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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:22

Fresh:4

Rotten:18

Average Rating:3.4/10

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

    Written, directed, and edited with the offhand shoddiness of a day worker thinking about his evening beer.

    Full Review Source: Village Voice | comment Comment
    08/28/01
    Michael Atkinson
    Michael Atkinson
    Village Voice
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    Someday we're all going to look back on this one and l-a-a-a-augh.

    Full Review Source: Mr. Showbiz | comment Comment
    08/27/01
    Cody Clark
    Cody Clark
    Mr. Showbiz
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    The acting is so pallid that you're never sure the cast members quite get the jokes.

    Full Review Source: Entertainment Weekly | comment Comment
    08/27/01
    Bruce Fretts
    Bruce Fretts
    Entertainment Weekly
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    Schlocky, sluggish shoot-'em-up.

    Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
    08/24/01
    Rita Kempley
    Rita Kempley
    Washington Post
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    A tired and dispiriting affair that takes forever to get going.

    Full Review Source: San Francisco Chronicle | comment Comment
    08/24/01
    Bob Graham
    Bob Graham
    San Francisco Chronicle
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    I guess John Carpenter the careless purveyor of slime and hokum is the only John Carpenter we've got, and that's better than none at all.

    Full Review Source: Salon.com | comment Comment
    08/24/01
    Andrew O'Hehir
    Andrew O'Hehir
    Salon.com
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    The one intriguing thing about John Carpenter's Ghosts of Mars is how such a dreadful screenplay could have made it onto celluloid.

    Full Review Source: New York Post | comment Comment
    08/24/01
    Jonathan Foreman
    Jonathan Foreman
    New York Post
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    Arguably the horror/sci-fi director's most routine movie.

    Full Review Source: Los Angeles Times | comment Comment
    08/24/01
    Kevin Thomas
    Kevin Thomas
    Los Angeles Times
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    Occasionally veering into that so-bad-it's-good category ... mostly Ghosts of Mars is just so bad.

    Full Review Source: Globe and Mail | comment Comment
    08/24/01
    Liam Lacey
    Liam Lacey
    Globe and Mail
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    All basic stuff, and yet Carpenter brings pacing and style to it, and Natasha Henstridge provides a cool-headed center.

    Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | comment 1 Comment
    08/24/01
    Roger Ebert
    Roger Ebert
    Chicago Sun-Times
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    Slides instantly into the realm of the forgettable.

    comment Comment
    08/24/01
    Jay Carr
    Jay Carr
    Boston Globe
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    The 'acting' by lead stars Ice Cube, Natasha Henstridge, Jason Statham and Pam Grier is more wooden than a Pinocchio puppet show.

    Full Review Source: Toronto Star | comment Comment
    08/24/01
    Peter Howell
    Peter Howell
    Toronto Star
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    A less than functional retelling of Mr. Carpenter's B-picture classic Assault on Precinct 13 with a bit of his film The Fog.

    Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
    08/23/01
    Elvis Mitchell
    Elvis Mitchell
    New York Times
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    Ghosts of Mars, hah. More like Turkey of Mars.

    Full Review Source: Houston Chronicle | comment Comment
    08/23/01
    Louis B. Parks
    Louis B. Parks
    Houston Chronicle
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    Falls into a classic Carpenter quagmire, unable to follow through on many of its intriguing ideas.

    Full Review Source: Detroit Free Press | comment Comment
    08/23/01
    John Monaghan
    John Monaghan
    Detroit Free Press
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    Henstridge ... has neither the heft nor the acting chops to carry the film.

    Full Review Source: Philadelphia Inquirer | comment Comment
    08/23/01
    Steven Rea
    Steven Rea
    Philadelphia Inquirer
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    It's distressingly amateurish and hackneyed to the point of absurdity.

    Full Review Source: Dallas Morning News | comment Comment
    08/23/01
    Gary Dowell
    Gary Dowell
    Dallas Morning News
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic
    N/R

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: Ebert & Roeper | comment Comment
    08/23/01
    Ebert & Roeper
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    Listen up, you hard-core sci-fi addicts. We're going for a ride -- and I do mean ride.

    Full Review Source: San Jose Mercury News | comment Comment
    08/23/01
    Glenn Lovell
    Glenn Lovell
    San Jose Mercury News
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic
     
     
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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...

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