Transported to Barsoom, a Civil War vet discovers a barren planet seemingly inhabited by 12-foot tall barbarians. Finding himself prisoner of these creatures, he escapes, only to encounter Woola and a princess in desperate need of a savior (www.imdb.com).
Director: Andrew Stanton (Finding Nemo, WALL-E)
Starring: Taylor Kitsch, Lynn Collins, Willem Dafoe, Thomas Haden Church, Mark Strong, Ciaran Hinds, Dominic West, James Purefoy, Bryan Cranston
Star Wars. The Lord of the Rings. Harry Potter. These are loved film franchises. All are unique in their own way. John Carter, unfortunately struggles to make its own way. Copying others is what JC does best.
That's not to say it's dreadful. On the contrary. The story is decent; a headstrong princess on Mars is in need of help and a single man from Earth comes to her call. John Carter (Taylor Kitsch) is dropped in to the unknown. Being foreign in a different world isn't taken advantage of when Carter feels at ease very quickly.
The war between two human-looking races (differentiated by red and blue garments), and a marriage proposal between Dominic West and Lynn Collins' princess detracts our attention from the alien race. The green-skinned, 12-foot tall barbarians are full of character and back-story which is what the human lookalikes lack. Tars Tarkas (voiced by Willem Dafoe) and his band of misfits are Disney greats.
There's nothing particularly wrong with this movie. It has all the right ingredients to succeed, but for some unknown reason John Carter's deprived of that 'wow factor' that other franchises bear.
3.5/5
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