The film "Ghosts of Mars": actors and history of creation

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

Released in 2001, the American sci-fi film "Ghosts of Mars" almost ruined the career of the legendary Hollywood director, screenwriter and composer John Carpenter. The picture was a box office failure and received negative reviews from most reputable film critics. Even the fact that some of the actors of the film "Ghosts of Mars" have the status of Hollywood stars did not save them from low ratings and losses. According to the unanimous opinion of viewers and critics, director John Carpenter, who became famous in the past with the cult action movie "Escape from New York", faced a severe creative crisis and lost the ability to make quality films.

Storyline

The film takes place in the second half of the 22nd century. The human race managed to colonize Mars by artificially changing the atmosphere of this planet, as well as its temperature and climatic conditions. Settlers can be on the surface without space suits. Martian society is based on a matriarchy: all important government posts are held by women.

One of the main characters is Police Lieutenant Melanie Ballard. She is assigned to deliver an arrested criminal, nicknamed Desolation (Desolation), from a small mining town. Upon reaching a remote settlement, Ballard and members of the police team discover that all the locals have disappeared. It is later revealed that they have found an underground portal built by an ancient Martian civilization. Disembodied spirits escaped from it, which inhabited the bodies of the inhabitants of the mining town. Possessed by ghosts, people kill each other, as well as commit acts of destruction and self-mutilation. The police enter into battle with them, but the forces are unequal. After the death of the commander, Lieutenant Ballard is forced to take over the leadership of the squad.

Actors and roles

The film "Ghosts of Mars" boasts the participation of a number of celebrities. A particularly dangerous criminal was played by rapper Ice Cube. Initially, it was assumed that the image of the prisoner will be embodied on the screen by Jason Statham, but the producers rejected his candidacy. In those years, he was not very well known to the audience, and the creators of the picture decided to invite such a star as Ice Cube to this role. Statham played a less visible character - police officer Jericho Butler, who dies heroically in a battle with ghosts.

Finding a candidate for the lead female role was accompanied by numerous difficulties. Courtney Love agreed to play Lieutenant Ballard, but was unable to do so due to a leg injury. Famke Janssen and Franka Potenterejected the proposal of the creators of the film "Ghosts of Mars". Actors often avoided working with John Carpenter, whose reputation had already been damaged by a series of failed films. Ultimately, the main character was the Canadian model Natasha Henstridge.

In the film "Ghosts of Mars" actors and supporting roles sometimes make a more vivid impression than the main characters. Many viewers noted the convincing performance of Jason Statham. The role of the commander of the police squad Helena Braddock was played by Pam Grier, a famous African-American actress and veteran of the film industry.

Shooting

Difficulties in the process of making the film were connected not only with the selection of actors. "Ghosts of Mars" was originally conceived as a continuation of the cult story about the adventures of the one-eyed war hero Serpent Plissken, who became a criminal. The most famous film of this series is "Escape from New York", filmed by Carpenter in 1981. However, subsequent returns to the screen of Plissken the Serpent did not bring much commercial success, and not a single film studio agreed to finance the next sequel. Carpenter was forced to rewrite the script for Ghosts of Mars. The actors on the set worked at the limit of their physical abilities. Production on the film had to be h alted for a week as Natasha Henstridge fell ill from overwork.

Critic reviews

According to film experts, the poor quality of visual effects,excessive theatricality and a weak script were the main reasons for the failure of the film "Ghosts of Mars". The actors who played the roles of the main characters also gave very skeptical reviews about the quality of the picture. Ice Cube said that the film disappointed him, and he agreed to take part in the project only out of personal respect for Carpenter.

Interesting facts

Shooting the Martian landscape took place in a gypsum mine. With the help of a huge amount of food coloring, a white mineral was given a red color.

Most of the action takes place in the dark, despite the fact that on Mars the cycle of day and night is almost identical in duration to Earth.

After the failure of the film at the box office, John Carpenter announced that he was leaving the film industry forever. However, in 2010, he returned to directing and directed the psychological thriller The Chamber.