Red Riding Hood

 

 

Red Riding Hood is another one of those movies that is a re-imagining of a fairy tale that everyone grew up knowing. Only in this go around instead of just a big bad wolf, we have a werewolf that starts going after villagers even though they have continually been providing a monthly tribute. Red Riding Hood ends up being almost a mystery as the audience is trying to figure out at the same time as Red who the werewolf actually ends up being. The movie ends up being like a teen werewolf/heart throb movie that is trying to be similar to the Twilight franchise that has been able to market to the teenage girls and that is the demographic Red Riding Hood was marketing toward. After seeing the movie the marketing should have gone in a completely different direction as the movie did not meet up with the way it was put together in the trailers.

 

Amanda Seyfried in the role of Valerie is just okay. Seyfried is still a young actress and while she struggles at times to carry the movie she gives a good effort, just at times you feel like she is simply reading her lines and not invested int he role at all. From this Seyfried shows virtually no emotion as her face has the same expression throughout the movie, so she does accomplish that Twilight similarity at least. Shiloh Fernandez in the role of Peter does an okay job as well. This is the first role I have seen him in and he plays the teen heart throb role just how one would expect. At times he came off very wooden and he definitely has a lot of work to do if he wants to have memorable performances in the future. Max Irons in the role of Henry, the third in the love triangle does one of those performances that makes you go "ehhh." While he is part of the love triangle he ends up being fairly forgettable. I think the three leads really struggled simply because the chemistry was lacking. Seyfried did not connect with either of the love interest and from that you don't feel like the rivalry is real. The supporting cast is lacking as well as no one really invested in the roles and I think the big aspect for that may simply be that their was no depth written for the characters.

 

The story for Red Riding Hood ended up being different from what I was expecting. Based on the trailers and the fact that it was being directed by Catherine Hardwicke, who directed the first Twilight movie, I was expecting a take on the fairy tale that was very similar in feel to Twilight. Gratefully, the story for Red Riding Hood was not too similar to twilight, other then the sort of love triangle and it was far from the fairy tale everyone knows. The story having the dark aspect to the film and not the happy fairy tale we are told as kids is definitely closer to what the original Grimm tale would have been like. Even with this dark feel it really struggled in the end and the story was not where it needed to be in order for the movie to be a strong one. The pacing felt back and forth as it seemed to drag a little in the middle only to rush the climax. Even though it dragged I felt like it built for a good pay-off only to rush the ending. The rushed ending was made up for slightly by the after credit scene.

 

Red Riding Hood ends up being a slightly above average movie Although the acting was a little disappointing in my mind and I think part of the problem in that was simply the lack of chemistry between the three leads. The story was simply not what I expected and while it had its pacing issues the story not being what I was expecting did help work in the favor of the movie, just not enough to make more then just slightly above average. I did enjoy the darker aspect of the telling of the fairy tale, so I am giving red Riding Hood two and three quarter buckets of popcorn out of five. Red Riding Hood is one that if in the mood for a fairy tale it may be worth renting and watching.

 

-The Movie Man

Haywire

 

Haywire was one of those movie that I thought looked good from the get go and I felt it could definitely have some promise. It went to go along the same premise as a lot of those spy movies where our main spy is framed and so they are on the run to try to prove their innocence and get revenge on those who betrayed them. While this is usually a story line and plot that is right up my alley, it did not come together for me and so I was very disappointed in the end. It was very daring for the use of giving the lead role to an actress that had never been in a movie before and while I understand the reasoning of using the actress they did because they would not have to use a stunt double for her as she had all of the abilities to do the action and fight sequences herself. While there were aspects that I greatly enjoyed the down moments in the movie really outweighed and brought Haywire down quite a bit.

 

Gina Carano in the role of Mallory Kane, CIA super agent whose journey we are taken on, does an admirable job for her first role. Carano was great in the action and fight sequences because of her mixed martial arts background. While her acting definitely has plenty of room for improvement, for the most part she held her own on screen and was a decent character that the audience could invest in. Ewan McGregor in the role of Kenneth, Kane's ex and business boss that helped set her up for murder, that she is being hunted by the U.S. Government. McGregor takes to the role of the villain perfectly and he really everything to make the audience despise him in the end. Michael Fassbender is the British agent who is tasked with the leg work of the setup of Mallory Kane. Fassbender is another one of those actors that is not only enjoyable to watch on the screen, but he has a great ability just like McGregor to either make the audience love his character or hater his character, depending on what his character's characteristics truly are. The supporting cast has its ups and downs and from that the cast helps at times. Channing Tatum is under utilized and from that the audience never cares for the conflict he has throughout the movie over Carano's character. Michael Douglas and Antonio Banderas have their moments that are lacking only to follow it up with strong moments on screen.

 

The story for Haywire was truly lacking and is what in the end hurt the overall movie. Where a lot of times they try to use complex plots that in the end, it ends up working well with everything else. That is what the film makers for Haywire were definitely trying to accomplish with the story line. Unfortunately, for Haywire the complex attempts with the twists in the plot only served to confuse and muddle things up more then necessary. A simple story would have helped make Haywire a lot more enjoyable and simplifying it would have made the climax a lot more satisfying and fulfilling while allowing the audience to understand the outcome of the plot points a lot easier. The pacing was very back and forth because everything was really trying to set up for a great climax, but because of the pacing issues they totally rushed the climax and Haywire then kind of ended abruptly.

 

The action and fight sequences for Haywire are what really could have made the movie for Haywire had the story and plot been decent to understand. Carano was perfect for the fight sequences as she not only held her own, but showed that it was not implausible that she could truly fight her way out of most any situation and there are not many other actresses that could have pulled off these fight sequences with that much believability. One of the best sequences and I think most of the guys that saw the movie may have enjoyed it as much as I did was that of Carano simply wiping the floor with Channing Tatum's character and even putting him in a painful arm bar. All of the other fight and action sequences were very well choreographed and they played perfectly to Carano's strengths. I would have loved to see the action drive the movie more rather then trying to have the story drive the movie.

 

Haywire is one of those movies that I expected a lot more from after seeing the initial trailer. Carano in not only here first lead role, but first role in general she did alright with the acting, but it was truly clear that because of her MMA experience that is why they cast her in the role. The action sequences would have really made the movie had it not been for the failure of the complex story line and plot. All of the different plot points ended up muddling up the movie and doing more harm then good in the end. I am giving Haywire two and a half buckets of popcorn out of five. This is one of those movies that you can skip. If you want to watch a spy thriller I would recommend most any other spy thriller over Haywire.

 

-The Movie Man

Hanna

Hanna is one of those movies that while I never got around to seeing in the theaters, but I had an interest in seeing because of the good things I had heard from others. Finally, with it out on dvd I was able to get around to seeint Hanna. It is interest how I had high expectations going n that while this movie was still enjoyable to watch I was a little disappointed because it did not meet the high expectations I had going in. In the end Hanna felt like it was trying to be a female lead version of the Jason Bourne movies, but did not have as much action or as strong of a story. It was another of those secret government programs gone wrong with the agency trying to cover their own tracks. i think it would have met expectations better had I not heard so many great things about the movie beforehand.

Saoirse Ronan in the role of Hanna did a great job and was able to do a pretty good job at carrying this movie. I believe this is the first film I have seen her in and I think she showed a lot of promise and I expect thtat as she plays in more roles she will only improve and she definitely holds the potential to be a star to be reckoned with in the future. Eric Bana in the role of Hanna's fater does an alright job with the minimal moments he is onscreen. With his role being so minimal and with the movie being a lot about Hanna we do not learn much about him. It would have been nice to have got a little more backstory on his character, because I think that may have helped in the end to see an even stronger reasoning behind everything that goes on within the plot and why it happens. Cate Blanchett in the role of Marissa Weigler, the government agent who is now trying to cver up everything, by hunting down Hanna in particular and eliminating her. Blanchett has a keen ability to play any role whether she is a character we root for or in the role of the villian she has a great abiltity to bring out the essece of the role. The rest of the supporting cast all do admirable jobs at really playing to their own roles and do not overtake the scenes they are involved in.

The story line is where I felt Hanna faltered. The story for Hanna had a very slow start as it sets everything up in why Hanna has been raised to basically be an assassin and then why she is sent out into the world by her father to kill Agent Weigler, the CIA agent who killed her mother. Hanna at this point turns into a chase movie as she is tracked through Europe. It is at this point about 45 minutes into the movie when she encounters the wider world where the story begins to go off tack and seems to lose its steam. The innocence that Hanna has with the modern world and the fascination at first she has with a lot of these amenities works at first. however, Wright's direction gets lost as he overkills this fascination. The story only got more muddled and lost with the English hippy family that Hanna ends up hitching a ride with. While they were meant to help show the contrast between the loneliness Hann has felt with that of a family it just did not work because, it only ended up take the story further off course. This change gives the movie a moe away from being an action movie to almost this faux art feel, particularly with the slow motion flamenco dancing scene. while this is trying to show off this sheltered, innocence she had from growing up, I felt it did not work simply because the way the story built was that she was a child that was brought up to be this killing machine, in the end she does not do much killing.

The action sequences in Hanna work throughout the movie and had they kept the focus of the story in sequence with the action this movie would have worked a lot better. I loved how the action was worked in such a way that I did not feel overwhelmed by the action. The action while it did work it would have made a huge difference to have thrown in even more action and even some longer sequences. To go along with the action the musical score that flows throughout Hanna works very well. I feel that the musical score needs to be there, but with a movie like this it should not overpower the scenes, and that is one thing that Hanna does really well.

Hanna is a movie that I ended up going into with too high of expectations and in the end the movie lacked some aspects. While I feel that the concept and story world at the start, the final execution lacked greatly. The actiong was strong and I was surpresed at how well Saoirse Ronan handled the lead role. I am giving Hanna two and three quarter buckets of popcorn out of five. Hanna is a movie that I will not add to the collection it is one I would say is worth the cost to rent.

-The Movie Man-

In Time

In Time ends up being a fairly ejoyable Sci-fi movie. This was a movie that I was greatly intrigued to see and one that had a fun Sci-fi concept. In Time is set in a future where we have been genetically engineered to age until 25 then our countdown clock stats that is set to end our life a year later. Time in this future though has not only become the currency, but the way we are paid and pay for everything. This leads to social classes where the poor have to steal or do everything they can just to make it through each day, while at the same time the rich are able to buy time decades at a time which basically allows them to be immortal and live forever. Of course, there are those that are willing to do whatever they can to keep things as is and keep everyone in these social class separations. In Time is one of those movies that in a unique way make a statement about society today about the rich vs. the poor today.

Justin Timberlake stars as Will Salas, a man from the poor part of town, who struggles to get by each day. After given given 100 years from a guy from the rich side who is sicking of living as long as he has lived, and Will gets accused of the murder so he ends up on the run trying to avoid the time keepers (future police officers). Timberlake brings great emotion to the role and gives a strong performance and is able to give believability to his character. Timberlake continues to show in each role that he is given the strong acting abilities that he possesses. Amanda Seyfried in the role of Sylvia Weis, the daughter of a rich man that Will goes up against and she is his initial hostage to get out of a situation to only become his partner in distributing the wealth to the poor. Seyfried ends up being Timberlake's love interest and does not bring much more to the role. Seyfried needs to bring more to her roles and at moments she comes across hollow and these moments where she is not all there, reminds me of her role in Mean Girls. Cillian Murphy in the role of Raymond Leon, the time keeper who is chasing and trying to hunt dow Will and get back all the time he supposedly stole. Murphy is able to take his roles and embodies them so strongly that you can't help but see him completely as the role he is playing. For some reason Murphy is able to be the bad guy perfectly that the audience immediately has a distaste for his character and the fact he out to maintain the staus quo  and not allow anyone else to come up from small means to make it big. The supporting cast all seem to play their roles how they need to be played. For me it was really disappointing that Olivia Wilde hasd such a small role, Wilde would have been a stronger love interest and given more to the character then Seyfried did.

The story for In Time was one that was enjoyable and wored well within the feeling of a Sci-fi movie. The futuristic concept of time now being the currency was not only unique, but a fun twist for the future and the conflict the story was going to tell. The story for In time had a new and futuristic twist on the whole Robin Hood story. Timberlake's character tries to in the end make the lives of all those in the poor area to be more manageable and not as much of a daily struggle of trying to keep enough time to make it to the next day. The parallels work with many of the characters, but the part of this similarity that really worked was that it was not so blatant that you thought of the Robin Hood similarity during the movie, but it was after that the similarity struck. This allowed for me to enjoy the story that was being unfolded on the screen. The pacing for In Time was well thought out as it moved perfectly and in the end the pacing alllowed the story to intermingle well with the action sequences.

The action sequences for In Time was done faily simple and because of that it allowed the audience to simply follow what the action was going for and attempting to intermingle with the story. In futuristic Sci-fi movies the focus ends up being the action, but with In Time while the action is a big part of the story it does not overpower, but the action is used to compliment the story through the use of daram. An example of this happens a couple of times as our characters are close to having their time run out so they are runing to make it so that they can get more time. The simple action also helps Timberlake because it allows for everything to be shot closer with fewer cut away shots for a stunt double.

In Time ends up being a decent Sci-fi movie. The futuristic twist of time being currency and that everyone only has so much and when the time runs out so does the persons life was not only unique, but worked as well. While Timberlake and Murphy gave strong performances, Seyfried left a lot to be desired in her role. With the story for In Time having the Robin Hood element feel it strengthened it and made everything within the story tie together and fit well. I am giving In Time three buckets of popcorn out of five. In Time is an enjoyable Sci-fi movie that will allow you to sit back and just enjoy all the aspects of the movie. It is a movie that is well worth the price of renting.

-The Movie Man

How to Train Your Dragon

How to Train Your Dragon is another one of those successful animated kids movies from DreamWorks. How to Train Your Dragon is the story of a young viking named Hiccup, who does not have the brute strength as most other Vikings, but tries to make up for it with his smarts. The town he lives in has stood for seven generations, but all the buildings are new because of one problem and that is dragons that are constantly raiding the village. Hiccup after using one of his contraptions to help him battle a dragon ends up going after the dragon he knocked out of the sky falls into the woods. After finding the dragon he finds he is unable to kill it, but instead begins to learn that the dragon is simply misunderstood. The audience is taken on a fun ride as he goes through learning with the dragon he has named Toothless. How to Train Your Dragon while it does not push the boundary with technology capabilities or even the overall story, that is truly not needed in a kids animated movie.

Jay Baruchel lends his voice to the character of Hiccup and the role fits him perfectly. Baruchel seems to always end up in the role of the character who does not quite fit in with everyone else, yet he has this quirkiness about him in such a way that you can not help but want him to get the girl that is clearly out off his league. So even in animation form he is cast in the role that offers the same type of character that he has played so many times before. America Ferrera in the role of Astrid, the beautiful viking girl that Hiccup likes, and she is  a viking in the truest sense of the word. The jealousy that comes out particularly once Hiccup begins to succeed in their dragon combat training is played perfectly and done so well that we see the jealousy as more of an envy in a sweet and not a horrible way. Gerard Butler in the role of Hiccups dad and the village leader was not what I expected. With his character being so large and having a resonating deep voice it was surprising to learn it was Butler in the role. Although it was a smaller role I really think it showed a little versatility because in a voice animated role it is just not one I would expect to be Butler lending his voice to.

Along with the voice actors, based on this movie being called How to Train Your Dragon the importance of the dragon animation was vital. with the dragons if they all ended up looking similar with just different colors and sizes the audience would not care as much and I think because f that the audience would get bored of the movie. I think the creativity of the dragons not only being different shapes and sizes, but unique abilities really worked well. The added touch of Toothless being the dragon type that no one had seen before and that he ends up forming this unique bond with Hiccup or unique viking only strengthened the movie. I think this creativity really allowed the animation to go to the next level because they were no longer constrained by the typical thought of what a dragon looked like, so I felt they really used that to their advantage to animate these not so ordinary dragons with a great sharpness.

The story for How to Train Your Dragon was definitely a little different then what I thought, but still used some simple thoughts of others not understanding one another to being the main aspect of the story. The simple part about a boy befriending a dragon has been used countless time in movies, you just change the dragon part to some other and it hits a similar chord with all of us. In the end I felt that the big plot point behind why the dragons attacked was unique and ended up being very well thought out. I really felt that the story was done so well and yet simple that I found myself just sitting back and enjoying the story unfolding and I did not feel like I had to figure out what was going on.

How to Train Your Dragon is another fun and enjoyable for a family movie. I really enjoyed the story that was unfolded before us and it really just allowed you to sit back and enjoy the movie without thinking about anything else. The animation particularly the dragons I felt was truly amazing and a great step up. I am giving How to Train Your Dragon three buckets of popcorn out of five. this is a movie that is great for you to be able to sit down with your entire family to have a great quality family movie night to spend time together.

-The Movie Man-

Act of Valor

Act of Valor is one of those action movies that you have to ignore what the critics say about because this is one of those unique movies you may never see again. Initially, I was not sure what they were going to do with this movie in using actual active U.S. Navy SEALs, this concept had a lot of potential, but my main worry was this would come off corny or even too much of a "Ra-Ra" America is awesome movie. So I was hesitant as well because I have seen plenty of movies that I thought had a great concept, but sometimes the follow through fails. In the end Act of Valor felt like the entire movie was real and even had a grittiness about it that really gave the feeling that this movie was not an America is so great and the Navy SEALs are indestructible, but instead really humanized and strived to give the audience a feeling of gratefulness for the sacrifice that happens all over the world as our troops protect those who can not protect themselves. Yes this movie is not great or amazing, but is a good movie that is unique and has a niche among the movie viewing public.

The active U.S. Navy SEALs in the roles of the Navy SEALs give a performance and great believability to their roles. I found it funny to hear various critics state that the acting was very amateur, that makes me think well "duh" isn't that the point by not casting professional actors in the SEAL roles, even though the non-combat scenes may not be the best, they still do a fairly decent job and the realism they bring to combat sequences is unmatched. Alex Veador and Jason Cottle in the roles of Cristo and Abu Shabal our terrorists that the Navy SEALs are trying to stop give solid performances as well. They embody their characters so well that in knowing that the SEALs are actual SEALs you almost believe them to be the terrorists as well and not actors. The rest of the supporting cast give good support as well. The performances that the terrorists give makes up for the lack of acting ability  that the SEALs have outside of the combat. The family of the SEALs is portrayed well and they really do a strong job at conveying the sacrifice they have to make as well.

The story while similar to that of Black Hawk Down as both greatly benefit from being based on actual events, yet Act of Valor ends up having some fantastic action choreography that is unlike the typical Hollywood flash-bang formula. The simple reason for this is that first time directors McCoy and Waugh get out of the way and allow the SEALs to choreograph all of the action and the directors just filmed what the SEALs drew up. The fact that there is nothing fake about how these operations are portrayed only enhanced the movie for me. I enjoyed the way this film was told in a letter to a newborn and in the end you really realize that any of these SEALs knows that they may have to sacrifice in the end with the ultimate price. While there are those that have said that the plot is too simple that it has no depth is missing out. This movie was meant to show the action that goes on with military Special Ops around the World and a deeper plot is not necessary and allows the audience to focus on the true message of the film. I think as well the fact that some aspects were actually fired with live rounds only added to the awesome factor of this movie. In movies all gun fights are fired using blanks so for them to go onto the live range and film using live ammo it showed the true damage that ammunition can do to even trucks. To be able to see how the ammunition is able to shred through a truck and completely turns it into Swiss cheese is one of those things that is unique to Act of Valor and it really works.

Act of Valor while it is not the greatest movie made, I found the whole concept to be not only unique and exciting, but the follow through really worked. I really enjoyed the whole use of actual SEALs, it gave a great realism to the movie that I have never seen in a military movie before. The combat sequences that are put before us throughout the entire movie though are unmatched and will probably not be seen again in a movie. The story was very simple and straightforward and that is precisely what Act of Valor required. The use of live ammunition at one point truly worked and it is because of all of this that I am giving Act of Valor three and a quarter buckets of popcorn out of five. Act of Valor is a must view for anyone that is a fan of military movies.

-The Movie Man-

Total Recall

Total Recall is another one of those movies that I was excited to see from the first trailer. Even though this is a remake from of Total Recall from 1990, I was looking forward to see how they used all the new technology to do this futuristic sci-fi movie. Going in I took the narrative of the original Total Recall out of my mind so that I could completely enjoy the movie and judge it with no bias in my mind. Total Recall ends up being a sci-fi movie that does not try to be more then just that. It take place in a future where most of the Earth is decimated, a factory worked named Doug Quaid can't shake his adventurous dreams. So he heads to Rekall where they can implant any memory a person desires. In the process of becoming his own fantasy of being a secret agent, Quaid discovers that his life is a lie. Lori, who he believed to be his, leads the chase to not only capture but eliminate the awakened Quaid. While Quaid runs into the woman from his dreams, a freedom fighter who tries to persuade Quaid into finding his true identity and leading the cause against oppression of the Colony from the Great Britain Federation. Which is an intriguing nod to the days of when Great Britain was an empire with colonies across the world, and Australia was a colony where they sent the lesser citizens of the empire.

Colin Farrell stars in the role of Quaid and does an alright job in the role. While he has the same perplexed/confused look through most of the film, he does not always act the way his face is giving us. He takes everything a little too much in stride, yet even with that I still found him to be the believable hero. Kate Beckinsale in the role of Lori really stole the show. Beckinsale has not been in these roles where she is the one that the audience is rooting against yet, she really embraced the role and only showed the versatility she has. Beckinsale in the role would not want to be someone I came across in a dark alley, simply because of the ruthlessness she showed as well as her ability to be believable in her ability to the kick the butt of anyone she pleases. I loved the way they used her throughout the movie and the unique way she fought at times, my personal favorite was when she slid across the floor in order to kick Quaid. Jessica Biel, in the role of Melina the freedom fighter and new love interest for Quaid does just okay. I would have liked to have seen more out of Biel because I felt like she was just on cruise control and because of that she is a little forgettable. The supporting cast work well together and from that Bryan Cranston works so well as our main villain of Cohaagen. Cranston has a great ability that even though his role is supporting we know how strong his character is and from that we despise Cohaagen and what he is trying to do.

The story for Total Recall is one that ends up being very minimal and one that does not require the audience to have to think as everything ends up being spelled out pretty clearly to the audience. It is big on action sequences and slight on story, with pauses only to allow the audience to breathe, only to resume with another stunt sequence. Also, the tag line "What is Real?", this remake does not really keep you in suspense in a what is and what is not thought . This was really disappointing , I was expecting psychological sci-fi movie that in the end leaves the audience to think what was and what was not. Len Wiseman in directing with the next generation of moviegoers possibly considered it best if everything was spoon fed. So there's no need to guess as everything gets explained verbatim from the get-go, with every plot and character twist was laid out plainly for the audience. The most important and critical aspect for someone in seeing Total Recall, requires that you junk all memories of the Schwarzenegger version of the file in order to enjoy the new narrative involving a chemical fallout across the World. while they still had a few nods to the original film.

The action in Total Recall is the meat of the movie. The action worked well in that the audience could actually see what was happening and from that they could understand the fight sequences. While Farrell's character in the action worked it was really Beckinsale that did the great job at really how well the sequences worked. while some of the action sequences made you think of other movies after, in the end the action is truly a pedal to the metal feel that you just have to sit back and enjoy the ride that Wiseman takes the audience on. Beckinsale had me in awe to watch because of the finesse and movements she does in the sequences that add a great deal to the movie action sequences  while still looking crazy hot. the pacing was really fast throughout that in the end it felt like the movie was a lot shorter then I thought. The pacing really could have been made a little more slowly and allowed for the story to develop a little deeper.

Total Recall is a fun, adventuresome sci-fi movie. While Colin Farrell is decent in his role, the eye candy of Kate Beckinsale really steals the show as she once again shows how she is more then just a pretty face. Even though the story is barely there the action makes up for it as it continually moves and allows the audience to sit back, enjoy and not have to think, which work at times for a movie. While there are those that do not find the reality of "The Fall" the important thing to remember is this movie is a science fiction movie so implausible things possible in that reality. I found total Recall to be a decent sci-fi movie that is enjoyable that is why I am giving Total Recall three buckets of popcorn out of five. If you are a fan of sci-fi movies this can definitely by a movie that you can sit back and enjoy.

-The Movie Man

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