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Movies / On DVD / John Carpenter's Ghosts of Mars
John Carpenter's Ghosts of Mars

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John Carpenter's Ghosts of Mars (2001)

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Reviews Counted: 99

Fresh: 19

Rotten:80

Average Rating: 3.6/10

Consensus: John Carpenter's Ghosts of Mars is not one of Carpenter's better movies, filled as it is with bad dialogue, bad acting, confusing flashbacks, and scenes that are more campy than scary.

Rated: R [See Full Rating] for strong violence/gore, language and some drug content

Runtime: 1 hr 38 mins

Genre: Horror/Suspense

Theatrical Release:Aug 24, 2001 Wide

Box Office: $7,307,616

Synopsis: In the year 2176, Earth has colonized Mars, and all positions of power are held by women. Police Lieutenant Ballard (Natasha Henstridge) is assigned to take a crew via train from the metropolis of... In the year 2176, Earth has colonized Mars, and all positions of power are held by women. Police Lieutenant Ballard (Natasha Henstridge) is assigned to take a crew via train from the metropolis of Chryste to the deserted mining town of Shining Station to capture an extremely dangerous convict, Desolation Williams (Ice Cube). When Ballard and her crew arrive at Shining Station, an eerily deserted town, they find not only Williams, but also scientist Dr. Whitlock (Joanna Cassidy), who has secluded herself in the colony for safety. She tells Ballard and her crew that a mining project released a mysterious cloud from beneath the planet's surface. It is possessing the colonists, causing them to hunt down and kill off any non-possessed beings. Ballard and her crew decide that they must destroy the possessed beings for the good of the planet, a job which is more difficult than anyone predicts. John Carpenter's 17th theatrical feature combines action, horror, and sci-fi with thematic elements from earlier works (most notably ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13 and THE THING). Rough around the edges with lots of energy and a sense of fun, GHOSTS OF MARS is a spirited genre cocktail. [More]

Starring: Natasha Henstridge, Ice Cube, Jason Statham, Pam Grier

Starring: Natasha Henstridge, Ice Cube, Jason Statham, Pam Grier, Clea DuVall, Joanna Cassidy

Director: John Carpenter

Director: John Carpenter
Screenwriter: Larry Sulkis
Producer: Sandy King
Studio: Screen Gems

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Release:

Mar 31, 2009

[DVD Details]
 
 
  • From John Carpenter, the master of horror behind 1998's hit John Carpenter's Vampires and classics like The Thing and Halloween, comes a sci-fi thriller full of explosive action and bone-chilling suspense. Natasha Henstridge (Species) is Melanie Ballard, a headstrong police lieutenant on Mars in the year 2025. Humans have been colonizing and mining on the red planet for some time, but when Ballard and her squad are sent to a remote region to apprehend the dangerous criminal James "Desolation" Williams, played by Ice Cube (Three Kings), they discover that he's the least of their worries. The mining operations have unleashed a deadly army of Martian spirits who take over the bodies of humans and won't stop until they destroy all invaders of their planet. With a stellar cast including Pam Grier (Jackie Brown), Jason Statham (Snatch) and Clea Duvall (The Faculty), as well as explosive special effects, John Carpenter's GHOSTS OF MARS is an intergalactic terror fest like you've never seen.
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    Reviews for John Carpenter's Ghosts of Mars

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    1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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    N/R

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: Cinema Crazed | comment Comment
    04/29/09
    Felix Vasquez Jr.
    Cinema Crazed

    Mad Max Heads for the Angry Red Planet on a Pitch Black Night of the Living Dead.

    Full Review Source: DVDTown.com | comment Comment
    03/27/09
    John J. Puccio
    DVDTown.com

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: Sacramento News & Review | comment Comment
    08/07/08
    Mark Halverson
    Sacramento News & Review

    Ghosts of Mars is not Carpenter at his best. It may very well be Carpenter at rock bottom.

    Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | comment Comment
    02/14/08
    Rob Gonsalves
    eFilmCritic.com

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
    12/30/06
    Empire Magazine
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic
    N/R

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
    02/09/06
    Time Out
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    A turd wrapped up in a nice bow is still a turd.

    Full Review Source: Supercala.com | comment Comment
    12/31/05
    John Venable
    Supercala.com

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
    12/06/05
    Film Threat
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic
    N/R

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: Zap2it.com | comment Comment
    02/25/04
    J. V. McAuley
    Zap2it.com

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: Palo Alto Weekly | comment Comment
    05/20/03
    Jim Shelby
    Palo Alto Weekly

    More Mars lacks than Mars attacks and an outing for Carpenter die-hards only.

    Full Review Source: RTE Interactive (Dublin, Ireland) | comment Comment
    03/04/03
    Harry Guerin
    RTE Interactive (Dublin, Ireland)

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
    12/08/02
    Film Threat
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: ViewLondon | comment Comment
    10/30/02
    Matthew Turner
    ViewLondon

    Original movies on the Sci-Fi Channel have better production values.

    Full Review Source: Northwest Herald (Crystal Lake, IL) | comment Comment
    06/20/02
    Jeffrey Westhoff
    Northwest Herald (Crystal Lake, IL)
    N/R

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution | comment Comment
    06/19/02
    Atlanta Journal-Constitution
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    a complete and utter disaster

    Full Review Source: NutzWorld | comment Comment
    05/12/02
    Blake French
    NutzWorld

    The monsters were just not scary.

    Full Review Source: Goatdog's Movies | comment Comment
    05/05/02
    Michael W. Phillips, Jr.
    Goatdog's Movies
    N/R

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: Shadows on the Wall | comment Comment
    03/14/02
    Rich Cline
    Shadows on the Wall
    N/R

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: Sci-Fi Movie Page | comment Comment
    02/21/02
    James O'Ehley
    Sci-Fi Movie Page

    You'll wish you were on Mars and not on Earth suffering through this movie.

    Full Review Source: 3BlackChicks Review | comment Comment
    02/04/02
    Kamal 'The Diva' Larsuel
    3BlackChicks Review
     
     
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    Latest News for John Carpenter's Ghosts of Mars

    January 17, 2007: Disney Signs On with "John Carter of Mars"
    Not too long ago Jon Favreau was this close to directing "John Carter of Mars" for Paramount Pictures, but the studio let their option on the property lapse -- and we... More...

    May 13, 2005: John Carpenter to Return to Directing with "Apostle"
    Yahoo! brings some news that should please the horror fans out there. Seems that legendary scare-master John Carpenter ("Halloween") will be returning to the... More...

    June 06, 2001: Clea DuVall, Pam Grier, and Joanna Cassidy have joined the cast. Opens in new window
    More...

    June 06, 2001: And about how the fighting in his film eschews those trendy Matrix moves. 'There wasn't a lot of flying around at the Alamo,' says Carpenter. Opens in new window
    More...

    See More Topics...

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