Ghosts of Mars (2001)
By: Craig Villinger.
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| Columbia Tristar (Australia). Region 4, PAL. 2.40:1 (16:9 enhanced). English DD 5.1, German DD 5.1. English, German, Hindi, Turkish Subtitles. 94 Minutes |
| The Movie |
| Cover Art |
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| Credits |
Director: John Carpenter
Starring: Ice Cube, Natasha Henstridge, Jason Statham, Clea Duvall, Pam Grier, Joanna Cassidy
Screenplay: Larry Sulkis, John Carpenter
Music: John Carpenter and Anthrax
Makeup FX: Robert Kurtzman, Greg Nicotero, Howard Berger
Tagline: You don't stand a ghost of a chance.
Country:
USA |
The year is 2025 and mankind is hard at work
making the atmosphere on the planet of Mars a
little more hospitable to the human lungs.
Unfortunately for us, we weren't the first to
arrive on the planet, and the original inhabitants
are none too impressed by our attempts to move
in and take over...
Lt Melanie Ballard (Henstridge) and her team of
futuristic law enforcement officers are sent to
the town of Chryse on a fairly routine mission
to pick up and deliver wanted criminal James "Desolation"
Williams (Cube), who is the chief suspect
in a recent extravaganza of murder, theft and
decapitation. Upon arrival however they
discover that the town is seemingly deserted and
that all of it's inhabitants (with the exception
of Williams and a few other cons who are still
safely behind bars) appear to have been bumped
off in rather nasty circumstances, which begs
the obvious question...what the hell happened
? Before too long we discover that a paranormal
type force has been released courtesy of the local
mining colony and has set about possessing its
inhabitants and turning them into crazed killers
who for some reason feel the urge to deck themselves
out in the manner of a black metal band, complete
with a Marilyn Manson style leader (who is referred
to as "Big Daddy Mars"). With
escape from the isolated town impossible for the
time being, Ballard and her group are forced to
form an uneasy alliance with Williams and his
cronies and take on the hostile welcoming committee
in an all out battle for supremacy.
While it is hardly what you would call an original
film, Ghosts of Mars is a fairly interesting
twist on the alien invasion story, as this time
around it is the human race who is the invader
attempting to take over another planet and being
met with resistance by the current inhabitants.
Director John Carpenter has always been a fan
of Western movies, and this film is essentially
a classic "Cowboys and Indians" tale
with a futuristic setting. All the ingredients
for a western movie are on display here, from
the secluded frontier town setting to the hostile
natives decked out in their own style of war paint,
complete with numerous homage's to some
of Carpenter's favourite directors such as Howard
Hawkes.
Natasha Henstridge is often put down because
of her allegedly wooden acting style, however
she was definitely a good casting choice for this
film, providing a good mix of both bravado and
vulnerability. Ice Cube also does a great
job with his role as the anti-hero (a trademark
of Carpenters films) while Jason Statham (Snatch, Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels) is
suitably entertaining as the comic relief.
Most of the other characters don't get to do all
that much, but manage to have their moments despite
the fact that they are essentially "cannon
fodder" for this type of film.
At the end of the day however, acting performances
are of little consequence, as it is full scale
carnage that most of us have come to see, and
Carpenter certainly can not be accused of failing
to delivers the goods in that particular department.
After about an hour or so of build up, the film
becomes a series of incredibly over the top action
sequences, with martial arts, gunplay, explosions,
limb separations, bodies flying though the air,
more explosions, chases, beheadings, close calls,
stabbings and just for good measure, a few extra
explosions, all performed to the accompaniment
of a soundtrack that will have you in headbangers
heaven. There may or may not have been some
serious flaws in this film, however Carpenter
keeps things moving along at such a rate that
they won't even be noticed by the non-discerning
viewer.
While Ghosts of Mars is a long way from
being one of John Carpenters best efforts, it
is certainly an entertaining ride. There
are some horror elements to the film, however
these take a back seat to the action, and it ultimately
has much more in common with the likes of Escape from New York and its subsequent
sequel than some of his earlier efforts like Halloween and The Thing. There
isn't much to complain about, and the high levels
of gore and mayhem should make genre fans more
than happy. |
| Video |
| Ghosts of Mars is presented
in the slightly wider than normal aspect ratio of
2.40:1 and is enhanced for 16x9 television sets.
The image quality is about as sharp as it can get,
with a crystal clear picture and absolutely no signs
of compression problems. Those who are incredibly
fussy might make note of the minor aliasing that
occurs from time to time, but apart from that this
is a top-notch transfer all the way! |
| Audio |
| The DVD contains both an English
Dolby Digital 5.1 track and a German DD 5.1 track.
The English language track is extremely impressive
and makes good use of the surround channels, particularly
during the films numerous action sequences with
the gunshots and explosions coming from all directions.
The heavy metal soundtrack (courtesy of John Carpenter
working with artists such as Anthrax and Steve Vai)
compliments the action well, and you may find yourself
overcome by the urge to jump from your chair and
start banging your head like a madman (I know I
was). Crank it up loud and share it with the neighbours! |
| Extra Features |
| The disc is not exactly crammed
with extra features, however there is enough here
to keep you entertained. First up is an audio
commentary track from director John Carpenter and
star Natasha Henstridge. The pair keep things
entertaining all the way through with some good
natured ribbing about each others talents and also
manage provide some interesting behind the scenes
facts along the way. Also on offer is Red
Desert Nights, a 17 minute video diary of on-set
footage which is at times a little dull to watch,
however is makes for a nice change to the usual
promo material that the studios seem so fond of
cramming onto our discs. Special Effects
Deconstruction is a look at the creation of
some of the films digital effects that runs for
a little over six minutes and there are also trailers
for Ghosts of Mars, The Forsaken, Urban Legends 2, and The Glass House,
as well as the usual cast and crew filmographies.
The pick of the bunch for me was Scoring Ghosts
of Mars, a collection of video footage from
the recording sessions for the films soundtrack
which features John Carpenter overseeing performances
from Anthrax, guitar legend Steve Vai and a rather
odd looking character who goes by the name of Buckethead.
My only gripe with this feature was that at a running
time of just over six minutes it simply wasn't long
enough. |
| The Verdict |
| Ghosts of Mars is fairly enjoyable movie
that will lend itself to repeated viewings, and
combined with the entertaining extra features and
great audio and video quality, this DVD is well
worth adding to your collection. Buy with
confidence! |
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