John Carter Review

Rated PG-13 (Intense Sequences of Violence and Action)

Running Time: 2 Hours & 12 Minutes

Cast-

Taylor Kitsch-John Carter

Lynn Collins-Dejah Thoris

Willem Dafoe (voice)-Tars Tarkas

Samantha Morton (voice)-Sola

Dominic West-Sab Than

Mark Strong-Matai Shang

Thomas Haden Church (voice)-Tal Hajus

Ciarán Hinds-Tardos Mors

Polly Walker-Sarkoja

James Purefoy-Kantos Kan

Bryan Cranston-Colonel Powell

Daryl Sabara-Edgar ‘Ned’ Rice Burroughs

Directed by Andrew Stanton

No one gets away with insulting my abs.

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: a charming rogue trying to make a simple living joins up with a motley crew of freedom fighters and falls in love with a princess while being swept up in a civil war. Another one: a former soldier finds himself in a strange new land and falls in love with one of the natives but is forced to protect her and her people from those who seek to conquer them. If you were thinking of 1977’s “Star Wars” and 2009’s “Avatar,” then you are correct as both George Lucas and James Cameron have publicly admitted that one of their many influences were the science fiction/fantasy novels of Edgar Rice Burroughs, who created the famed jungle hero Tarzan in 1912 in the pages of pulp magazine All-Star before being collected as a book two years later titled Tarzan of the Apes. Burroughs would go on to pen over a dozen sequels, making the character into an instantly recognizable pop culture icon. Although making his debut the same year and in the same pulp magazine as Tarzan, John Carter remains unfamiliar outside of a very niche group of fans but all that is about to change with the film adaptation, based upon the 1917 novel A Princess of Mars, the first in Burrough’s series of Barsoom novels. 

Bringing John Carter to the big screen was no easy task and stretched as far back as 1931 when “Looney Tunes” director Robert Clampett approached Burroughs in adapting the character for a feature-length animated film. The author and studio executives expressed enthusiasm but the initial test footage was met with a negative reception from film exhibitors, who found the idea of a human on Mars too outlandish to take seriously. Ironically, a similar situation developed when George Lucas was making the original “Star Wars,” which had little to no marketing as many believed it would be a financial flop but we all know how that turned out. The rights for the novels ended up in the hands of Walt Disney Pictures during the 1980’s with John McTiernan and Tom Cruise attached to the project as director and actor. However, McTiernan found that visual effects were not yet advanced enough to realize Burrough’s vision and the project subsequently collapsed. By 2004, the rights were now in the hands of Paramount Pictures with Robert Rodriguez set as director but he was replaced with Kerry Conran (famous for 2004’s “Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow”) after Rodriguez resigned from the Directors Guild of America when he wanted to credit Frank Miller as co-director for 2005’s “Sin City,” based upon Miller’s own series of graphic novels of the same name. Conran left the project for unknown reasons and was replaced again with Jon Favreau but when Paramount decided not to renew the film rights and concentrate on a new “Star Trek” film, Favreau moved on to helm 2008’s “Iron Man,” based upon the Marvel Comics character of the same name. Disney managed to reacquire the rights in January 2007 with Andrew Stanton (whose credits include 1998’s “A Bug’s Life,” 2003’s “Finding Nemo,” and 2008’s “Wall-E”) set as director with filming finally commencing in 2010. Based upon A Princess of Mars, “John Carter” is a largely silly and derivative piece of pulp science fiction/fantasy but its hard not to get enthralled in the imaginative world that Burroughs created as the exceptional visuals are worth the price of admission alone. 

Haunted by the death of his wife and daughter, former Confederate Army cavalry officer John Carter (Taylor Kitsch) spends his days prospecting in 1868 Arizona, searching for the legendary ‘Spider’s Cave’ that is rumored to be full of gold. However, he is captured by the 7th Cavalry Regiment led by Colonel Powell (Bryan Cranston), who wishes to enlist Carter in fighting the Apaches thanks to his impressive Civil War record. He steadfastly refuses and eventually escapes from his prison cell on Powell’s horse. Powell and his men give chase but are forced to stop when they come upon a band of Apache warriors. Carter attempts to negotiate with them but a nervous cavalryman shoots and kills one of the Apaches. The two sides clash in a gun battle and Carter makes a break for it in the ensuing chaos but when he sees Powell suffer a bullet wound, he goes back to save him. They are chased to the mouth of a cave, prompting the Apaches to retreat even though they have them cornered. Carter finds a nine-legged spider symbol while exploring the cave and realizes that he has found his gold. Before he can collect his reward, a strange grey-robed man suddenly materializes and attacks him. After a short struggle, Carter manages to shoot the man dead and picks up a strange silver medallion. With his dying breath, the man mumbles a phrase and the word Barsoom. The medallion glows an eerie blue and Carter suddenly wakes up in a barren desert wasteland. He finds himself unable to walk properly as each step causes him to leap into the air and fall flat on his stomach. Carter comes face-to-face with a group of tusked, four-armed humanoids speaking in a language he cannot understand. The leader, or Jeddak, identifies himself as Tars Tarkas (voice of Willem Dafoe), who is amazed at Carter’s skill in jumping and captures him. The humanoids, known as Tharks, bring Carter to their city, where he is cared for by a woman named Sola (voice of Samantha Morton) and is fed a strange liquid that allows him to understand what the Tharks are saying. Carter attempts to escape but fails and Tars Tarkas punishes him and Sola as she was responsible for him. However, the arrival of two airships in battle gives Carter a reprieve but when he sees a young human woman clinging to the edge of her ship, he leaps to save her. The woman is named Dejah Thoris (Lynn Collins), a princess from the city of Helium. Carter finally learns that he is on Mars (called Barsoom by the natives) and that the planet is embroiled in a civil war between Helium and Zodanga, led by the tyrannical Sab Than (Dominic West). Although initially wanting nothing more than to get home, Carter falls in love with Dejah and eventually comes to fight for not just the people of Helium, but for the Tharks as well. Meanwhile, another grey-robed man named Matai Shang (Mark Strong) watches on the sidelines, curious to learn more about the newly-arrived human. 

With ridiculous names like Barsoom, Tars Tarkas, and Dejah Thoris, it’s easy to dismiss “John Carter” as a silly science fiction/fantasy affair made for children but that would be doing the film a disservice. The story is a by-the-numbers affair featuring the classic hero’s journey popularized by films such as the original “Star Wars” but it’s easy to forgive its derivative nature when looking at the fact that the work of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ served as the inspiration for directors that include George Lucas and James Cameron to even comic book writers such as Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, the creators of DC Comics’ Superman. Without him, none of their works would’ve existed but I doubt many people know or even care for this if one were to look at the film’s anemic box office earnings. There is no questioning that “John Carter” is a flawed film but it largely works because Stanton sets the bar high for himself, going to great lengths to bring to life the world that Burroughs created in his novels and it’s hard not to become enthralled as Carter encounters all manners of wondrous species and locations in his adventure. However, even with its 2 hours and 12 minute running time, the story feels stuffed and often comes off as muddled. Some of the character subplots such as the one involving Tars Tarkas and his daughter are glossed over and the motivations of each of the factions on Mars are never made entirely clear, although it is obvious that the conflict is meant to reflect the American Civil War and the displacement of Native Americans. It is easy to tell the heroes and villains apart thanks to the red and blue colors they wear but why they are fighting remains vague. The explanation from the mastermind behind the Zodanga invasion provides precious little answers as well. While it does not derail the film, the ending is also anticlimactic and rushed with a large amount of exposition thrown in to explain how Carter travels to Mars. 

The film features a lot of CG effects and given how complex Burroughs imagined Mars to be, it was necessary. Every penny out of that $250 million budget is apparent on-screen from the motion capture work of the Tharks to the action scenes that include Carter battling with gargantuan white apes who find their prey through smell. The technology depicted is both futuristic and old-fashioned given its pulp roots with large airships used as transportation and trading cannon fire as ships that sail on water would. Weapons remain of the swords and rifle category, reinforcing the swashbuckling nature of the film. I did not view “John Carter” in 3D but it appears that it was post-converted with little enthusiasm judging from Stanton’s comment where he remarked that he had ‘no say over whether it's in 3D.’ Some critics have described the 3D as abysmal but the general consensus is that it was competent but still mediocre. 

The characters have simple personalities so there is not much effort needed on the part of the cast but the acting is surprisingly sincere. Taylor Kitsch makes for a credible action hero with his gruff demeanor even if it is apparent that his range is limited. Lynn Collins bares her midriff (and sometimes cleavage) in every costume she wears but thankfully she’s not the helpless damsel-in-distress the commercials made her out to be. The two have a good rapport which helps make their growing love for each other convincing. While the heroes themselves are fleshed-out, the villains played by Dominic West and Mark Strong is two-dimensional and never come across as little more than annoyances despite the powers they wield. The supporting cast such as Willem Dafoe, Samantha Morton, and Thomas Haden Church only provide their voices but they manage to make you look past the fact that their characters are CG constructs and accept them as real people. Character actor Ciarán Hinds, Bryan Cranston, and Daryl Sabara play small but inconsequential roles. 

Released on March 9, 2012, “John Carter” has received mixed reviews with 51% on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics admitted that the film ‘looks terrific and delivers its share of pulpy thrills [but] it also suffers from uneven pacing and occasionally incomprehensible plotting and characterization.’ However, it will now be remembered for being one of the biggest box office flops this year. Although $185 million worldwide is nothing to sneeze at, it is certainly a far cry from its production budget and marketing costs. The problem is not in the quality of the film but in how it was marketing to people. For one, it would’ve helped to mention Edgar Rice Burroughs’ name and connect it to something familiar such as Tarzan. I doubt anyone knew that the two were connected because I certainly didn’t but I always research the films I’m reviewing before going to see them. I do not expect people to do that considering the trouble they have in picking a film to see but that is a rant best left for another day. “John Carter” is neither a great nor terrible film but it is worth seeing despite the muddled story-telling. Do not let the box office numbers keep you away because those are ultimately irrelevant in deciding whether a film is good or bad. Too often, people equate big box office numbers with a quality film when this is not always true. We’ll probably never see a “John Carter 2” at this point but I’m glad Andrew Stanton made this one.

Final Rating: 3.5 out of 5

“When I saw you, I believed it was a sign...that something new can come into this world.”