John Carter
John Carter is a solid action film filled with cool characters, intense action, some good laughs, and beautiful environments. It’s a fun, entertaining movie.
The titular character John (Taylor Kitsch) is a Civil War veteran from Virginia who, while searching for a cave of gold, finds himself transported to Mars/Barsoom. He finds himself embroiled in the middle of a three-way civil war involving Red Martians, White Martians, and 12-foot tall green Martians. John may not be lucky on the war front – poor guy just keeps finding himself in the midst of other people’s troubles – but he has some pretty good advantages on Mars. The low gravity means that he has superior strength, which makes him a valuable asset in the war. All sides view him as a potential ally or threat, and his decisions could ultimately shape the outcome of the war.
Of course, there is a woman involved. The absolutely stunning Lynne Collins is the princess of the Red Martians who wins John’s heart. Seriously, she is smoking hot. Who can blame the guy for navigating the treacherous waters of three warring factions for her?
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There’s plenty of material here to weave an interesting narrative and tell a neat story. If anything, there is too much going on with all the different backgrounds for all the different characters. There are a lot of moving parts to the story. For the most part, however, the filmmakers do an admirable job of keeping things focused and moving along briskly. It never gets confusing; you just wish they could spend more time fleshing out the characters in the film.
Perhaps the biggest problem with John Carter is that many of the best bits have been pilfered by other, better films. See, John Carter is an adaptation of the Edgar Rice Burroughs serial stories that began in the 1920s, and the pulp fiction stories have influenced science fiction writers ever since. They say that imitation in the sincerest form of flattery, and many of the story elements in John Carter feel like old hat. Several generations of Hollywood writers have looked to Burroughs for inspiration.
Here is a short list of the films I thought about while watching John Carter:
Star Wars – the obvious space opera connection
Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark – the pulpy-but-not-cheesey storytelling
Fistful of Dollars – the lone savior navigating multiple factions
127 Hours – mostly for the beautiful desert settings
Wall-E – for the love story
Planet of the Apes – Astronaut saves the planet full of weird creatures
Avatar – Huge scope that builds a new and interesting world
This, I feel, is just the tip of the iceberg of films influenced by the John Carter series.
Despite the fact that much of the thunder has been lifted from the franchise by other films, I still like John Carter. It’s a fun story. There are interesting characters – the dog-like creature who can run like The Flash is a particular standout. There are lots of interesting cities and cultures and aliens and beautiful scenery and action sequences and all manner of things that will keep the audience engaged.
It looks beautiful, though I recommend passing on the 3D. The 3d effect doesn’t add depth or richness and simply serves to wash out the color pallet you're wearing dark glasses. Disney spent an estimated $250 million dollars on the film, and much of it obviously went into the visuals and special effects. Don't mess up the views with 3D.
The story also captures the pulpiness that you think about with the old-time serial novels. John’s repeated escape attempts from a Union prison and his attempts to adjust to the lighter gravity when he first finds himself on Mars are particularly fun scenes.
John Carter was always going to be a tough sell. You don’t often see a mega-budget franchise-starter film for a 90-year-old property. Disney gave it a good shot and turned out a solidly entertaining movie. You’ll have a fun time at the theater watching this film with a big soda in one hand and a richly buttered popcorn in the other. I just wish it could feel as fresh and exciting as it would have 90 years ago.
3.5 stars out of 5
