John Carter is based on "A Princess of Mars", the first in a series of tales of the adventures of John Carter by Edgar Rice Burroughs (who also notably created Tarzan). The series is of the high adventure variety of science fantasy, where you check your disbelief at the door and just go with the fun. Star Wars, Avatar, and many other successful science fantasy films owe something to Burroughs, and unfortunately those films beat Carter to the punch, so audiences may feel they are seeing something derivative of those franchises. And, in the production sense at least, they may be right.
Carter is at its best when the action is fast and the fun is light, with laughs mixed in with the punches and swordplay. A well crafted intro gives us an idea of who Captain John Carter is and what makes him an unlikely hero. Sadly, once transported to Mars (known by its inhabitants as Barsoom) the plot falls to tedium, with few action scenes separated by never-ending and never convincing "romance" between Carter and Dejah, the titular Princess of Burroughs' tale. The two (Taylor Kitsch and Lynn Collins) are so bad every scene between them is like a prompt to check your watch. Each of Carter and Dejah's tedious conversation is like hearing a weird conversation between a crappy Batman and Hamlet's Ophelia. The dialogue doesn't help; billboards don't have words this stiff.
The supporting cast is good enough to make an effort at saving the film. Ciaran Hinds, Dominic West, James Purefoy, Mark Strong, and even Willem Dafoe are all present and doing their best. But it's Breaking Bad's Bryan Cranston who practically makes the film's opening all on his own. Unfortunately, these terrific performers are used to little effect, and the film suffers for it.
Production design for the film is a mixed bag. Visual effects are astounding, but costume design is weak. So in some scenes you have ridiculous looking actors boring you in front of beautiful backdrops or in incredible set pieces. Sound design is not good, and the score is downright pitiful. As much as the movie wants to be Star Wars, it just can't match Lucas' ability in that film to pull together the best of everyone at their jobs, creating a movie that looks and sounds gorgeous and works well together. Carter is more piecemeal, with a good quality here and a ruinous disaster there, a hodgepodge of the best and worst Disney could muster. Director Andrew Stanton, known primarily for his work on fantastic Pixar productions like Wall-E and Finding Nemo, surely gets the blame here. Though I've loved his animated features, not all directors of animation are ready for live action (as proved only recently by Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol).
As a throwaway popcorn muncher for the kids, this movie might prove a winner. The simple inch-deep characters and the generic comedy/action certainly seemed fun enough as long as you're not looking for more. But my warning to adults who decide to take the kids is to expect to be bored, and endure a long dark two hours of the soul.
Rating: 2.5/5 Recommendation: Wait for cable. See my other reviews at clarketaculargeek.wordpress.com
Carter is at its best when the action is fast and the fun is light, with laughs mixed in with the punches and swordplay. A well crafted intro gives us an idea of who Captain John Carter is and what makes him an unlikely hero. Sadly, once transported to Mars (known by its inhabitants as Barsoom) the plot falls to tedium, with few action scenes separated by never-ending and never convincing "romance" between Carter and Dejah, the titular Princess of Burroughs' tale. The two (Taylor Kitsch and Lynn Collins) are so bad every scene between them is like a prompt to check your watch. Each of Carter and Dejah's tedious conversation is like hearing a weird conversation between a crappy Batman and Hamlet's Ophelia. The dialogue doesn't help; billboards don't have words this stiff.
The supporting cast is good enough to make an effort at saving the film. Ciaran Hinds, Dominic West, James Purefoy, Mark Strong, and even Willem Dafoe are all present and doing their best. But it's Breaking Bad's Bryan Cranston who practically makes the film's opening all on his own. Unfortunately, these terrific performers are used to little effect, and the film suffers for it.
Production design for the film is a mixed bag. Visual effects are astounding, but costume design is weak. So in some scenes you have ridiculous looking actors boring you in front of beautiful backdrops or in incredible set pieces. Sound design is not good, and the score is downright pitiful. As much as the movie wants to be Star Wars, it just can't match Lucas' ability in that film to pull together the best of everyone at their jobs, creating a movie that looks and sounds gorgeous and works well together. Carter is more piecemeal, with a good quality here and a ruinous disaster there, a hodgepodge of the best and worst Disney could muster. Director Andrew Stanton, known primarily for his work on fantastic Pixar productions like Wall-E and Finding Nemo, surely gets the blame here. Though I've loved his animated features, not all directors of animation are ready for live action (as proved only recently by Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol).
As a throwaway popcorn muncher for the kids, this movie might prove a winner. The simple inch-deep characters and the generic comedy/action certainly seemed fun enough as long as you're not looking for more. But my warning to adults who decide to take the kids is to expect to be bored, and endure a long dark two hours of the soul.
Rating: 2.5/5 Recommendation: Wait for cable. See my other reviews at clarketaculargeek.wordpress.com