I'm the only person in the world I know who loves this movie. Don't know what it is about it - probably that first third with a bunch of cops arriving at the deserted mining station wondering what is going on, with all that funny non-linear editing. Creepy atmosphere, genuinely scary - though the creatures are more effective from a distance than close up. Didn't like the rock music (why didn't Carpenter just keep his thumping musical rhythms?).
Some bright tough talking dialogue, enjoyed Ice Cube, loved Pam Grier as a big lesbian officer (things haven't changed much from the 70s - just less nudity) and didn't mind Natasha Hestridge - until I found out her role was meant to be played by Courtney Love, who would have been perfect, and ever since then I've thought Natasha's performance was really bad... well maybe not bad, it's just she isn't a star, and the role needed one. It's a fantastic role: she's a real kick arse heroine, with a drug habit and nice line in sass, plus a neat buddy relationship with Ice Cube. Hestridge tries her hearts out, is cute and all that... but it needed someone with real bad-ass-ness.
The story is this wonderfully weird compendium of things - part siege, part journey, ghost zombies who seem to be semi inspired by The Thing and Indians from old Westerns. They are baddies you shouldn't kill really because their ghost spirit then runs riot... but the goodies still try to kill them. People say "let's get out of here" an awful lot.
Jason Statham's character is a bit of a lech, but he has presence; Clea duVall's idiotic lesbian rookie has a decent journey from fool to tough gal; Robert Carradine pops up as a train driver, and Joanna Cassidy adds gravitas as a scientist.
Most annoying thing about the movie is the ending - the lead characters have been so smart, then they decide to blow up the whole plant without knowing that it's going to do any good, in fact they have reason to know it's going to make things worse, an endangering everyone's life - this is extremely irritating, and I wish they'd not put it in the film. Also it's annoying that our heroes figure out they shouldn't kill the creatures but still do - and how to repel the spirit (by taking drugs and throwing it up) but never repeat it.
Actually the more I think about this film the more obvious are its flaws - but I can't help it, I love it still. Just got a great feel. And I love the idea of Hestridge and Ice Cube going off into the sunset together as part of a never-ending battle against the ghost creatures.
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