I was a big fan of Edgar Rice Burroughs John Carter of Mars stories, when I first read them as a teenager. They are filled with adventure and wonder, moving breathlessly from one cliffhanger to the next. You didn't get a ton of character development, but there was enough to make you connect to the hero and his friends. So, I have waited years to see something like that on screen. When I heard this was finally happening, I couldn't wait to see how they would render the Tharks and the aerial navies, not to mention Carter's heightened abilities. I also wondered how they would handle the episodic nature of the source material.
I missed the film in theaters but heard the lackluster reviews and dismal box office. Still, I was a big enough fan to want to see it and waited for rental. Well, I was pleasantly surprised.
The film isn't likely to win awards, but neither was the source material. Instead, it delights in presenting us a world of high adventure and strange creatures. It gives us an old-school hero who fights against massive odds because that is what heroes do. It delights in giving us thrills and a bit of intrigue, without coming across as pompous or self-satisfied. In short, it has fun and tells a bang-up story. Would that more films could do this.
This could have easily have been just mindless action; but, Andrew Stanton and Michael Chabon had enough respect for the source material to actually give us some plot and character motivation. These characters come alive because they are given real personalities, despite weird names, like Tars Tarkas and Dejah Thoris. They are helped by some good performances from seasoned actors (Cirian Hinds and Mark Strong) and a decent one in lead Taylor Kitsch. Kitsch is a bit wobbly at first (much like Carter, when he arrives on Mars) but he finds his footing as the story progresses and gets you to cheer for the hero.
What ends up sinking this film is a studio who wanted a blockbuster franchise, rather than an entertaining film. They got the entertaining film but the chances of more are slim to none. The audience was conditioned to expect something epic and weren't satisfied to get something fun. Their loss, I say. I think time will be much kinder to this film, as people discover that good old fashioned adventure still lives.
I missed the film in theaters but heard the lackluster reviews and dismal box office. Still, I was a big enough fan to want to see it and waited for rental. Well, I was pleasantly surprised.
The film isn't likely to win awards, but neither was the source material. Instead, it delights in presenting us a world of high adventure and strange creatures. It gives us an old-school hero who fights against massive odds because that is what heroes do. It delights in giving us thrills and a bit of intrigue, without coming across as pompous or self-satisfied. In short, it has fun and tells a bang-up story. Would that more films could do this.
This could have easily have been just mindless action; but, Andrew Stanton and Michael Chabon had enough respect for the source material to actually give us some plot and character motivation. These characters come alive because they are given real personalities, despite weird names, like Tars Tarkas and Dejah Thoris. They are helped by some good performances from seasoned actors (Cirian Hinds and Mark Strong) and a decent one in lead Taylor Kitsch. Kitsch is a bit wobbly at first (much like Carter, when he arrives on Mars) but he finds his footing as the story progresses and gets you to cheer for the hero.
What ends up sinking this film is a studio who wanted a blockbuster franchise, rather than an entertaining film. They got the entertaining film but the chances of more are slim to none. The audience was conditioned to expect something epic and weren't satisfied to get something fun. Their loss, I say. I think time will be much kinder to this film, as people discover that good old fashioned adventure still lives.