John Carter

I did only have modest expectations of this film as the trailer reminded me a bit to much of Dune. Really surprised to find a film which had a good plot line (albeit cynics will liken it to Avatar-lite), well acted, reasonable characterisations, brilliant visuals and a surprisingly good hero figure in Taylor Kitsch. I saw the preview screening this morning - don't really care how much it cost to make - what I found was a big budget film that I really enjoyed from start to finish. My advice - don't follow the cynics and naysayers - see it for yourself. I will normally not go see 3D films (they give me a headache) but the 3D wasn't too intrusive on this one.

Who is John Carter? John Carter is a Civil War veteran who gets transported to Mars (or Barsoom, as they say) using a mysterious device (a medallion). There, he grabs the attention of four-armed, green, 15-feet creatures (known as Tharks) due to his superhuman jumping skills (thanks to the lower gravitational force present in Mars). There, he gains some recognition and is forced to be involved in a series of battles, all part of a war between the city of Helium and Zodanga, as well as decide the fate of the planet.

Now that you've met John Carter, let's introduce you to Mars/Barsoom, the "Red Planet".

Barsoom is where the film takes place. It's similar to Earth (Jasoom)in ways but also different in other ways. There's oxygen (as John Carter is able to breathe normally, although he might have inhaled some other type of gas), and there's water (in the form of rivers and lakes, but no oceans). However, organisms who inhabit the planet are driven by blue blood, not red Earth blood. There's a smaller gravitational force present (which allows not only John Carter, but any other Earthling to jump like Superman). There are no plants, no sign of botany. And they speak a different language, however John is able to understand the Barsoom language due to a special drink. And the best part: there are two moons.

Barsoom, compared to Earth is much more technologically advanced. There are futuristic flying ships present, artistic buildings, and flying bikes (something like that). It's definitely more advanced than us. But for some reason, their fashion is just ancient (John Carter is shirtless for most of the time in Barsoom), and most of the landscape is deserted, empty. The sort of games they play is what the Romans played back in Caesar area: gladiatorial games. (There's one entertaining scene in particular for that.) Disney has spent $250 million on this film and marketed it aggressively. However, the trailers didn't give provide anything interesting and didn't gain audiences' interest, therefore gained a weak opening weekend gross. Put that aside, "John Carter" is actually dazzling, entertaining, and very fun to watch. The fantasy themes intertwine with science-fiction elements perfectly. It is just marvelous.

With the production budget of the flick reaching $250 million, the visual effects of the film is incredible. The sets, and creatures of the planet were very realistic and very jaw-dropping. The one action scene I liked the most was the gladiatorial game held in the land of the Tharks where Carter, Sola (a Thark), and Tarkas (another Thark) had to fight against two monstrous, giant-sized, eyeless, white apes. And the 3D: the 3D effects here were worth noting and recommended.

The outstanding special effects lead to the amazing, and widely entertaining action sequences. John Carter uses his swords as his weapon and does swordplay against the inhabitants of Barsoom. The inhabitants of Barsoom are no match for John Carter, regardless of their weapons and fighting skills, thanks to Carter's extraordinary jumping skills and outstanding sword-fighting skills. John Carter is just invincible and too strong for Barsoomians.

However, there was some problem with the storytelling as it was not able to tie up loose ends. In the middle of the film, we encounter this power source or something, the ninth ray. It seems like something special, something revolutionary, something vital to the story. But then, there's not a trace of it later on. What's happened to it? What's the significance of this power? What is it capable of? Nothing.

The actors' performances were satisfying enough. Taylor Kitsch is a very suitable John Carter and gives a satisfying performance, although not Oscar worthy. The beautiful Lynn Collins plays the role of the Martian Princess Dejah Thoris with style and determination. The other supporting cast also did well. Some of the characters who appear in CGI have also been given outstanding voices by the talented supporting cast.

Anyone who loved "Avatar", or "Star Wars" would definitely enjoy this flick. It offers a blend of fantasy and science-fiction and is perfect for audiences of all ages. The children will love the technology incorporated, the older kids will clamor the dazzling special effects, and the adults will enjoy the love story and action scenes.

Rating: 7/10

Final Verdict: "John Carter" is a film that offers a perfect blend of fantasy and science-fiction accompanied with satisfying performances and spectacular visual effects.

If you haven't yet, what are you waiting for to go watch "John Carter"? Grab your kids, grab your boyfriend or girlfriend, your spouse, your parents, your friends and run to the nearest theatre where they're showing this. For you can watch "John Carter" being any age, and in any company, and have a good two-hour cinematic joyride.

It doesn't matter that it has reportedly failed at the box office (but then, failure is relative, isn't it? It all depends on how high the expectancies were raised). "John Carter" is a great movie, and I hope it will have a fruitful second life upon DVD release and in other forms. It doesn't matter that Mars doesn't hold almost any interest for human fantasy anymore as it did back in Edgar Rice Burroughs's time. It doesn't matter that the plot isn't perfect and that the movie sometimes reminds us a little too much of "Avatar", what with the interspecies romance, the seemingly hostile environment and creatures then turned into allies (or not!), the ecologic, Earth-loving message. It has lots of adventure, love, humor, and enough symbolism to get the point in just one viewing and walk out of the theatre with a smile in your face. The characters -the good guys and gals, that is- are all good-looking, well-spoken, brave, smart and funny. And the bad guys also make a good point in the story -perhaps the most intriguing, most modern message of them all. And the cast is really gold, especially the more minor characters (it has Dominic West, by God!).

In summary, please, do yourself a favor and watch "John Carter". At worst, you won't find it anything special, but I trust you won't be bored.

Not a fantasy masterpiece but I like it - John Carter got some fantastic settings, some good action and even some funny moments. Yes, the main body of the story is rather a simple one but anyway the ride makes fun and is entertaining. I should add that I never read one of the original stories written by Edgar Rice Burroughs (note to myself: read one), so it is possible that readers and fans of the original stories, like some other reviews indicate, may be disappointed by the movie adaption.

I LOVED this movie. I had read the books many years ago and some of the Marvel Comics series so I had images in my head of what I thought John, Dejah, Tars and Barsoom would look like...and this movie pretty much topped them all. The Tharks were better than my imagination! This is a movie for everyone. It's an adventure movie, an action movie, a science fiction movie, a fantasy movie and a romance. Please give it a chance, ignore any of the bad press and watch it for yourself. And just remember, this movie is based on books written 100 years ago by Edgar Rice Burroughs, so if you think "oh they did that in Star Wars" or wasn't something like that in (insert almost any other scifi movie)" please remember that they came AFTER John Carter not before...this movie might have been filmed later but the story was here a century ago, so those movies are drawing on John Carter's themes not the other way around. I thought the actors were brilliantly cast, they really suited my image of the characters and I loved the storyline. Yes there could have been perhaps more explanations but the gist was there and if you want to know more read the books. Give this movie a chance. Watch it more than once and you will pick up more each time you watch it. Maybe, like The Terminator, which also didn't do as well at the movies but then picked up on video, we might get to see the sequel in the near future. Are you listening Disney?