John Carter

“John Carter” could have been the first feature animated film in Hollywood history but MGM decided against the project back in the 30’s because film exhibitors found the story too odd and unrealistic. Ironically, Universal’s “Flash Gordon” movie serial released around the same time was very profitable. Turning the series of books into a film was attempted multiple times by various studios since then and finally Andrew Stanton (two-time Oscar winning director of “Finding Nemo” and “WALL-E”) and Mark Andrews (head of story on “The Incredibles”) have brought “John Carter” to the big screen at last. I feel that this is the right time because “Avatar” has motivated special effects artists to step up and this gives Edgar Rice Burroughs’ story the glory that it needs. While the film has many good points, I felt that the story could have been a lot better considering the talents of those who were tasked with adapting it.

I will address my concerns first. John’s introduction in the movie could have been handled a tad better. Starting with the Arizona scenes, we understand that John has a lack of purpose in life but it is hard to relate to him. It is by way of the flashbacks that we learn how John lost his purpose in life. I feel that it would have been better to show the flashbacks at the start of the film so that we can sympathize with John from the get go. John’s change of heart could also have been handled better. Even Jake Sully’s change of heart on “Avatar” was more realistic. The scenes that depict John’s character development while on Barsoom were not as dramatic or relatable as they could have been. I also felt that the prologue was a little confusing for me at least. I think that the filmmakers made a movie that appeals more to fans of the books than to new fans like me. I had to pay attention so as to not get confused by the number of societies and armies that exist on Barsoom. I had to figure out who is part of which army. The film should have been made for those who grew up with John Carter as well as those who are new to the story like “Iron Man” or “Rise of the Planet of the Apes”. Another little problem I have is how the romantic story between John and Dejah Thoris is executed. It was either the acting or the script but either way, I didn’t believe the developing relationship between John and Dejah. Dejah introdcution in the movie was also not as sincere as it could have been. The fact that she lies multiple times to John also makes it hard for me to accept their love by the end of the movie. If Andrew Stanton could create a romantic story between robots that barely talk and win an Oscar for it, he was more than capable of adapting this science fiction romance. I feel he and the other filmmakers should have worked harder on the adaptation in pre-production.

Having given my criticism, I will now mention the good things about the movie. The first and last shots on the film are similar to the first and last shots on “WALL-E”. Stanton’s direction in creating humor was great such as with the alien dog, the multiple attempts of the army to subdue John at the start of the movie and John getting used to the gravity on Barsoom. The special effects were well done in that I believed that John could jump as high as he does in the film. There was nothing phony about his superpowers. The best element of “John Carter” was the creation of the Thark race. You can tell that Stanton’s experience with computer-generated characters came in handy. The appearance and acting of the Tharks was almost as realistic as the Na’vi on “Avatar” and motion capture wasn't even used on “John Carter”. The eyes of the Tharks realistically portrayed emotion. The best performance in the movie is Willem Dafoe’s vocal performance as Tars Tarkas. His character as a result was so believable and appealing. Dafoe has worked with Andrew Stanton before on “Finding Nemo” and I feel this pre-existing relationship helped in the creation of Tars as a realistic character. Mark Strong the perfect actor to play Shang by the way. The film has some great scenes that are fun to watch such as when John alone battles the large army of Tharks led by Sarkoja. Another really fun moment is the arena battle. I would have liked however to see John and Tal Hajus fight longer for the leadership of the tribe. The best part of the story of this movie is the ending. It made up for a lot of the story problems. The surprise twist was truly unexpected but at the same time, it wasn’t complicated to understand. It all makes sense as you watch it unfold, even before it is verbally explained to you. From the start of the movie, I could tell that Ned was author Edgar Rice Burroughs. That was a nice touch to the story. I love the line “Write a book.”

I am interested in sequels but considering the Pixar films that these filmmakers have made; the story adaptation of this first John Carter film could have been better. “John Carter” has some great qualities but they do not negate the mistakes it has.

3.5 Stars