John Carter (B or 3/4 stars)
'John Carter' (based on a classic 1917 novel by Edgar Rice Burroughs, & directed by Andrew Stanton, of Pixar) is a sweeping adventure film in which the title character (Taylor Kitsch, of Friday Night Lights), a widowed & dispirited Civil War vet from Virginia, is inexplicably transported to Mars (referred to as Barsoom by its inhabitants) by a magical amulet. Differences in gravity give John enhanced strength & agility on Barsoom, which is in the midst of its own civil war. John's 1st encounter with the natives is with a host of 12 ft. tall, 4-armed, green, tusked "Tharks", led by Tars Tarkas (motion-captured by Willem Dafoe). Circumstances lead to John rescuing the exotic Princess of Helium, Dejah Thoris (Lynn Collins), who is to be woefully married by her King father, Tardos Mors (Ciaran Hinds, haha), to warlord Sab Than (Dominic West) to secure peace btwn. the warring blue & red humanoids.
Desperate for a savior, the princess wants John to join her people in their epic struggle against the forces of Sab Than; in return, she offers him the secret of how to return to Earth. But of course, Murphy's Law comes into play. Sab Than is being controlled by a race of immortal space deities who can alter their appearance on a whim, and enjoy manipulating the rise & fall of empires & planets. i.e., Sab Than is a pawn of theirs, and easy to manage because he's a dumbbell. To save this dying world, JC must use his newfound powers, form shaky alliances (like with the Thark creatures), defeat the plans of Matai Shang (Mark Strong, haha), & save those living on Mars. Chaos ensues as he desperately tries to achieve this, as well as getting back to Earth to start his life anew.
You know, 'John Carter (of Mars, as originally titled)' has faced an uphill battle for a while. It's taken years to come to the screen. There have been re-writes galore. The marketing campaign has been all over the map. The budget is rumored to be an astronomical (no pun intended) $250 million. The film has been getting negative buzz for a few weeks now. And though it will make a killing overseas, it looks to only open circa $30 million stateside.
But enough of that. How is the film, you ask? Well, 'JC' is not quite as good as I'd hoped it could be, but it's certainly a lot better than I feared it would be. When a maligned film (such as this) releases, it sometimes gives the critics reason to knock the film while it's already down. And though the reviews here aren't completely damning, it looks as if the critics held true to their fickle form. The strengths of 'JC' are clear. The CGI is great. The art direction is phenomenal. The costumes, make-up, sound & Michael Giacchino's music all lend to the proceedings. For better or worse, you really DO see the $250 million up on the screen.
Taylor Kitsch did not bore me, as many critics told me he would. Is he the most charismatic hero? No. But there IS something there. He's got the requisite physique/looks that fit the role. There's humor in the script and, he tapped into that fairly well. Lynn Collins makes for a solid warrior heroine. She's strong, beautiful, & has a mind of her own; which is great to see in a female protagonist. I just wish she had a stronger character arc in the end.
One of the big stumbling blocks that this film encounters is that it looks like sci-fi/fantasy films of yore (EVEN if the source material pre-dates the other stuff). Parts of 'JC' resemble the Star Wars prequels (the Thark creatures). There's a chase through a moving city that resembles a flying chase from Empire Strikes Back. JC literally looks like Tarzan (another E.R. Burroughs creation). There are airships that look like they came from Avatar's Pandora. Some of the topography of Barsoom resembles Pandora. JC partners with savages in a noble cause, a la Dances with Wolves. There's a man vs. beast bout in an arena (a la Gladiator) in which JC comes out the victor in blue make-up (a la Mel Gibson in Braveheart). For as cool as 'JC' looks, there's just the faintest been-there-done-that feel.
Overall, 'JC' is a throwback to a simpler time when epic heroes faced all sorts of foes, hoped to get the girl, & triumphed over evil. The film is colorful, chaotic, fun, corny ... a kind of proficient hit-&-miss extravaganza. Now, some explanations (in the script) fall short. Exposition is spouted at us (about the twisty politics of Barsoom). And this all lends to a certain shortage of emotional investment. I'm sure die hards of the source material will be unforgiving of its narrative shortcomings. But there's enough fun & magnificence in the film to create an entertaining diversion for willing audiences. And P.S. - how can you not like a film with a loveable, lightning quick Barsoom dog that looks like a combo of Jaba the Hut & a pit bull. He is incredibly loyal to John Carter. His name in Woola. And he is awesome.
Desperate for a savior, the princess wants John to join her people in their epic struggle against the forces of Sab Than; in return, she offers him the secret of how to return to Earth. But of course, Murphy's Law comes into play. Sab Than is being controlled by a race of immortal space deities who can alter their appearance on a whim, and enjoy manipulating the rise & fall of empires & planets. i.e., Sab Than is a pawn of theirs, and easy to manage because he's a dumbbell. To save this dying world, JC must use his newfound powers, form shaky alliances (like with the Thark creatures), defeat the plans of Matai Shang (Mark Strong, haha), & save those living on Mars. Chaos ensues as he desperately tries to achieve this, as well as getting back to Earth to start his life anew.
You know, 'John Carter (of Mars, as originally titled)' has faced an uphill battle for a while. It's taken years to come to the screen. There have been re-writes galore. The marketing campaign has been all over the map. The budget is rumored to be an astronomical (no pun intended) $250 million. The film has been getting negative buzz for a few weeks now. And though it will make a killing overseas, it looks to only open circa $30 million stateside.
But enough of that. How is the film, you ask? Well, 'JC' is not quite as good as I'd hoped it could be, but it's certainly a lot better than I feared it would be. When a maligned film (such as this) releases, it sometimes gives the critics reason to knock the film while it's already down. And though the reviews here aren't completely damning, it looks as if the critics held true to their fickle form. The strengths of 'JC' are clear. The CGI is great. The art direction is phenomenal. The costumes, make-up, sound & Michael Giacchino's music all lend to the proceedings. For better or worse, you really DO see the $250 million up on the screen.
Taylor Kitsch did not bore me, as many critics told me he would. Is he the most charismatic hero? No. But there IS something there. He's got the requisite physique/looks that fit the role. There's humor in the script and, he tapped into that fairly well. Lynn Collins makes for a solid warrior heroine. She's strong, beautiful, & has a mind of her own; which is great to see in a female protagonist. I just wish she had a stronger character arc in the end.
One of the big stumbling blocks that this film encounters is that it looks like sci-fi/fantasy films of yore (EVEN if the source material pre-dates the other stuff). Parts of 'JC' resemble the Star Wars prequels (the Thark creatures). There's a chase through a moving city that resembles a flying chase from Empire Strikes Back. JC literally looks like Tarzan (another E.R. Burroughs creation). There are airships that look like they came from Avatar's Pandora. Some of the topography of Barsoom resembles Pandora. JC partners with savages in a noble cause, a la Dances with Wolves. There's a man vs. beast bout in an arena (a la Gladiator) in which JC comes out the victor in blue make-up (a la Mel Gibson in Braveheart). For as cool as 'JC' looks, there's just the faintest been-there-done-that feel.
Overall, 'JC' is a throwback to a simpler time when epic heroes faced all sorts of foes, hoped to get the girl, & triumphed over evil. The film is colorful, chaotic, fun, corny ... a kind of proficient hit-&-miss extravaganza. Now, some explanations (in the script) fall short. Exposition is spouted at us (about the twisty politics of Barsoom). And this all lends to a certain shortage of emotional investment. I'm sure die hards of the source material will be unforgiving of its narrative shortcomings. But there's enough fun & magnificence in the film to create an entertaining diversion for willing audiences. And P.S. - how can you not like a film with a loveable, lightning quick Barsoom dog that looks like a combo of Jaba the Hut & a pit bull. He is incredibly loyal to John Carter. His name in Woola. And he is awesome.