john carpenter's ghosts of mars ( 2001 ) 1/2 star out of 4 . starring ice cube , natasha henstridge , jason statham , pam grier , joanna cassidy and clea duvall . written by larry sulkis and john carpenter . music by john carpenter . directed by carpenter . rated r . the red planet runs redder in john carpenter's ghosts of mars . those who enjoy watching decapitations and body limbs being hacked off will go orgasmic over this cartoonish piece of unoriginality . this pulplike outing is sloppy and derivative , owing much to carpenter's first big hit , assault on precinct 13 . so many parts of this movie go haywire that finding a starting point is difficult . first , carpenter offers a crash course on martian colonization , explaining that the colonists established a matriarchal society . this is merely a setup so the audience won't be shocked when they see female cops bossing men around . big deal . then , there's the confusing story structure . the film is told in flashback by lt . ballard ( natasha henstridge ) , the sole survivor of a team set to a distant mining town to check on a disturbance and bring back and well-known criminal named james " desolation " williams ( ice cube ) , whose characterization is most reminiscent of carpenter's napoleon wilson from precinct 13 . cube's williams even cribs some dialogue that is similar to lines spoken by wilson in the earlier flick . it seems that every major character must be given his or her own flashback , explaining events we are watching as they do voice overs . it becomes most repetitious and boring . carpenter takes too long in building up the suspense , and the payoff is a big let down . the martian ghosts - really dustlike particles that take over humans - create an army of zombies who run around shouting and killing colonists . the army also is a rip-off of the anonymous gangbangers who were mowed down during precinct 13 . even what is supposed to pass for witty repartee between henstridge's ballard and ice cube's williams seems forced . the chemistry factor is zero . carpenter does add a couple of interesting touches . ballard and her mouthy subordinate , jericho ( jason statham ) sneak off into a store room where jericho suggests they have one last fling before facing the overwhelming odds against them . instead of acting insulted or slapping his face , ballard pauses , agrees with him and begins sucking face . before anything can happen , though , those rude martians begin attacking again . ghosts of mars is one of carpenter's weakest efforts yet , and he has helmed a bunch of howlers . and carpenter doesn't help with his obnoxious , pulsating and loud score that blares every suspenseful piece of business as if it was the most important bit of action in the movie . this is one of those watch movies . no , you're not watching the screen , but checking your time piece to try to determine when it will all end . ghosts of mars is a snoozer . only the explosions may interfere with your napping . bob bloom is the film critic at the journal and courier in lafayette , in . he can be reached by e-mail at <a href= " mailto : bloom@journal-courier . com " >bloom@journal-courier . com</a> or at <a href= " mailto : bobbloom@iquest . net . " >bobbloom@iquest . net . </a> other reviews by bloom can be found at www . jconline . com by clicking on golafayette . bloom's reviews also can be found on the web at the internet movie database : <a href= " http : //www . imdb . com/m/reviews_by ? bob + bloom " >http : //www . imdb . com/m/reviews_by ? bob + bloom</a> 
