John Carter is a really good movie. I am immensely sad that it isn’t drawing a big crowd because it is certainly worthy of one.
Disney’s John Carter is based on the book A Princess of Mars, by Edgar Rice Burroughs. I pasted the IMDB synopsis below.
“Transplanted to Mars, a Civil War vet discovers a lush planet inhabited by 12-foot tall barbarians. Finding himself a prisoner of these creatures, he escapes, only to encounter a princess who is in desperate need of a savior.”
The special effects are amazing. This is just the kind of sci-fi I like – the gritty, more realistic kind. For all my love of Star Trek, it was a bit unrealistically sterile. John Carter mixes primitive warriors with flying ships and aliens with advanced teleportation technology. It’s a rich mix of cultures.
One thing that was fun about this movie was picking out the difference between it and the book.
There was some significant rearranging of story. The Tharks weren’t as violent as they were in the book. There was no air machine. Some of the Thark hierarchy is rearranged. The story is streamlined, but the most important elements are still there.
Even if you didn’t read the book, this movie is very entertaining.
John Carter gets a big, fat A.
Also, on a side note – Disney, your marketing for this movie SUCKED. I loved A Princess of Mars and had no idea that’s what the movie was. It has the most boring title ever and the non-Imax poster says little to nothing about the story. Next time, generate more pre-release buzz. Consult your resident geeks for suggestions. That is all.
Despite occasional moments of silliness, the old-fashioned sense of adventure and brilliantly rendered aliens elevate this above other derivative big-budget sci-fi fare. I still wished that Kitsch did a lot better in this lead role but he was only there for eye-candy really. Good review.
ReplyDeleteThank you! Yes, eye candy can make up for a lot of things. : )
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