Ghosts of Mars

Reviewed by: Joe Blenkle

Rating:

Cast: Ice Cube, Natasha Henstridge, Jason Statham, Pam Grier, Clea Duvall, Joanna Cassidy

Studio: Screen Gems

Producer: Sandy King

Director: John Carpenter

Screenplay: Larry Sulkis & John Carpenter

MPAA Rating: R

Release Date: Aug. 24, 2001

Running Time: 98 Minutes

	James "Desolation" Williams (Ice Cube), Jericho (Jason Statham) and Bashira (Clea Duvall) battle evil Martian ghosts in John Carpenter's Ghosts of Mars.

    I went into the theater with the intention of not liking Ghosts of Mars. But it didn't take long for me to get absorbed in this science fiction "western" from John Carpenter.
    Western? Well, yes, it plays out like one. There's a murder in a frontier town. The sheriff goes to pick up the suspect. And all wind up in a life and death struggle to get out of town. The only difference is that this takes place on Mars.
    Natasha Henstridge plays Lt. Melanie Ballard, one of several officers from the Mars Police Force sent to a Martian frontier mining colony called Shining Canyon, to collect a suspected murderer named James "Desolation" Williams (Ice Cube).
    When the officers arrive in the town, however, they find it deserted, later discovering most of the population has been killed. But what they eventually uncover is a terror like they have never before experienced. Ghosts of an ancient Martian warrior race have been unleashed and take over the bodies of humans - determined to drive the invaders from their planet.
    The primative warriors kill humans by cutting off their heads and mutilating their bodies - hence the R Rating. But this movie will hold you in suspense throughout and the general carnage will remind you of some of the "Doom"-like video games that were so popular a few years back.
    You can't help liking Ice Cube in his role of "Desolation" Williams right from the start, and Cube and Henstridge make an unlikely team who join to try to stop the Martian threat.
    Yeah, well I said going in that I was determined not to like the movie. OK, I was partially wrong. But the ending is a little bit hokey (probably to leave room for a sequel). But overall, science fiction fans will love this one. Despite the carnage, it isn't too overly bloody and unwinds like a good mystery that will keep you in suspense until the final few minutes. Return to The Movie Corner