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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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19 %
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Reviews Counted:99

Fresh:19

Rotten:80

Average Rating:3.6/10

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.

Runtime: 1 hr 38 mins

Genre: Horror/Suspense

US 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

[See More Credits]

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Reviews for John Carpenter's Ghosts of Mars

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
Bubble View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 
Reviews
Tomatometer Critic Review Category
N/R

Urban Cinefile Critics

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Nov., 02 2001 08:08 AM

Urban Cinefile

N/R

Felix Vasquez Jr.

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Apr., 29 2009 03:16 AM

Cinema Crazed

splat
3/10

John J. Puccio

Mad Max Heads for the Angry Red Planet on a Pitch Black Night of the Living Dead.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Mar., 27 2009 11:03 AM

DVDTown.com

splat
2/5

Mark Halverson

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Aug., 07 2008 03:17 AM

Sacramento News & Review

splat
0/5

Rob Gonsalves

Ghosts of Mars is not Carpenter at his best. It may very well be Carpenter at rock bottom.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Feb., 14 2008 10:30 AM

eFilmCritic.com

splat
2/5

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Dec., 30 2006 08:37 AM

Empire Magazine

N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Feb., 09 2006 03:16 AM

Time Out

splat
1/10

John Venable

A turd wrapped up in a nice bow is still a turd.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Dec., 31 2005 03:17 PM

Supercala.com

splat
1/5

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Dec., 06 2005 07:37 PM

Film Threat

N/R

J. V. McAuley

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Feb., 25 2004 04:35 AM

Zap2it.com

splat
1.5/4

Jim Shelby

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | May., 20 2003 05:07 PM

Palo Alto Weekly

splat
2/5

Harry Guerin

More Mars lacks than Mars attacks and an outing for Carpenter die-hards only.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Mar., 04 2003 07:18 AM

RTE Interactive (Dublin, Ireland)

splat
1/5

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Dec., 08 2002 08:16 AM

Film Threat

splat
1/5

Matthew Turner

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Oct., 30 2002 08:14 AM

ViewLondon

splat
1/4

Jeffrey Westhoff

Original movies on the Sci-Fi Channel have better production values.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Jun., 20 2002 02:46 PM

Northwest Herald (Crystal Lake, IL)

N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Jun., 19 2002 08:10 AM

Atlanta Journal-Constitution

splat
1.5/4

Blake French

a complete and utter disaster

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | May., 12 2002 03:23 PM

NutzWorld

splat
2.5/5

Michael W. Phillips, Jr.

The monsters were just not scary.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | May., 05 2002 08:08 AM

Goatdog's Movies

N/R

Rich Cline

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Mar., 14 2002 08:08 AM

Shadows on the Wall

N/R

James O'Ehley

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Feb., 21 2002 08:08 AM

Sci-Fi Movie Page

 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
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all

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...

See All

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