"I can't
see anything." "That's why they're called ghosts!"
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It's Mad
Max meets The Thing as John Carpenter remakes Rio
Bravo for the umpteenth time.
Nigel
Bell
Sticking your name in front of a movie title can mean one of two
things. You are either on the up or sliding down the directorial
ladder so that you have to try desperate measures to make people
remember you.
Sadly, John
Carpenter falls into the latter. While Ghosts of Mars isn't
that bad it doesn't really add anything to the Carpenter cannon,
indeed it really is a retread of former glories.
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| Let's go
hunting |
He's always
been a fan of the John Ford classic Rio Bravo and many of
his films have reflected that movies theme, most notably Assault
On Precinct 13.
The jist of
the tale is that the cops (or sheriff in the Western) find themselves
teaming up with a set of villains to overcome an even greater evil
force.
Ghosts of
Mars is set in 2176. Officers from the Mars police force, led
by Pam Grier, are sent to Shining Canyon, a mining town, to pick
up public enemy number one James "Desolation" Williams
(Ice Cube).
He's been accused
of mass murder and stealing money. The theft he doesn't deny. The
killings he does and it soon becomes apparent he's telling the truth.
It's giving
little of the plot away to say Pam Grier only last a couple of reels
before being beheaded by the "ghost" of the piece, a Martian
spirit which has possessed the miners in an attempt to oust all
humans from the planet and reclaim Mars.
Decapitation
is rife throughout the film and it has to be said Carpenter makes
it as shocking as you'd expect.
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| I'm mean
and I'm moody |
Grier's demise
means Lt Melanie Ballard (Henstridge) takes over. A bitter sweet
relationship develops between herself and Williams.
One by one our
intrepid heroes are cut down. You actually feel for the group because,
and praise to the director, the characters are allowed to develop
enough individual personality for themselves.
This is standard
shoot-em-up fair with all the Carpenter trade marks (including a
decent score fleshed out by the now inappropriately named Anthrax).
And it's nice to see that in the future our cops will all wear leather
hugging uniforms!
The biggest
let down is the ending. It's clearly a case of the budget running
out and the writers losing all inspiration.
It's a real
shame, especially after a Zulu-like "front rank fire, reload,
second rank fire" defensive shoot out.
All in all you
leave the cinema deflated after a moderate roller coaster of a ride.
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