Ghosts of Mars (2001)

User Rating:

4.7/10   

Director:

John Carpenter

Writers (WGA):

Larry Sulkis (written by) &
John Carpenter (written by)

Release Date:

24 August 2001 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Horror | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

You Don't Stand A Ghost Of A Chance

Plot:

A story of human colonists on Mars who must be rescued after becoming possessed by vengeful Martian ghosts.

Plot Keywords:

Martian | Mars | Ghost | Mining | Future

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Natasha Henstridge	...	Lt. Melanie Ballard
Ice Cube	...	James 'Desolation' Williams
Jason Statham	...	Sgt. Jericho Butler
Clea DuVall	...	Bashira Kincaid
Pam Grier	...	Commander Helena Braddock
Joanna Cassidy	...	Dr. Arlene Whitlock
Richard Cetrone	...	Big Daddy Mars
Rosemary Forsyth	...	Inquisitor
Liam Waite	...	Michael Descanso
Duane Davis	...	Uno
Lobo Sebastian	...	Dos
Rodney A. Grant	...	Tres
Peter Jason	...	Engineer McSimms
Wanda De Jesus	...	Akooshay
Doug McGrath	...	Benchley

Also Known As:

John Carpenter's Ghosts of Mars (USA) (complete title)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong violence/gore, language and some drug content.

Runtime:

98 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (FotoKem)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

USA:R (certificate #38248) | Malaysia:18PL | Singapore:NC-16 | South Korea:18 | Netherlands:16 | India:A (cinema release) | New Zealand:R16 | Australia:MA | Brazil:16 | Canada:18A | Finland:K-18 | France:-12 | Germany:18 | Norway:15 | Portugal:M/16 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:15

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Screen Gems

Trivia:

For the film's soundtrack, director and composer John Carpenter called upon various rock musicans to help enhance his own score. They include members of Anthrax, Steve Vai, Guns N' Roses' guitarists Buckethead and Robin Finck and Elliot Easton (formerly of The Cars).

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Ballard breaks free from Williams' grip, the knife at her throat can clearly be seen to bend with her neck rather than slice a gaping wound in it.

Quotes:

Jericho Butler: Eutopia, the ass end of the universe. A penal camp for thieving cutthroats.
Melanie Ballard: Sounds nasty. But you seem to be holding up pretty well.
Jericho Butler: Yeah, well, I have many hidden talents.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "HBO First Look: Ghosts of Mars (#8.11)" (2001)

you're all missing the point

Carpenter's films tend to age like fine wine. When they're released, they're lamblasted by critics and fans. Ten years later, they're classics; for instance, "The Thing", "Big Trouble in Little China", "They Live", "Prince of Darkness" -- and "Ghost of Mars" is no exception. This is a tremendously entertaining film that shouldn't be viewed as a horror film, but rather, as a tongue-in-cheek western, in the vain of the Spaghetti Westerns. You all have to pull your heads out and watch this film again...in about nine years. I'll bet you'll say, "You know what, that was a hell of a lot of fun." In the meantime, get off Carpenter's ass.