There is a lot of bad press floating around right now about John Carter, which is unfortunate (Not to mention all of the terrible marketing on Disney's part). This film simply isn't getting the love it deserves. John Carter (aka The Princess of Mars), was written in 1912 by Edgar Rice Burroughs. It was the first science fiction epic ever written, and at it's time it was visionary. The story is celebrating it's 100 year anniversary this year. Most modern science fiction is based in some respect on John Carter. Flash Gordon, Star Wars, Planet of the Apes, Avatar, Cowboys and Aliens all have taken elements from John Carter. If you are a fan of science fiction or a self proclaimed nerd like myself you need to go see this movie, period.
The story follows John Carter (Taylor Kitsch), a Civil War veteran who is mysteriously transported to Mars (aka Barsoom to the locals). Once on Mars, Carter gains superhuman abilities because of the weaker gravity. These new found abilities make him unique and therefore a valuable ally to have. Carter is soon pulled into a conflict that threatens all of Mars and must save Dejah Thoris (Lynn Collins), the Princess of Mars.
A lot of credit needs to go to the director, Andrew Stanton. It is clear that the source material is very near and dear to his heart. Stanton wisely retains the essence and personality of the original story, but updates and fleshes it out for modern audiences. One of the best things about this movie is that Stanton was able to take material that has been treaded on for years and make is seem fresh again.
Across the board the performances were better than expected. Lynn Collins is fantastic, and really leaves a mark. Willem Dafoe's MoCap performance as Tars Tarkas (a giant four-armed tusked alien), was also very memorable. In fact most of my favorite scenes involved Dafoe's character. Kitsch pulls in a solid performance as John Carter but isn't as memorable as I would have liked.
Without revealing much of the plot, I felt like the movie suffered from a bit too much exposition, some of the story elements could have been left unanswered. At one point the main villain, Matai Shang (Mark Strong) spills the beans on his master plan to Carter. I'm assuming the reason they did this was the fear of not getting a sequel (There are two other books yet to cover in this series). Besides the exposition, the pacing towards the end of the movie seemed rushed. Even though this movie already clocks in at close to two hours, I feel like the movie could have benefited from 15 more minutes or so.
Keep your fingers crossed that Disney green-lights the sequels. Tron: Legacy is getting a sequel, so there is still hope for John Carter. And for the record, this movie is hands-down better than Tron. Stanton's latest has it's flaws but they are easily overlooked. This is a goofy swashbuckling science fiction epic that deserves a sequel, and your money. Go see John Carter, I'm sure you will be pleasantly surprised.
Released: March 2012
Length: 1 hr 58 mins
Directed by: Andrew Stanton
Written by: Andrew Stanton, Mark Andrews, Michael Chabon, Edgar Rice Burroughs
Cast: Taylor Kitsch, Lynn Collins, Willem Dafoe, Mark Strong
Rating: PG-13
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