Ghosts of Mars
I haven't watched every John Carpenter film, but this is easily the worst I've seen so far. This was horrible on many levels, and unfortunately, John Carpenter was at fault for this. He claimed that the movie was meant to be a mindless, tongue-in-cheek action film in the same vein as Commando, Predator, and Rambo 2, 80s action romps. It seemed like he wanted to replicate what he did for Vampires, as that was similarly designed as an action romp. Whereas that movie failed because of James Woods as the lead and a very stupid screenplay, Ghosts of Mars fails because of a stupid screenplay (that he co-wrote), a very sleepy cast, a cheapness that was damaging instead of charming, and the most baffling editing I've seen in a long time. From what I read, Carpenter was pretty checked out during and after production, insisting on night-only shoots because he hated getting up in the morning. Refusing to be a more intensive director, which would've led to more committed performances from the cast. Lead actress Natasha Henstridge claimed that Carpenter would refuse to direct her harder in one scene because he wanted to go watch a basketball game on TV. The guy didn't have the passion, and it had a trickle-down effect.
He also approved of the problematic editing choices, opting for a flashback-driven form of storytelling rather than being linear. The problem is that the movie would stop numerous times with flashback sequences. They would be flashbacks for shit that happened while a character was off camera. It messed with the film's pacing, leading to a very start-stop flow. So many damn screen wipes. It was the full-fledged debut for the editor, and it really feels like that. It was as if the guy got access to a free pack of transitions and went crazy with Carpenter letting it fly simply because it wasn't traditional. It seemed like the only thing Carpenter was passionate about was music. The soundtrack is one of the best things about the movie. The big contributor to the score is Anthrax! Their music did a lot to make the action sequences tolerable.
The CGI is dated, even for 2001. Ice Cube actually said it best that the movie looked like it was from 1979! Star Wars had been out by then, and that had much better VFX than Ghosts of Mars. Because of the cheap budget, the sets looked small and raggedy, and the makeup and costume design were sadly limited. KNB FX worked on the movie. They're amazing FX artists, but they didn't get much of a chance to shine in this turkey.
I did laugh a few times from the bad acting and ridiculous moments. The movie has a "so bad it's good" quality, but for the most part, it's a sad failure from a brilliant filmmaker. I initially thought Ice Cube was the best in the cast, or rather, the least shitty, but I now think Jason Statham is more worthy of that distinction. His character's a shameless sleazeball, but at least he had a bit of a personality. At least he spoke in his native tongue, unlike The One, who struggled to do an American accent. Natasha Henstridge as the hero of the film was a strange choice. I respect the effort in the action sequences. She does a pretty damn good throat chop in one scene. But overall, she was miscast, her "assets" were not properly used in the film, apart from a quick shot toward the end. Pam Grier was wasted. Clea Duvall was a complete waste of space! Holy fuck, absolutely no emotion from her. It was appalling because I've seen Clea Duvall do so well in other films, such as But I'm a Cheerleader. But she delivers nothing here. It was as if she didn't want to be in the movie. Even though most of the cast is sleepy, there is some effort here and there from them. Clea Duvall gave zero effort. No, she gave a negative amount of effort.
I think I would like the movie more in a watch party scenario. This movie is meant to be enjoyed with other people as you roast it. That said, I'm not in any rush to watch this again.
4/10
] @RustInPeace , as I watched:
