John Carpenter's Ghosts of Mars

R

Released Aug 24, 2001

1 hr. 37 min.

Sci-Fi

Horror

Mystery & Thriller

TRAILER

for Ghosts of Mars: Trailer 1

List

23%

111 Reviews

Tomatometer

25%

25,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

Long inhabited by human settlers, the Red Planet has become the manifest destiny of an over-populated Earth. Nearly 640,000 people now live and work all over Mars, mining the planet for its abundant natural resources. But one of those mining operations has uncovered a deadly mother lode: a long-dormant Martian civilization whose warriors are systematically taking over the bodies of human intruders.

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Critics Consensus

John Carpenter's Ghosts of Mars is not one of Carpenter's better movies, filled as it is with bad dialogue, bad acting, confusing flashbacks, and scenes that are more campy than scary.

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Gaming U

This movie wants to be resident evil so badly but is just an awful movie.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

01/31/24

Full Review

Tracy K

Although the acting wasn't the best, I thought the concept of the story was fantastic! I would love to see one of the streaming services remake it into a series.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

11/13/23

Full Review

Valerii Ege D

Even though Ice Cube reduces the movie's seriousness, it's a pretty good popcorn horror. Carpenter always delivers. I guess it is time for the sequel, right? After all, it's a Resident Evil but on Mars.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

08/22/23

Full Review

David W

I am a huge fan of John Carpenter. His movies and music are essential to my enjoyment of cinema over the years. This, however, is simply terrible. Lousy special effects and almost wilfully bad acting by the majority of the cast utterly sink this derivative nonsense. It is also, sorry John, badly directed and that's a phrase I thought I'd never use in relation to the great man. A bad day at the office for all concerned.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

04/04/23

Full Review

Jimmy P

Ice Cube is wrong about this film. He said that this was the worst film he ever made. I responded with "What about "Are We There Yet?"" I got no answer which proved that I was right.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/20/23

Full Review

David W

This is not a well written / shot / acted movie, but it is a joy to watch. Repeatedly.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/13/23

Full Review

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John Carpenter

Director

Ice Cube

James "Desolation" Williams

Natasha Henstridge

Melanie Ballard

Jason Statham

Jericho Butler

Clea Duvall

Bashira Kincaid

Pam Grier

Helena Braddock

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John Carpenter's Ghosts of Mars: Official Clip - Let's Kick Some Ass

2:18

John Carpenter's Ghosts of Mars: Official Clip - Drugs vs Ghosts

2:53

John Carpenter's Ghosts of Mars: Official Clip - War Ready

2:16

John Carpenter's Ghosts of Mars: Official Clip - Battling the Possessed

3:13

John Carpenter's Ghosts of Mars: Official Clip - Party Time

2:54

John Carpenter's Ghosts of Mars: Official Clip - I Like You Already

1:30

John Carpenter's Ghosts of Mars: Official Clip - Catching the Train Outta Hell

2:57

John Carpenter's Ghosts of Mars: Official Clip - The Horrors Behind the Hill

2:29

John Carpenter's Ghosts of Mars: Official Clip - Desolation Takes On Big Daddy

3:16

John Carpenter's Ghosts of Mars: Official Clip - I Saved Your Life

3:02

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Ghosts of Mars: Trailer 1

2:01

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Nick Schager

Lessons of Darkness

A rather sturdy modernized mash-up of Assault on Precinct 13 and Escape from New York.

Rated: B-

Apr 14, 2011

Full Review

Empire Magazine

Rated: 2/5

Dec 30, 2006

Full Review

Neil Smith

BBC.com

Rated: 2/5

Nov 19, 2001

Full Review

Dennis Harvey

48 Hills

It’s hard to make a case for this pretty brainless perpetual-motion machine getting the critical reevaluation merited by some of the director’s other commercial failures...

Feb 2, 2024

Full Review

Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

A fun and underrated movie deserving of any Carpenter fan’s affection.

Rated: 3/4

Mar 9, 2023

Full Review

Eddie Harrison

film-authority.com

...the public didn't get it, but Ghosts of Mars has great action scenes, some cool tension, and funny dialogue...

Rated: 3/5

Oct 23, 2021

Full Review

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Synopsis

Long inhabited by human settlers, the Red Planet has become the manifest destiny of an over-populated Earth. Nearly 640,000 people now live and work all over Mars, mining the planet for its abundant natural resources. But one of those mining operations has uncovered a deadly mother lode: a long-dormant Martian civilization whose warriors are systematically taking over the bodies of human intruders.

Director: John Carpenter
Screenwriter: John Carpenter, Larry Sulkis
Distributor: Screen Gems
Production Co: Screen Gems, Storm King Productions
Rating: R (Some Drug Content|Language|Strong Gore|Strong Violence)
Genre: Sci-Fi, Horror, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 24, 2001, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 27, 2013
Box Office (Gross USA): $8.4M
Sound Mix: Dolby SR, DTS, Dolby Stereo, Surround, SDDS, Dolby A, Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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