film. The film is not perfect, but is mindless entertainment. Ghosts of Mars is B-movie fare, and is one of the weaker films by Carpenter. The idea of the films plot is interesting, and the film had far better potential than what it actually turned out. One thing is clear with Ghosts of Mars, John Carpenter is passed his prime, and with this film, he became one of the first horror directors of the genre to lose his touch. Dario Argento and George Romero would also follow in later years after this films release. Ghosts of Mars is a decent action horror flick with supernatural overtones. The cast could have been better and the script could have been clearly worked on a bit more to make this a better film. As a whole this is a decent action horror flick. The film could have been better. Obviously Ghosts of Mars isn't the strongest effort by Carpenter and is a low-budget affair. Entertaining, but heavily flawed, Ghosts of Mars is one of the weakest films by John Carpenter.I enjoyed the film, was entertaining, but compared to other classics that Carpenter has directed, Ghosts of Mars isn't memorable. The film is mindless fun, but it doesn't do anything great with its plot to really make the film a solid Sci Fi horror flick. Good for a rental.
January 19, 2012
Top Critic
