This might be the seventh time I've watched this movie, and it's become a loopable guilty pleasure of mine. With the end credits rolling, I'll go back to the beginning and watch Ghost of Mars all over again. There's something about it, the wide aspect ratio, the cinematography, the dissolves, or the understated soundtrack and pacing. I just can't get enough of this movie.
For starters, I'd be remiss not to mention the scene where Dos (played by Lobo Sebastian) being the chivalrous gentleman offers to help Akooshay with her can. "Hey, babe, let me do that for you," carefully applying his machete to the top of the can, proceeding to take a massive hit of Laffer before chopping his own thumb off and proudly presenting his bloody hand to Akooshay. That one scene is indicative of a filmmaker with an "I don't give a f-" attitude who has tapped the true spirit of renegade filmmaking. There's no apparent reason for having this scene in the movie, yet, for me, it automatically catapults Ghost of Mars into the canon of greatness. It's arguably the greatest scene in cinematic history and gets a laugh out of me every time I watch it.
Jason Statham, charismatic and charming as he is, does not steal the show and serves wonderfully as a disposable side character. I don't know why, but for some reason that really adds to the film. Just enough Statham to garnish the dish without being overpowering and obnoxious. He could have ruined the movie as lead character.
Another great scene features Natasha Henstridge tripping out on CLEAR, revealing the memories of an alien race. Masterfully done. I remember the first time watching that scene I was like, wow, that's pretty cool.
Gunfights and action sequences might have detracted from the movie, but upon closer inspection they're well done without being overwhelming. Oftentimes the noise of a gunfight or car chase makes me want to turn off a movie altogether. Overindulgence in gunfire is a headache waste of time, but you'll notice the guns here sound more like muffled firecrackers, pop, pop, amidst distorted metal guitar riffs, which manages to weave the tolerable action sequences into a greater whole.
When characters are beheaded by airborne saw it's like getting a power-up mushroom in Super Mario Bros. Campiness boosts up exponentially when major characters are offed by beheading or dismemberment resulting in a standing ovation from the crowd.
Seeing Natasha Henstridge in her prime is like watching a shooting star that will never pass again. Her recent films of the Hallmark channel fare are simply not the same. She's perfect in this movie, and the rest of the cast has great chemistry. Serious, yet serving the claustrophobia of a tightly knit squad moving from one bunker to the next, encountering one gruesome mess after another. The whole production is a rare treat that appears to have commanded a high budget with great set pieces and top notch acting.
The flashback within a flashback (within a flashback) is genius, concocted by John Carpenter the true creative mastermind. Where else can you see that much embedded storytelling? Also, the fact that Whitlock tells two conflicting stories leads me to believe her flashback with the balloon never really happened. Not sure, have to rewatch the film to confirm, but that aspect is mighty clever.
Anytime the Martian leader babbles his incomprehensible toddler speak, "Blaa-bah, daah, daah, daaaah," I get a hit of endorphins to the brain, pleasantly reminded that I'm watching my favorite John Carpenter movie, Ghost of Mars. "Blaa-bah, daah, daah, daaaah! Rawr-aaaaaah!"
Finally, the last scene with the chrome-plated guns tossed to each other "ready for war" style never fails to elicit the same reaction from me. "I want two more hours of this, I don't want it to end," and I'm comforted by the fact that others feel the same.
Your comrade in the foxhole,
Jimboduck.
For starters, I'd be remiss not to mention the scene where Dos (played by Lobo Sebastian) being the chivalrous gentleman offers to help Akooshay with her can. "Hey, babe, let me do that for you," carefully applying his machete to the top of the can, proceeding to take a massive hit of Laffer before chopping his own thumb off and proudly presenting his bloody hand to Akooshay. That one scene is indicative of a filmmaker with an "I don't give a f-" attitude who has tapped the true spirit of renegade filmmaking. There's no apparent reason for having this scene in the movie, yet, for me, it automatically catapults Ghost of Mars into the canon of greatness. It's arguably the greatest scene in cinematic history and gets a laugh out of me every time I watch it.
Jason Statham, charismatic and charming as he is, does not steal the show and serves wonderfully as a disposable side character. I don't know why, but for some reason that really adds to the film. Just enough Statham to garnish the dish without being overpowering and obnoxious. He could have ruined the movie as lead character.
Another great scene features Natasha Henstridge tripping out on CLEAR, revealing the memories of an alien race. Masterfully done. I remember the first time watching that scene I was like, wow, that's pretty cool.
Gunfights and action sequences might have detracted from the movie, but upon closer inspection they're well done without being overwhelming. Oftentimes the noise of a gunfight or car chase makes me want to turn off a movie altogether. Overindulgence in gunfire is a headache waste of time, but you'll notice the guns here sound more like muffled firecrackers, pop, pop, amidst distorted metal guitar riffs, which manages to weave the tolerable action sequences into a greater whole.
When characters are beheaded by airborne saw it's like getting a power-up mushroom in Super Mario Bros. Campiness boosts up exponentially when major characters are offed by beheading or dismemberment resulting in a standing ovation from the crowd.
Seeing Natasha Henstridge in her prime is like watching a shooting star that will never pass again. Her recent films of the Hallmark channel fare are simply not the same. She's perfect in this movie, and the rest of the cast has great chemistry. Serious, yet serving the claustrophobia of a tightly knit squad moving from one bunker to the next, encountering one gruesome mess after another. The whole production is a rare treat that appears to have commanded a high budget with great set pieces and top notch acting.
The flashback within a flashback (within a flashback) is genius, concocted by John Carpenter the true creative mastermind. Where else can you see that much embedded storytelling? Also, the fact that Whitlock tells two conflicting stories leads me to believe her flashback with the balloon never really happened. Not sure, have to rewatch the film to confirm, but that aspect is mighty clever.
Anytime the Martian leader babbles his incomprehensible toddler speak, "Blaa-bah, daah, daah, daaaah," I get a hit of endorphins to the brain, pleasantly reminded that I'm watching my favorite John Carpenter movie, Ghost of Mars. "Blaa-bah, daah, daah, daaaah! Rawr-aaaaaah!"
Finally, the last scene with the chrome-plated guns tossed to each other "ready for war" style never fails to elicit the same reaction from me. "I want two more hours of this, I don't want it to end," and I'm comforted by the fact that others feel the same.
Your comrade in the foxhole,
Jimboduck.
