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John Carter of Mars review

Preston DuBose

Registered User
***Spoiler Free***

Saw it on opening night. I first read the books in Jr. High and fell in love with them. As much as I wanted the movie to be good, mostly I was just hoping that it wouldn't stink. I'd say it fell somewhere between the two.

The Bad
It was a movie that needed another round of script revisions before going to filming. The screenwriters tried to appeal to modern sensibilities by giving the lead characters more depth, but they managed to do it in a way that made them less compatible. The soundtrack wasn't terrible, but it went melodramatic in a few places and certainly did nothing to elevate the film. Contrast it to another Disney movie, Pirates of the Caribbean, which had a distinctive score. The casting also left something to be desired. One actor in particular (not the lead) was almost painful to watch every time he opened his mouth. Unfortunately, neither the leading man nor leading lady had the presence to carry the flawed script. A-list actors might have been able to pull it off, but these were not A-list actors.

The Good
John Carter is pulp fiction at its finest. You don't go to a movie about a swordsman walking around Mars breathing the air and expect realism. It's still a rousing fun adventure. The location design and CGI were absolutely beautiful. It perfectly captured Mars' beauty in the books. The alien character design was absolutely spot-on. In truth, my favorite characters were the digital ones. Apparently Disney spent the "A-list" budget on voice work because William Defoe voiced the four-armed Thark, Tars Tarkas.

All in all, I give it 3 stars out of 5.
 

Brent Heilman

Premium Member
Thanks for the review. I will still see it but when it comes out on Blu-Ray and maybe 3D Blu-Ray. I would think it would be about the best possible movie you could come up with. It had the longest development time of any movie that has ever been made.
 

MikeMay

Premium Member
Good review, no spoilers, a bit of the good and the bad...kinda what I was expecting. I read Burrow's novels as a kid too so I have been waiting for this one for some time.
 

PeterLT

Premium Member
My son and I saw it on an IMAX screen and it was spectacular. I loved it and it got my son looking at reading the Edgar Rice Boroughs Mars series. Good flick.
 
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