Watching it for the first time with 15 years' distance, it feels like it was made 15 years earlier than it was. And if it had been made in 1986, I bet a lot of people would love it.
Not quite as bad as its reputation, but underwhelming considering John Carpenter's excellent body of work. The story just wasn't good enough this time around and the actors are an odd mix who mostly look awkward (like Ice Cube) and/or miscast (like Pam Grier). The only thing I really liked was the early model shots of Mars for some refreshingly un-CGI-ish visual effects and a few spectacular deaths in some refreshingly un-PG-13-ish action sequences.
Jason Statham, Clea DuVall, Pam Grier, and Joanna Cassidy are all performers I'm interested in, but they're not very well used in John Carpenter's Ghosts of Mars, a movie that looks and feels like 90s direct-to-video, but was actually released in 2001. Even if it were from the 90s, I'd still have called it about 10 years out of date. It's a big shoot-em-up in a Martian mining town, with macho guys and gals fighting possessed Martians with a Mad Max meets Rob Zombie aesthetic. The effects are almost charmingly ropy. The nature of the threat would be interesting if the characters didn't keep making stupid decisions mandated by the script. And even so, I might have found my joy in lowered expectations (or if it leaned into the sense of fun the end moment has) if it weren't for the editing. Favoring distracting fades, with the occasional silly wipe, the story is told in flashback, then has the audacity to flashback within the flashback... And what's the point of a matriarchy if men are still going to be brazen harassers? Ugh.
This movie is meant to be over the top, for those complaining.. It is one of my biggest guilty pleasures. Not a dull moment in sight!
When i first watched it as a 15y/o i loved it, then i rewatched it 10 years later and i can see why people dislike it. The editing is emberassing and the soundtrack is really bad.. (The rocksoundtrack, not Carpenters’ electronical). Also, this is the first movie where i hate Statham.. such a creep
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badblokebob
Watching it for the first time with 15 years' distance, it feels like it was made 15 years earlier than it was. And if it had been made in 1986, I bet a lot of people would love it.nick121235
Guilty pleasure if there ever was one.Zeltaebar
Not quite as bad as its reputation, but underwhelming considering John Carpenter's excellent body of work. The story just wasn't good enough this time around and the actors are an odd mix who mostly look awkward (like Ice Cube) and/or miscast (like Pam Grier). The only thing I really liked was the early model shots of Mars for some refreshingly un-CGI-ish visual effects and a few spectacular deaths in some refreshingly un-PG-13-ish action sequences.Siskoid
Jason Statham, Clea DuVall, Pam Grier, and Joanna Cassidy are all performers I'm interested in, but they're not very well used in John Carpenter's Ghosts of Mars, a movie that looks and feels like 90s direct-to-video, but was actually released in 2001. Even if it were from the 90s, I'd still have called it about 10 years out of date. It's a big shoot-em-up in a Martian mining town, with macho guys and gals fighting possessed Martians with a Mad Max meets Rob Zombie aesthetic. The effects are almost charmingly ropy. The nature of the threat would be interesting if the characters didn't keep making stupid decisions mandated by the script. And even so, I might have found my joy in lowered expectations (or if it leaned into the sense of fun the end moment has) if it weren't for the editing. Favoring distracting fades, with the occasional silly wipe, the story is told in flashback, then has the audacity to flashback within the flashback... And what's the point of a matriarchy if men are still going to be brazen harassers? Ugh.Sk1337
This movie is meant to be over the top, for those complaining.. It is one of my biggest guilty pleasures. Not a dull moment in sight!When i first watched it as a 15y/o i loved it, then i rewatched it 10 years later and i can see why people dislike it. The editing is emberassing and the soundtrack is really bad.. (The rocksoundtrack, not Carpenters’ electronical). Also, this is the first movie where i hate Statham.. such a creep
JackOscar
Embarisingly bad. Can't believe how poorly made this movie is considering the cast and the budget. And don't even get me started on the narrative...