one of its problems. But it does provide vigorous, eye-filling entertainment, and paves the way for Taylor Kitsch (best known so far from his work on the TV series Friday Night Lights) to become a major movie star.
I never read Edgar Rice Burroughs’ novels about Carter and the planet Mars (known to the locals as Barsoom), but a friend who is a lifelong devotee was
quite pleased with this adaptation, by director Andrew Stanton, Mark Andrews, and Michael Chabon, declaring it true to the spirit of the books even though it adds many ideas of its own. As one of Pixar’s star players, Stanton is an
experienced cinematic storyteller, which is why it’s disappointing that his first live-action project is so unwieldy at times. My challenge was keeping track of the many curious and unusual-looking characters that populate the picture.
John Carter (a virile, and likable, Kitsch) is a Confederate soldier who, in the
wake of a family tragedy, has become uncontrollable, a wild animal who is
ready to lash out at anyone and everyone. Fate and circumstance transport him
to the planet Mars, where the lighter gravity gives him the ability to jump and
soar about. This impresses even the fiercest warriors he meets, including a feisty
princess (Lynn Collins) whose father is urging her to marry one of their enemies
in order to create a peaceful alliance. The question is whether or not Carter is
willing to take sides in a battle that is not his own.
This epic-scale production is the latest to offer a visual-effects landscape so
palpably real that it’s impossible to tell where actors and sets leave off and
movie magic takes over. At one time this achievement alone would have made
John Carter a major event; today, it is just the latest in a string of films to show
off such technical wizardry. While we can still marvel at the amazing sights
laid out before us—like an apparent monster who turns out to be an overgrown
puppy-dog-like pet—it is imperative that we never lose sight of who’s who, and
what’s at stake. That turns out to be a tall order.
I can only call the finished film a mixed bag, with exciting scenes followed by
dull stretches. But no movie so rich in imagination and so skillfully staged could
or should be dismissed out of hand. If you have even the slightest curiosity
about John Carter, I’d encourage you to see it.
As to why the folks at Disney decided to leave “…of Mars” off the title, I have
no idea what they hoped to accomplish. Readers have devoured Burroughs’
novels under that name for decades; turning it into a generic name seems
downright silly.
