Ghosts of Mars (also known as John Carpenter's Ghosts of Mars) is a 2001 movie directed by John Carpenter, which in its basic themes is similar to his earlier Assault on Precinct 13.
| John Carpenter's Ghosts of Mars | |
|---|---|
| File:Ghostsofmars01.jpg | |
| Directed by | John Carpenter |
| Written by | John Carpenter Larry Sulkis |
| Produced by | Sandy King |
| Starring | Ice Cube Natasha Henstridge Jason Statham Pam Grier Clea DuVall Joanna Cassidy |
| Music by | John Carpenter |
| Distributed by | Storm King Screen Gems |
Release dates | August 24, 2001 (Theater) December 4 2001 (DVD) |
Running time | 98 min. |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $28,000,000 |
Plot
The movie is set in the mid 22nd century. The planet Mars has been terraformed, allowing Humans to walk on the surface without having to wear pressure suits. The story concerns a police officer, Melanie Ballard (Natasha Henstridge) who is leading a small team to pick up and transport a prisoner named Desolation Williams (Ice Cube). Arriving at the remote mining town where Williams is being held, Ballard finds virtually all of the people missing. On investigating she discovers that the miners found an underground doorway which had been created by an ancient Martian civilization. When the door was opened it released "ghosts", disembodied spirits who possessed the miners.
Violence ensues, as the now possessed miners commit acts of death and destruction, as well as self-mutilation.
Ballard must fight off the attacking miners, escape the town, and if possible destroy the ghosts. Unfortunately all these tasks are complicated by the fact that killing a possessed human merely releases the Martian spirit, which immediately possesses another human. Eventually they decide to blow up a nuclear reactor, which kills the human hosts. All of Ballard's team are killed by the miners, leaving only her and Desolation. Not wanting the authorities to blame the massacre on him, he handcuffs Ballard to her bed and escapes the train, leaving her to return home. While she reccuperates at a hospital, the miners attack the city. Desolation returns with a pair of nickle plated uzis and they team up to fight off the alien zombies, setting the film up for an unlikly sequel.
Production Notes
- Although Mars has a day/night cycle almost identical in length to Earth's, most of the movie is set at night. The only moment in which we see Mars during the daytime is in a flashback through the character of the scientist, when she talks about how she found and opened a "Pandora's Box" that let the alien spirits out.
- Much of the movie was filmed in a gypsum mine in New Mexico. The pure white gypsum had to be dyed with thousands of gallons of biodegradable red food dye to recreate the appearance of the Martian landscape.
Trivia
- Originally Courtney Cox was set to play Ballard but after her foot was run over accidently by her husband she was replaced by Natasha Henstridge.
- On a similar note, Jason Statham was originally set to play Desolation Williams. This film also contains Statham's first on screen kiss.
External links
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