John Carter

John Carter was one of those movies that critics were very harsh on and because of that it kept a lot of people away from seeing it in the theaters. Because of this it has been considered to be a huge box flop and while this is one I wanted to see in the theaters, I did not get to see it in the theaters and only just saw it recently on DVD. John Carter is a movies that is based on a novel that was written back in 1912 in Utah and it is neat that the movie version was largely filmed in Utah as well as it took place 100 years after the book was written. I feel the movie critics got this one wrong. John Carter tells the story of a Civil War veteran who while evading capture ends up in a cave and when he touches a device on a man he awakens on what comes to be the planet Mars. This movie is truly what the sci-fi genre is all about because the audience is able to be transported to a new worlds and not worry about what could actually happen, but can just enjoy the story and action the director desires the audience to be entertained by.

Taylor Kitsch is our hero, in the role of Captain John Carter works well. Kitsch does not try to do too much with the role and because of that his character worked for me. The confusion he has upon his arrival to Mars and how his survival instincts kicked in made his character not only believable. But also the added abilities and talents he has while on Mars allows the audience to see he has the capability to lead and help out the races of Mars. Lynn Collins in the role of Dejah Thoris while she is the Princess in distress she is not as incapable as we would believe a princess to be as she shows that she is more then able to defend herself. Collins while she serves a purpose as the eye candy she is far more then just that and she truly shows it. The audience cares for her because she has to make the choice to marry Sab Than simply because it is what will save her people. While it may seem like Dominic West as Sab Than is our villain and he connects in such a way with the audience that they want everything to go against him from the get go. But in all actuality he merely a pawn and the mastermind villain is Matai Shang played by Mark Strong. Strong plays the role with such unapologetic straightness that you feel that he truly does believe that his interference is the best for everyone. The rest of the supporting cast all give strong performances even with a good portion of them lending simply only their voices as they play martian races that are strictly CGI.

The story for John Carter is a true sci-fi movie that I greatly enjoyed. especially with this movie being based on a book that was written 100 years ago, only puts me in awe to think how creative Burroughs mind had to be. I enjoyed the fact that they told the story through John's family member reading his journal. After seeing John Carter it has only made me want to go and read the entire book series, so that I can get the full and complete arc about John Carter and not have to wait and see if future movies ever get green lit because at this point that looks very grim. Also, while some may feel like this is similar to Avatar and that because of that it lacked originality, but it was actually this book series that served as inspiration for many of the directors in the sci-fi industry. For me one of the aspects of the story that made it work was the chemistry that existed between Kitsch and Collins. They played so well off of one another that it helped to keep the plot points and story moving along. I thought the whole story had a great feel to it and I loved the creativity that took place at the end of the movie. It felt to me that the pacing was placed perfectly. I felt they gave great depth of character while not dragging the movie down that you feel bored. Yet, it does not move so fast that you feel like everything is blowing by before you can absorb what is happening.

The action in John Carter was very well done. The action was intertwined so well with the story that the action did not feel like it was separated from the story which can happen at times with sci-fi movies. Instead, everything felt seamless and flowed. The fighting sequences were planned out perfectly and they worked so well because they worked the cameras in such a way in which the audience could tell precisely what was happening and not the jerky camera style. For me another thing that made the action work so well for me was the simple use of Dejah Thoris and her ability to defend herself ad hold her own in a sword fight. Her character is a complete package and the fact she is able to jest with John Carter in an action sequence makes it all work together seamlessly. The visuals in John Carter do a great job to match the story that is put forth. While it was filmed in southern Utah they made it truly like it was Mars that they actually filmed on.

John Carter is one of those movies that was unfairly slammed. I found it to be an enjoyable sci-fi movie that takes the audience on a great journey to somewhere new and really tells a story from every aspect that was in the movie. I found the acting to be a very strong casting and I really enjoyed the chemistry that was prevalent between Kitsch and Collins to be a huge part to the enjoyment of the movie. John Carter ended up being a movie in which I want to now read the books and so I am giving John Carter three and a quarter buckets of popcorn out of five. This movie was well worth the rental price and is one that I need to add to the movie collection at some point in the near future.

-The Movie Man