Ghosts of Mars (2001)

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:

Uniform | Martian | Policewoman Killing | Martial Arts | Cult Director

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

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Singapore:NC-16 | USA:R (certificate #38248) | Malaysia:18PL | South Korea:18 | 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:

Much of the location shooting was done on a gypsum mine near Albuquerque, New Mexico. The gypsum, which is almost pure white, was sprayed with a biodegradable red food dye to give the appearance of a Martian landscape.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: During a shot out the front of the police station, a crew member is visible loitering in the shadows while the leader of the Ghosts yodels in the center of the street.

Quotes:

James Williams: That's the second time I've saved your life.
Melanie Ballard: Yeah, run a tab.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in 'Ghosts of Mars': Special Effects Deconstruction (2001) (V)

If you want to know something about John Carpenter go and watch Ghosts Of Mars

First of all, i have to say that John Carpenter is a brilliant, flawless director because his every shot, every scene, narrative style is perfect, whatever he wants it's on screen. I know, then why his movies are flops at the theatrical release? - 'cause there's a problem with us(people) to understand his films that are really old-fashioned aiming rather at the people in the 60's-70's and that's the only Carpenter's flaw as a director, his bad timing(maybe born out of time). But when his movies at its core are good it's only a matter of time to be fancied. I think we should start appreciate such a director who's devoted to an old genuine film-making and not to these days where everything has to be big, right in your face. I love his subtle style especially in future classic as Ghosts Of Mars. This film is very essential: it represents every directorial aspect what John Carpenter uses in other films(hardy women equal to men, defiance against authority etc..), but it's not just a hotch-potch of his early works it has its own low-key style and Forbidden Planet-like feel, it combines genres Sci-fi, Horror, Western, Action, Comedy, it has a message(perhaps Carpenter's biggest at all) that beautifully reflects us. I know it is a B-Movie, it has a silly dialogue, silly situations but that's exactly what Carpenter wanted and he takes all these elements to encapsulate into its own form and never let it slip out, it never tries to be serious, it never tries to be something what it's not, there's nothing what doesn't fit in (that's what i can't say about for example Kill Bill), something what should these young filmmakers learn from. i've been watching Carpenter films since the early 80's and still like them all so i'm deadly serious when i'm rating Ghosts Of Mars as a masterpiece and one of his best that will certainly stand the test of time especially for its form and uniqueness.

Somewhere i read a review where one guy as if justifying himself likes this movie only because he's a Carpenter fan but on the top of that i have to tell you that's what it's all about, only his fan can recognize his masterful touches, that he's a true author and that's why he has more cult films(which most of them were then supposed to be a failure) than any other director.