I avoided 'Ghosts of Mars' for years based on all the bad reviews. As soon as I finally committed to watching it, I immediately fell in love.
There are movies like 'Godzilla: Final Wars' or 'Jason X' that throw in all the most outrageous concepts imaginable and say "why the hell not?" There are movies like 'Escape from L.A.' that are like watching well-regarded, established classics through a funhouse mirror. For however ridiculous they may be, the one thing these all have in common is a knowing wink to the audience, a subtle nod that says "Yup. This is what we're doing."
'Ghosts of Mars' isn't much different. A hard-charging rock score (featuring the likes of Steve Vai and Buckethead), gratuitous explosions, cartoonish injuries & deaths, blockheaded dialogue, numerous flashbacks that do more to disrupt the flow of the film than advance the plot. All the hallmarks of a cheesy, over-the-top Hollywood action blockbuster.
Like 'Final Wars,' 'Jason X,' or 'Escape from L.A.,' it's all done very deliberately. Unlike these films, there's no knowing wink, no subtle nod. Just a deadpan stare. And it's absolutely delicious.
I can understand horror fans generally, or Carpenter fans specifically, being taken aback by such a dramatic shift. Even coming from a filmmaker who has given us such less-than-serious classics like 'Big trouble in Little China' or 'They live,' 'Ghosts of Mars' has a vastly different tone. But for all the backlash and bad press, what's ultimately clear is how surprisingly little people understand John Carpenter.
After this movie was received so poorly, Carpenter is on record as saying that it's intentionally over-the-top, a spoof, and people didn't get it. This is either an earnest defense of a misunderstood film, or a desperate defense of a bad one. Personally, I'm unclear how anyone can watch 'Ghosts of Mars' and not see it for what it is.
If you watch this movie expecting genuinely frightful horror, you're going to be disappointed. If you watch it looking for Carpenter's signature emphasis on atmosphere and building suspense, you're going to be disappointed. But if you watch 'Ghosts of Mars' with an open mind, ready to accept whatever may be coming your way, prepare to be pleasantly surprised.
It's not for everyone. But then, not everyone is in on the joke.
There are movies like 'Godzilla: Final Wars' or 'Jason X' that throw in all the most outrageous concepts imaginable and say "why the hell not?" There are movies like 'Escape from L.A.' that are like watching well-regarded, established classics through a funhouse mirror. For however ridiculous they may be, the one thing these all have in common is a knowing wink to the audience, a subtle nod that says "Yup. This is what we're doing."
'Ghosts of Mars' isn't much different. A hard-charging rock score (featuring the likes of Steve Vai and Buckethead), gratuitous explosions, cartoonish injuries & deaths, blockheaded dialogue, numerous flashbacks that do more to disrupt the flow of the film than advance the plot. All the hallmarks of a cheesy, over-the-top Hollywood action blockbuster.
Like 'Final Wars,' 'Jason X,' or 'Escape from L.A.,' it's all done very deliberately. Unlike these films, there's no knowing wink, no subtle nod. Just a deadpan stare. And it's absolutely delicious.
I can understand horror fans generally, or Carpenter fans specifically, being taken aback by such a dramatic shift. Even coming from a filmmaker who has given us such less-than-serious classics like 'Big trouble in Little China' or 'They live,' 'Ghosts of Mars' has a vastly different tone. But for all the backlash and bad press, what's ultimately clear is how surprisingly little people understand John Carpenter.
After this movie was received so poorly, Carpenter is on record as saying that it's intentionally over-the-top, a spoof, and people didn't get it. This is either an earnest defense of a misunderstood film, or a desperate defense of a bad one. Personally, I'm unclear how anyone can watch 'Ghosts of Mars' and not see it for what it is.
If you watch this movie expecting genuinely frightful horror, you're going to be disappointed. If you watch it looking for Carpenter's signature emphasis on atmosphere and building suspense, you're going to be disappointed. But if you watch 'Ghosts of Mars' with an open mind, ready to accept whatever may be coming your way, prepare to be pleasantly surprised.
It's not for everyone. But then, not everyone is in on the joke.