John Carpenter's
Ghosts of Mars

A band of unlikely allies discovers that there's life on Mars—and it doesn't want to share

	John Carpenter's Ghosts of Mars
	Starring Ice Cube, Natasha Henstridge, Jason Statham and Pam Grier
	Written by Larry Sulkis and John Carpenter
	Directed by John Carpenter
	Screen Gems
	Rated R
	Opens August 24

By Cindy White

t's the year 2176, and the planet Mars has become a new frontier for the denizens of an overpopulated Earth. When a nearly empty transport train arrives in the city of Chryse, an inquiry begins into the fate of a squad of police officers sent to a mining settlement. The train's single, battle-worn passenger is Lt. Melanie Ballard (Henstridge) of the Mars police force. Ballard tells the story of what she and her fellow officers encountered in the course of a routine assignment to transfer a notorious criminal by the name of James "Desolation" Williams (Ice Cube).
Ballard's tale is told in flashbacks, beginning just before the squad's arrival in the eerily deserted town of Shining Canyon. The only signs of life are the few assorted prisoners in the town's jail, including Williams. Upon further investigation, they find the remains of some of the inhabitants, their decapitated bodies hung from the ceiling. Ballard believes that Williams is responsible for the massacre, though he insists he had nothing to do with it and has been behind bars the entire time.

When the survivors are attacked by the real evildoers—a hoard of citizens transformed into bloodthirsty savages by a bizarre evil force—all hell breaks loose. This formerly dormant force has been unwittingly awakened by an archaeological team and is rapidly spreading across the planet. It possesses human beings, causing them to participate in a cult of mutilation, carving their skin and chopping off the heads of their enemies.

In a desperate fight for survival, an uneasy alliance is formed between the police officers and the outlaws. Together, they must fight to escape Shining Canyon and the barbaric creatures intent on annihilating all human life on the Red Planet.

On Mars, both air and plot are thin

This space western from accomplished director John Carpenter is a far cry from his earlier cult classics, such as Halloween, The Thing and Escape from New York. The difference is not simply a matter of the obvious elements, such as setting and premise, but in the overall quality of storytelling. Moviegoers expecting a solid and intriguing plot along with the action and gore will undoubtedly be disappointed.

The problem is not necessarily in the concept, but in the execution. The origins and mechanics of the mysterious Martian force that is possessing the human inhabitants is never fully explained. Certain plot twists late in the film make little sense and typify the flawed logic seen in so many horror films. (Note to the characters: if you barely manage to escape the homicidal maniacs, don't turn around and go back.)

The one redeeming factor is the strength of the two main actors and the relationship between their characters—Henstridge's strong Ballard and Ice Cube's cool Williams. Seemingly polar opposites on the surface, they have an interesting dynamic when they come together to fight a common enemy. Less interesting is the libidinous Lt. Jericho (Statham), whose character's sole purpose seems to be making non-stop passes at Ballard—a strikingly bold behavior in what is supposedly a matriarchal society. Action veteran Pam Grier is vastly underutilized as the tough police captain in charge of the mission.

As a whole, Ghosts of Mars is just not up to the standards of a well-established genre director such as Carpenter. Only the most die-hard action and horror fans looking for some good fights with a little blood and mutilation thrown in are likely to come away from this movie feeling satisfied.