Ghosts of Carpenter
Random Thoughts of a Fading Fan

Carpenter coaches Ice Cube

The past decade has been hit or miss for John Carpenter, with the majority, unfortunately, being miss. After hitting his stride in the 80s, Carpenter opened the 90s with the hack job known as Memoirs of an Invisible Man. That film signaled a difficult time for Carpenter fans (especially given his weak follow-up film, Village of the Damned). This is not to say that the 90s have been devoid of high points: In the Mouth of Madness was a wonderful return to form, and Escape from L.A. was a playful riff on the earlier film Escape from New York. But the glory days of the 80s seemed to be gone. Yet, I, being an avid fan of the man and his work, have remained steadfast in his defense, hoping with each new release that Carpenter would make at least one more great film.

His latest effort, Ghosts of Mars, is not it.

The film opens promisingly, a darkened train appearing from out of the Martian mist and traveling across the countryside. Inside, a lone police officer is handcuffed to a bed with no other person on board. This setup is intriguing, though the extended flashback structure is inherently problematic. The details are inconsequential (though those familiar with the earlier, and much better, film will recognize the echo from Assault on Precinct 13), especially given that the plot is largely comprised of loosely assembled conventions and the characters are little more than shallow stereotypes.

Natasha Henstridge is completely flat as the pill-popping police officer who ends up in charge, while Guy Ritchie alum Jason Statham spends much of the film looking like he'd rather be somewhere else. Even Pam Grier adds little with her brief appearances early in the film. The only actor with any presence is Ice Cube, but he can't do much against the stifling limitations of the script.

The events unfold in a convoluted series of flashbacks that, at times, make Memento's inverted narrative look comparatively straightforward. But whereas Memento actually had a grounding for its intricate structure, Ghosts of Mars doesn't, or at least not one that Carpenter chooses to make us aware of.

In fact, much of Ghosts of Mars plays like a long in-joke that we're not a part of. Plot points come and go seemingly at random, characters die according to an obvious logic that robs the film of any potential for suspense, and particular elements are labored to the point of tedium. The result is less a Carpenter film than an imitation of one, a film with all of the right elements but without the director's usual focus and vision. Hopefully, he'll return to form soon, as I would hate for Ghosts of Mars to be his swan song.

There is certainly much more to criticize about Ghosts of Mars, but the point seems almost moot. As of this writing, the movie has already died at the box office, with its video release date having been announced the Monday after the film opened in theaters. The DVD is supposed to contain a Carpenter commentary. I, for one, am dying to hear what he has to say.

©2001 Ed Owens
CineScene