Ghosts of Mars (2001)

On our latest episode, it's finally time to take a look at John
Carpenter's post-millennial moviemaking career, beginning with
his 2001 effort Ghosts of Mars. This
sci-fi/action/horror romp marks Carpenter's last foray into
directing (relatively) big-budget studio movies to date, and
while the film didn't set the world on fire critically or
commercially, it did receive a memorable thumbs-up review from
Roger Ebert. The film stars Ice Cube and Natasha Henstridge
alongside a stacked cast of B-movie favorites -- from Pam Grier
to Carpenter regular Peter Jason -- and it puts a high-concept
sci-fi spin on a lot of familiar Carpenter ideas: outlaw
antiheroes, western movie tropes, Alamo-esque siege situations,
and more! At first glance, Ghosts of Mars
looks a lot like classic Carpenter -- but, is the final product
an unheralded late-career masterpiece, a misfire of epic
proportions, a hyper-violent Scooby Doo episode set in space, or
something else entirely? Chris and Nick attempt to tackle those
questions, and many, many others that this film leaves
unanswered, in a discussion that, love the film or hate it, we at
least hope gives it its due!