Ep. 370 - The Year of Carpenter: Ghosts of Mars (2001)!

·1 hr 57 min·5 clips

Paul introduces John Carpenter's Ghosts of Mars with a barrage of sarcastic alternative titles like 'Assault on Mars 13' and 'John Carpenter of Mars'.

The episode begins with host Paul introducing guests Samuel and Nathaniel from the podcast 'At the Devil's Ball'. They are on the show to discuss John Carpenter's 2001 sci-fi horror film Ghosts of Mars. Paul opens with a series of humorous alternative titles he invented for the film. The guests briefly discuss their own podcast's approach, which focuses on finding constructive or positive elements in films, even bad ones like Rawhead Rex. A significant pre-review tangent involves Paul sharing an anecdote about visiting a new Cleveland store called The Geek Peak during its grand opening, describing the crowded atmosphere and odd items like a Garbage Pail Kids Rubik's Cube. The conversation then shifts to what the hosts have been watching, including recommendations for the Netflix documentary 'American Gladiators' and the series 'Heels'. Paul mentions screening 'Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One'. The main review of Ghosts of Mars starts with playing the film's trailer. The panel summarizes the plot: in 2176, a police officer (Natasha Henstridge) recounts a mission to transport prisoner Desolation Williams (Ice Cube) from a Martian mining outpost overrun by possessing Martian spirits. They discuss the film's production background, noting it had a $28 million budget and was shot on Zia Indian tribe land in New Mexico, with sets dyed red. Criticism focuses on the film's narrative structure, which uses confusing flashbacks within flashbacks. The casting is analyzed, with speculation that swapping Ice Cube and Jason Statham's roles might have worked better. They compare the film unfavorably to other works like Pitch Black and Stephen King's 'Desperation'. The discussion concludes that John Carpenter made several poor creative decisions, resulting in a disjointed and underwhelming film.

As heard by us

A Ghost of Mars rewatch opens into a sharp, generous argument about Carpenter, budgets, and low-budget charm.

John Carpenter's Ghost of Mars gets a lively rewatch as Paul joins Samuel and Nathaniel of At the Devil's Ball for a conversation that uses the film as a route into Carpenter's larger body of work.

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Why you'd press play

Want Ghosts of Mars with a side of John Carpenter career debate and low-budget second-guessing?

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