Finally, from the pages to the big screen, “John Carter” rises to take on the action on Mars. Two reviews from SIDEWALKS’ own J.P. and Richard.
JOHN CARTER
Walt Disney Pictures
Rating: PG-13
Running Time: 137 minutes
Cast: Taylor Kitsch, Lynn Collins, Samantha Morton, Mark Strong, Ciaran Hinds, Dominic West, James Purefoy, Bryan Cranston, Polly Walker, Daryl Sabara, with Thomas Haden Church and Willem Dafoe
Director: Andrew Stanton
Studio Synopsis:
From Academy Award®–winning filmmaker Andrew Stanton comes “John Carter”—a sweeping action-adventure set on the mysterious and exotic planet of Barsoom (Mars). “John Carter” is based on a classic novel by Edgar Rice Burroughs, whose highly imaginative adventures served as inspiration for many filmmakers, both past and present. The film tells the story of war-weary, former military captain John Carter (Taylor Kitsch), who is inexplicably transported to Mars where he becomes reluctantly embroiled in a conflict of epic proportions amongst the inhabitants of the planet, including Tars Tarkas (Willem Dafoe) and the captivating Princess Dejah Thoris (Lynn Collins). In a world on the brink of collapse, Carter rediscovers his humanity when he realizes that the survival of Barsoom and its people rests in his hands.
Official Trailer:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlvYKl1fjBI[/youtube]
J.P.’s Take:
“John Carter“ of Mars leaps onto the big screen for the first time in 3D. Considered the world’s first space hero, the film marks the centennial of the characters appearance. Seeing as I’m just now learning about this story, it’s apparent I know nothing of the chronicles of our hero. Myself being an explorer of science fiction, how I let Edgar Rice Burroughs slip through my fingers I don’t know, but I do know I have to catch up on these ages’ old works.
Based on the “Barsoom“ series created by Burroughs in 1917, “John Carter” comes from a volume of 11 books. Much of the movie consists of the story told in the first book in the series, “A Princess of Mars.” Yet the film also extracts story elements from the last book as well, which the title is borrowed from. What you’re basically left with is a tightly condensed plot, serving as an intro to the character and a chronicle of his adventures on Mars. Do I feel this golden age sci-fi tale work as a film? In fact I do.
Mostly aimed at the tween boys, even tween girls market, “John Carter” has all the makings of a romantic epic adventure. It’s complete with cool effects, intense action sequences, and a twisty plot; which may be explored in detail in the novels. Thrown about are some comical moments to break up the seriousness. The story may not be anything mind blowing; where Carter is caught between two nations in the middle of a civil war. It’s nothing too difficult to follow either. I felt all the lengthy dialogue aids the audience, even though most of the banter felt a little convoluted at times. Pacing felt rather quick yes, but if you have A.D.D. like me that’s a plus. There’s nothing worse than an adventure film that lags. It’s all basically a set up for a worthy end, however. And, in fact, the later half of the film was the most intriguing.
We find Edgar Burroughs written in as a young character, who reads the journal of his uncle John Carter. It’s as if Burroughs, the author, was observing himself witnessing these accounts through his character. I won’t go into to further detail but let’s just say it feels like a set up for future sequels.
Many viewers would find the story derivative of many movies we see today. But here’s something to think about, this story is 100 years old. Actually, it’s the other way around. George Lucas himself was inspired to create the” Star Wars” films because of these stories.
Like fellow Pixar alum Brad Bird, who made his live action directorial debut with the recent “Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol,” Andrew Stanton takes on that world, too, as he felt the need to break away from the animated world. Here Stanton is perfectly capable at creating an adventurous atmosphere, as he has John Carter (Taylor Kitsch) leaping from tall buildings and air ships like the man of steel.
I love the scenes where Princess Dejah (Lynn Collins) gets involved, whielding a sword better than Carter. The many battle scenes between Carter and the two warring nations are well staged. Kitsch seems like the able bodied cavalrymen, sporting a gruff beard and tough exterior. He stays true to the very definition of a hero, as he charges into battle meeting every challenge thrown his way. The real stand out among the cast, however, is Collins, not just because she looks good on screen, but she feels like a real heroine. As the princess, she is showing genuine concern for her nation, all while putting herself in danger fighting along side male characters. I enjoyed her fiery convictions.
This movie has the added enhancement of 3D, which this time around was very subtle. In comparison to “Avatar” and the 1984 film “Dune,” “John Carter” is not quite as complex or in depth. However, for a Disney outing, it is will certainly attract an audience in need of some good old fashion family fun. The fantasy worked enough for me to stay with it to the end.
Richard’s Take:
When I saw “John Carter,” I had no clue about the previous generational history of the stories or its title character. Surprisingly, I was unaware about this chapter of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ creations, beyond his popular “Tarzan” character. I am into sci-fi related properties, but this one skipped pass me. I’m somewhat embarrassed that I was clueless about it before taking a seat to watch the film. I guess my parents gave me “Hardy Boys” books and let me watched “Star Trek” and “Lost In Space” on TV. When I heard of the name `John Carter,` the first thing that came to my mind was the fictional character that Noah Wylie played on the long-running medical drama, “ER.” How sad is that. In any case, I saw “John Carter” as what it is: an action / adventure / fantasy film.
It has been a couple of days since I saw a special press screening of the movie. I’m trying to decide if I liked it or not. It’s not a bad movie. It kept moving, and I wasn’t bored watching it.
On one hand, I think the writers, producers and first-time live-action director Andrew Stanton (whom “Sidewalks” interviewed previously for “Wall-E”) tried to truly make an epic film that we haven’t seen in a while. It reminded me of the pacing of the original “Star Wars” trilogy, where there is a lot happening and the action kept going with some rest breaks (dramatic moments) thrown in. There is nothing wrong with it, and I applauded the creative team for bringing back an adventurous film.
Another nice touch, they tried to make it tongue-in-cheek with John Carter (Taylor Kitsch) and other characters, which I enjoyed. They even threw in a lovable character, Woola, a lizard-liked dog, who was there for comic relief and used to protect the title character. It was like a boy and his dog battling the evil on Mars … or better yet the companionship of Han Solo and Chewbecca from “Star Wars.”
One of the things I hated doing was comparing “John Carter” scenes and characters to other films. Sadly, there was no way not to. To me, this film was “Coyboys & Aliens” meets “Star Wars” and “Avatar,” with a touch of “Gladiator,” “Beowulf,” “Green Lantern,” “Lord of the Rings,” and “Conan the Barbarian.” The battling space ships and the single motorcycle-liked speeder that John Carter used totally reminded me of “Star Wars: Return of The Jedi.” The Thark tribe looked like the characters from “Avatar.” There was a scene where Carter emerged from inside the dead body of a White Ape creature he just killed – his body and face were dripping with blue blood. He looked like a member of “Avatar’s” Na’vi.
I think the problem with the film is the team tried to throw everything in, based on a story that was initially serialized over six monthly installments in 1905-started magazine called “The All-Story.” There were a lot of uncommon names (Dejah Thoris, Tars Tarkas, Tardos Mors, Matai Shang, etc.) to remember, a huge setup of characters (Thark, Warhoons, Holy Therns) and location (Barsoom, Helium) to get through, especially for a first-timer like me. It was getting me confused after a while, especially since two set of tribes – Thark and Warhoons — appeared the same to me. Of course, these characters are part of the story and is based on “A Princess of Mars.”
As for the lead actor, I was pretty new with Kitsch (of TV’s “Friday Night Lights,” “X-Men Origins: Wolverine”) as Carter. Although he did a fine job, I didn’t feel him as the leading action hero. Maybe it was his size; I guess I’m used to larger action heroes, like “Conan” or “Rambo.” When viewing Kitsch in his costume, I kept thinking he was the younger brother of Conan, recently played by Jason Momoa.
I thought Lynn Collins as Dejah Thoris, Princess of Helium, did a strong performance, especially swinging the sword around. She was skillful, but didn’t have the grace of River Tam in “Serenity.” I couldn’t imagine Princess Leia in “Star Wars” doing that with a sword. Needless to say, Leia would pick up a laser and blast her way through the action.
The 3D aspect wasn’t a major attraction to me. The creative team didn’t go out of their way to make the 3D pop out at you, which is surprising. It was subdue for the most part.
”John Carter” is a noble attempt. It’s too bad that other film makers, like George Lucas and James Cameron – who admitted Burroughs’ concept were the foundation of their respective films – adapted all the ideas from this story, which has been around for close to a century. It’s a cute film that I wanted to love, but the kids and teens will embrace “John Carter.” Unfortunately, the action, the imagery, and story just felt dated to me.