Rating: Summary: Couldve been a lot more Review: I like the story on paper and I certainly thought Henstridge did a great job in her role but the rest of Ghost of Mars just doesnt measure up. We learn nothing of the 'ghosts', who they are, what they can do, or why they do what they do. We find out they can transport from one body to another but only when the first body dies. Why not be able to do it regardless? And why choose someone who is locked up versus someone who isnt? (people who have seen it will understand what I mean?) And why didnt the people there realize this? They kept killing the 'martians' when they should have realized it would only come back to haunt them. And as for the fighting, I can only say that the fighting on Buffy the Vampire Slayer towers above this stuff. It is just not very good. The special effects arent very good either. So, I liked the idea and Henstridge was great, but as for the rest, it becomes another case of 'what if'..rather than 'what was'. Too bad. I do give an extra star for the commentary by Carpenter and Henstridge. It is very interesting.
Rating: Summary: Weak Review: This is a very poor movie I expected more from Carpenter
Rating: Summary: Carpenter should retire Review: You know how films like Titanic win Best Picture? The studios send films like this to the voters, then let them follow that up with anything they want rewarded. Any Ernest film could win Best Picture after watching this film. Don't fool yourselves into thinking that anything Carpenter-esque is in this film. Did he really direct this? Were all the actors in this movie that hard-up for cash? I love THE THING, I even enjoyed VAMPIRES, which was an average film at best. This film is so bad, it's not even cult-bad. It's not even the type of bad where you'll watch it every time it's on TBS like 70's Burt Reynold films. Ed Wood couldn't make a film worse than this one.
Rating: Summary: THE THINGS HIDDEN IN THE FOGGY VILLAGE Review: For most of today viewers, John Carpenter is no more than a name responsible for three or four successful B action-horror thrillers of the 70's and the beginning of the 80's. His last movies weren't blockbusters and have been appreciated only by a few faithful fans. We are not so many to have enjoyed VAMPIRES, a western set in New Mexico with ghouls as main characters, or even ESCAPE FROM L.A., more a satirical opus about today intolerant society than a pure action movie. I'm sure that John Carpenter will have its place in Movie History along with other thinking action movies directors such as Howard Hawks or John Woo.Carpenter's last movie, GHOSTS OF MARS, has been violently rejected when theatrically released. Strange when one thinks that Carpenter has not lost his technical skill nor his sense of rythm. It's true that the themes found in the movie have already been treated in precedent Carpenter movies. So what! Everybody knows that a good author writes the same book his whole life long and the last Hitchcock movies are not very different from those he directed in the beginning of the thirties in England. So we find in GHOSTS OF MARS the hidden enemy already seen in VILLAGE OF THE DAMNED or THE THING, an enemy who surrounders a little group of people trying to escape from a locked place, a situation found in almost all Carpenter movies. The only way to survive in a Carpenter film is to become an outlaw such as Snake Plissken in both ESCAPE movies because the system is often the enemy or, worse, doesn't help the Carpenterian hero in his tragic situation. These themes are, in my opinion, very interesting and justify their various reappearances in the director's filmography. The DVD offers the always entertaining commentary of John Carpenter, this time with Natasha Hendridge, french subtitles, a video of the recording of GHOSTS OF MARS's musical score and a very interesting featurette about the shooting of the movie at night in the New Mexican desert. A DVD zone your library.
Rating: Summary: a Near Miss and a few Misses. Review: This would have been such a much better film in the hands of another director. If you can watch it with a FFWD button under your thumb you got a good shot at seeing a few nifty items that have been left in from the original script. Take away all the typical john carpenter crapola and what you can find is a matriarchal militaristic social system, a few good plot twists and a few women who can belivable kick butt.
Rating: Summary: Watchable Sci-Fi Review: The soundtrack rules, the score ruled, the fighting in the movie ruled, the only drawback was the thin plot, and weak ending, but Sci-Fi's are usually like that. Overall the movie is worth getting. It breaks the monotony of all other horror/sci-fi movies that have been released lately. If you like heavymetal music, and kickass possessed humans killing people...this is your movie!
Rating: Summary: Carpenter's Back Again! Review: Like Michael Myers, just when you think John Carpenter's dead, he comes right back with another celluloid shell-shocker! I didn't like this one as much as Vampires, but it was still a pretty fun cheese-ball movie. Nothing quite in the vain of The Thing or Halloween, but still a fun entertainment piece with cool music and lots of action and decapitations. The setting and mood of the movie are also very well-done.
Rating: Summary: As bad as this movie is... Review: At least there is an ending. Who keeps funding these shoddy attempts? Kinda makes me want to give this movie making biz a try. Anyone can make a better movie than this. The villian in this movie is never fleshed out, all he does is look at the camera and scream out... bad. There is no context for why they feel so theatened nor is there anyway to believe this race existed at all, they are just too hostile to ever exist. The (heros) main characters aren't any better. There is a point in the movie where they actually get away from the threat of an onslaught of demonic ghosts and there are about 6 heros left to hundreds of ghost beings. So, do they proceed and then come back with reenforcements? No. They comeback with the same paultry few that got whipped to begin with. Ridiculous. If you liked the Phantom Menace you may like this, however both are highly NOT reccommended.
Rating: Summary: An entertaining Sci-Fi/ Action-Thriller. Review: When a Headstrong Police Lieutenant arrive alone in a train, her name is Melaine Ballard (Natasha Henstridge), when she tells her superiors about Herself and Her Team of Offices (Jason Statham, Clea Duvall, Pam Grier, Robert Carradine, Liam Waite & Peter Jason) arrived in a Train to pick up an dangerous thief (Ice Cube) in the Red Planet-Mars, which almost becomes Earth. When they arrived, the colony mining company becomes isolated with a few survivors. When a deadly army, when the martain, which they are Ghosts, they take over the Dead Working Colonist and using them as a soldier of killers. Now Melaine and the others survirors have to fight them to live. DVD`s has an sharp anamorphic Widescreen (2.40:1) transfer. Pan & Scan also alivable. Strong Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound. An fun running commentary track by Director:John Carpenter (Halloween, The Thing) and Actress:Henstridge (Species). Extras like Behind the Scenes featurette, behind the scenes-making the score of the film, Storyboards and Final look of the film, being close to the Storyboards. This is a Campy film from Carpenter but not his campest film. This is a Fun, Entertaining, Hard-Core Actioner. Written by John Carpenter and Larry Sulkis. Panavision. Grade:A-.
Rating: Summary: Oh come on this movie rocks Review: This movie is great, loaded with alot of sci-fi action and great thrills. Ice Cube even does a damn good job as well as Nastasha Henstridge. John Carpenter may be an old man but he still knows how to direct and in my opinion this is his best film since the thing. It has splendid acting and excellent special effects. Also I think it has an excellent story, and Jason Stratham was in it, who is an awesome actor except I think he should've been involved in the movie more then he was. And what is the deal the music was outstanding and it fit the film perfectly,I mean im not a huge fan of Anthrax but they are an ok metal band. The movie has loads of great action, science fiction and even humor. Its just a great ol entertaining joyride and is the best sci-fi action flick of 2001 and one of the best ever, a true fun classic enjoy.
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