must read before pay real money john carpenter be once a really good filmmaker and well at least a good director . just think of the 1982 classic the thing and which be simply excellent . he do not write that movie and but the cinematography be very good . unfortunately he do write john carpenter vampires a few year back and and it suck . it suck bad . he also write ghost of mar ( refer to a gom from now on ) and which suck even more . i be a fan of horror and sci fi and monster movie and drama . this movie be none of the above and but it try to be a horror movie against a sci fi setting . it quite tragic because all it become be a lame monster movie on mar . or wait . this movie be actually just a western in space . with monster . so whats bad about it . well and lot of thing . to begin with the movie be set in the year 2176 or something . about 170 year from now . one of the first thing one notice be the fashion of 2176. remember star trek the original series with kirk . everything look like a space up represent 1970s and right . same here and but late 90 . what about technology then . embaressing . almost nothing have improve . many thing be ridiculous to be set 170 year from now . sure and it the early colonisation of mar and tech isn not really high in the colony . but some of the thing you will see be just silly . what about gun . there be alot of gun in the movie and see how it a western and all . well for starter how do berettas and spa 12 sound . no . don not have a place in 2176. that right and they would not have a role at all and they will be 200 year old antiquity . there also an automatic rifle and which i have forget the name of . i think it a fn model and about 10 year old . what be it do there . oh well and in the absolute end sequence a pair ofsmgs appear that be unidentifiable and a theyre tailor make for the movie ( finally ) . but i must say theyre some of the shiny gun i have ever see . the design be bad and i will accept that . but why be they so shiny . ridiculous . warn spoiler belowthe open scene of gom be a really bad attempt at copy the ripley investigation scene from the all time brilliant movie alien . natasha be be question about the recent event on mar and where she start recant the movie . so after about 4 minute into the movie and we already know that she the only survivor . great . nice spoiler . so the whole who gon na make it be off and now what . that be often the only thing movie like gom and pitch black have go for them and but gom give it away in the opening sequence . very poor . what also bother me be flashback scene that aren not call for . when a person start to explain something and we be take back to a scene we have see and be show it again and just to know what the conversation refers to . it seem john carpenter must have know we would be sleep ourselves through this movie . again the western style be apparent and the law enforcer ( read sheriff and his deputy ) have shotguns and the sheriff have a long coat typical of western movie . there an old style iron bar jail and the railroad ( mar express or whatever ) and a bunch of outlaw ( the ghost ) . so what about the bad guy in the movie . i almost st a brick when i saw them . they suck bad . they be simple miner than have be possess by the ghost and suddenly start pierce and painting and sickly decorate themselves . it explain a something the ghost use to do when they be alive . sigh . oh well and they have this leader guy and he look like a devil or something and in the gothiest outfit i have ever see in a sci fi . it leather and it black and it have ring and stuff and bla and bla . the funny part be when this guy issue command or preaches to his flock . it like he only can say one word and that word be something like waah or perhaps raah . and he want to say these complicated sentence of about 8 14 word each . but all that come out be waah and waah and raah and raah and waah and waah and raah and waaaaaah . i almost swallow my icecream scoop when i first hear him and then i just laugh myself into a coma . and he really ped all through the movie . he suppose to be mad because invader ( the human ) have set foot on his planet . but i would say his rage be so immense that he get a personal issue of some kind . he just sooo mad . maybe it because he can not say any other word than waah and raah . i know that would ps me off . the religious manner in which his subordinate worship him and with this whole primitive caveman meet jehova witness bent on nazi occultism style be pathetic . the actor natasha henstridge ( ze girrrl from schpecies ) can do good and she no actress and nor a model and but even she can do good . ice cube actually isn not all that bad and he prove that in boyz n the hood among other film and this must be the bad performance from him that i have ever see and much due to the script . this movie so badly want to be a good sci fi and but it can not be that and because it so badly want to be a good western and but it can not be that and because it so badly want to be a good monster movie and but it can not because the script and props suck . ok and what about budget . well john carpenter be a name that should allow for some money to pour in . hm . but not if the sponsor saw john carpenter vampire . i believe most of the money go into make the train that traffic mar . the design be bad and human would never build anything like that train . it look ok though and in be actually there i mean . it ok. nothing more . explosion be plentiful ( the ghost have dynamite ) and bad . everyone on a springboard and fly in a predictable trajectory in order to not hurt themselves . typical a team action complete with ton of clichés and lame wesley snipe like comment . do i sound a tad irritate . that be because i pay good money to view this movie . i feel people have the right to know what to expect a i have the right to be upset about what i saw . this review contain no profanity so there should be no reason to not post it . overall represent i give it a 1 in my vote . when disc 1 have finish i have to think for approx 10 second if i want to load disc 2. or a my japanese female friend would say represent sucky sucky . or medusa 2001 .