John Carter

John Carter has taken it’s time coming to the big screen.  Written in the 19th century by the famed Edgar Rice Burroughs (of Tarzan fame), this story has been trying to get to the big screen from as early as 1939.  Finally, in an age where special effects technology have made it possible for this film to be made, Disney has stepped up and produced this 240 million dollar epic.  Unfortunately, despite good intentions, it’s on its’ way to becoming a flop.  This is not to say the film is totally without merit, but it does not live up to its’ promise.  There are many things to criticize in this movie, but I think the largest failure is that Taylor Kitsch was completely miscast as John Carter and didn’t have the acting chops to pull it off.

Based on the original work entitled ‘Princess of Mars’, the film is a faithful adaptation of the pulp story.  Written in an era before science fiction was fashionable, this book was ahead of its’ time and you can see the seeds for all the great movies it inspired.  From Dune, to Star Wars, and even to Avatar, all these movies can trace some if not most of their inspiration to this story.  Given this was written before the concept of modern science fiction was even fully formed, I would place this more in the ‘Sword and Sorcery’ genre.  There are so many things that seem cliché in this movie until one realizes, this is one of the stories that started the clichés .

John Carter (Taylor Kitsch) is a former Confederate War captain, who searches the Arizona wasteland for his fortune in gold mining.  Through a series of events, he finds himself in a cave where he confronts a mysterious magical being and is transported to Mars.  Upon Mars, he discovers that the lesser gravity gives him great strength, which most notably manifests itself in his ability to leap great distances.  Almost immediately, he encounters a war-like race of 12 foot, four armed, green warriors called Tharks.  He is imprisoned by them and begins to learn the ways of Mars, or Barsoom as the natives call it.  The politically embattled leader of the Tharks, Tars Tarrkas (played by Willem Dafoe [recognizable only by his voice]) takes an interest in John Carter as he realizes what a valuable asset he is as a warrior.

While this is going on, on another part of the planet, more human looking Martians are in a civil war.  The red people of the Kingdom of Helium are being attacked by the blue warriors of Zodanga (Crypt colors even back in the 19th century).  Mysterious priests of great power give the Zodangan General, Sab Than (Dominic West) the means with which to conquer the Kingdom of Helium in exchange for his obedience.  In a desperate attempt to save his kingdom, the King of Helium offers his beautiful daughter Dejah (played by the enchanting Lynn Collins) to Sab Than as his bride.  Dejah does not go into this willingly and takes her first opportunity to escape.

John Carter rescues the Princess and she accompanies him on his journey to find his way back home.  All the while, the Princess has ulterior motives and seeks to enlist John Carter’s aid to help save her Kingdom and as a result, all of Barsoom.  Along the way, they discover the source of the power behind Sab Than and the true depth of its’ power over the planet.

Like I stated earlier, this movie wasn’t all bad.  It is a wide and expansive epic and it’s a lot of fun to see a classic story (well, not really a classic as it is relatively unknown to most people) come to the big screen.  For as much money that was spent on it, the special effects sometimes seemed artificial and wooden, not as artificial and wooden as Taylor kitsch’s acting, but lame in may parts nonetheless.  On a brighter note, Lynn Collins as the Princess Dejah delivered an incredible performance and I’m not just saying that because of her beauty and skimpy outfits either.  She is a classically trained Shakespearean actress and it really shows in her performance.  She is also a black belt in real life and she holds her own in her fight scenes alongside John Carter.  

Overall, I can’t recommend this movie and I’m very disappointed that after all the money and resources possessed by Disney, they couldn’t bring this character to life in a more compelling way.  Fun for a matinee, but that’s it.  If it’s any consolation, the comic book ‘John Carter: Warlord of Mars’, was an incredibly disappointing read from my childhood as well.

I rate this film ** stars