Ghosts of Mars is a thrilling, over-the-top, all-out action film from start to finish, directed by John Carpenter, with glimpses of his prior works like Assault on Precinct 13, The Thing, and Escapes From New York.
The year is 2176, and humans have successfully colonized Mars after terraforming it, giving it an earthlike atmosphere. A Martian police team is deployed to a mining colony to transport a violent criminal named John “Desolation” Williams (Ice Cube) to another location. The unit consists of commanding officer Helena Braddock (Pam Grier), Lt. Melanie Ballard (Natasha Henstridge), sergeant Jericho Butler (Jason Statham), and rookie officers Bashira Kincaid (Clea DuVall) and Michael Descanso (Liam Waite). When they arrive at the mining camp, they find it desolate, with no one in sight except for the captives in the jail cells, including John Williams and a scientist named Dr. Arlene Whitlock (Joanna Cassidy). The team eventually discovers that the opening of an ancient underground vault has released the “Ghosts of Mars” and has possessed all the mining workers. To combat these ghosts, Desolation and Ballard (along with her team) must join forces despite their differences.
The movie contains flashbacks and flashbacks within flashbacks. The opening scene begins with a train arriving at a station, with Ballard alone on the train, handcuffed and injured. The story is told from Ballard’s point of view using a flashback as she is hauled before a tribunal to testify about the failure of her mission to transport Desolation Williams. Then there are small flashbacks that function as subplots told from the perspective of other characters. For example, at the mining camp, Jericho notices a possessed woman and follows her, where he sees numerous severed heads put on a spike. He also encounters an army of possessed people ready to drive the human colonizers off their planet, where he meets three men who are also fighting the spirits and leads them to meet Ballard. Jericho recounts his entire journey to Ballard through a flashback. He could have easily told the story verbally, but I appreciated Carpenter’s decision to use a visual medium to provide viewers with an immersive experience.
Another noteworthy aspect of this film was the creation of the Martian spirit and its depiction using handheld cameras and point-of-view shots. These spirits float through the air, searching for a host in the form of a human body and transforming individuals into zombie-like monsters. And if the host dies, these spirits search for another living host to inhabit. There is a scene where Carpenter throws a curveball as a spirit enters the main protagonist, Ballard, leaving her with no chance of escape. But thanks to a clever set-up early in the film, she somehow manages to let the spirit out.
Carpenter also gives these characters just enough characterization, which we mostly understand from their actions in perilous situations. Ballard is a natural leader who thinks strategically anytime a crisis presents itself. Contrarily, Desolation doesn’t like to dwell on issues for too long. He carries a “Fuck it!” attitude, and his automatic response is to go all guns blazing without thinking of the consequences. Jericho is a cocky bastard who is very resourceful but thinks too highly of himself. He constantly flirts with Ballard, and even though she is not into him, he persists until she finally changes her mind.
The film’s action scenes, such as the one on the red streets of Mars or the one on a moving train with Ballard and Desolation fighting spirits, are well-executed, helped along by Carpenter’s thrash metal score, which amplifies the intensity of these scenes. Although I must admit that Carpenter employs way too many jump cuts, fades, and wipes, which I found perplexing. And, because this is a low-budget film, the CGI is not really that convincing, but fortunately, it does not detract from the film too much. The film does not take itself seriously, and I had a wonderful time watching it. If you are a fan of John Carpenter, Ghost of Mars is definitely worth checking out.
Ghosts of Mars movie link: IMDB
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