Search - Ghosts of Mars (Special Edition) on DVD

David M. from WALKERTON, IN
Reviewed on 7/21/2012...

I found this somewhat enjoyable. It has a neat idea even if the effects are a bit lacking.

A friend of mine who is a real Stephen King nut told me this was intended to follow the book Desperation, whereby an evil entity is released from a mine and possesses individuals one at a time. When the host dies, the entity travels to another.

Apparently upon screening the film, Mr. king did not give it his blessing. So with a finished film on the shelf it was released, with no mention of or ties to Stephen King whatsoever.

Keeping this in mind as the idea behind the film, and the fact that the King books are extremely difficult to compress into a movie, I believe it was done well.

The King books are great and incredibly detailed and in my opinion very tough to make into a movie.

If you are up to it you might also read the book Desperation, which might help explain where they were trying to go with this film.

1 of 2 member(s) found this review helpful.

Chad B. (abrnt1) from CABERY, IL
Reviewed on 4/2/2010...

Very flawed film. It is entertaining, but there r numerous problems throughout it.

1 of 3 member(s) found this review helpful.

Jessica S. (thequeen13) from WASECA, MN
Reviewed on 8/1/2009...

LOVE IT! Thats simply all I can say, love it, love it, love it, love it, love it. Bloody and gorey and I just dig it. I found the cast witty and wonderfully sarcastic and I love them too.

1 of 5 member(s) found this review helpful.

Eric J. (stunner) from KALAMAZOO, MI
Reviewed on 1/3/2009...

I don't tend to knock on movies.. But it was VERY hard for me to finish watching this movie. Poor visual effects, Poor story line... just was not the movie for me. and I love jason statham and like ice cube, but the casting couldn't fix this movie. The ending made me scared that there may be a second one.

5 of 9 member(s) found this review helpful.

Horrible

mike | 08/21/2001

(1 out of 5 stars)

"I won tickets to see this movie a week early and saw it Monday. I can't tell you how disappointed I was. They tell you never look a gift horse in the mouth, but give me a break! This has to be one of the lamest movies I have ever seen. There is no logic to any of the story, the acting is subpar, the effects include a lot of fake-watery blood and some fake heads. If by writing this review I can stop at least one person from giving this movie even one cent, then I'll feel better. Do NOT see this movie."

Action, Violence, Comedy make Ghosts one of Carpenters Best!

08/28/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Before I start I cannot stress enough the importance of not listening to "professional" critics about any films of the horror genre, and especially Carpenter`s films. He is my all-time favorite director so of course I went and saw this film against the consent of the "critics", 3 times already. This film has it all, the sexy Natasha Henstridge, the regular Carpenter patented anti-hero Ice Cube, and a very funny and cool Jason Stratham. This film has tons of over the top gore, moreso than Vampires. Big Daddy Mars is the coolest bad guy ever in a film with his huge body, mangled face, and sharpened teeth. The action scenes are incredibly fast-paced gunfights with lots of blood, guts and explosions and to accompany these over-the-top battles is a great heavy-metal score composed by John Carpenter and Anthrax to add more energy to the already explosive scene. The zombie-like ghosts look incredibly cool with all types of decorative nails and metallic pieces pushed into their faces and bodies. the makeup is absolutely incredible for what it is. Also there is no cheesy drawn out "noooooo" deaths in the film when the characters get rubbed out, the other characters move on. And the ending is great being somewhat downbeat but positive at the same time. The acting is far better than reviewed by the likes of terrible newspapers as USA Today. Carpenter made an action/sci-fi/horror movie for people to enjoy, he wasn`t trying to win an oscar. Possibly being his last film as he has planned to retire, I say this is a film of his, right up there with Big Trouble in Little China and the Thing. Being one of his best films by my standards, a horror/scifi lover I say screw the critics and see this one if you want a fun time, and are a action/horror film lover. Good Job Carpenter!"

Easily the best movie of the summer.

mike | belvidere, il. | 08/30/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This has been the worst summer movie season in recent history. Both Pearl Harbor and Planet of the Apes were nothing short of horrible. Rush Hour 2 and American Pie 2 were 2 of the unfunniest comedies I've ever seen. The only bright spots had been Shrek and The Mummy Returns. But now summer has been saved thanks to The Master Of Terror, John Carpenter. Not only is this the best movie of the summer, but it is Carpenter's best in some time. Gone are the glossy and empty traits of today's movies. No heavy handed CGI effects. No "up-and-coming" Dawson's Creek-style teen actors. No useless winks to the audience to show how "clever" the filmmakers are. This is old fashioned movie making, and thank GOD! The cinematography is absolutely incredible. The music is pulse-pounding. (Yes, I bought the soundtrack already). The acting is low-key but great all around. And the action is in your face, and it never stops. No John Woo-ish or Matrix-style slow motion (which I despise). The action comes at you full throttle and puts you right in the middle of it all. John Carpenter has been my favorite director for over 20 years now. He has NEVER let me down. This time he delivers the goods in spades. I won't go into details about the plot. You've seen the previews. Ignore what "critics" have said. Don't think that just because a movie makes a ridiculous amount of money that it deserves to be seen. If you want to have a fun time at the movies, see JOHN CARPENTER'S GHOSTS OF MARS. Accept no substitutes."