John Carter (2012) received mixed critic and audience reviews. This Disney blockbuster underperformed in theaters and will not collect any sequels. Considering all of this, I would like to tell you why it deserves your viewing anyways. Read here for the review! Some minor spoilers may follow.
Original science fiction films have a history of not performing well in recent box office history. John Carter is the first-ever science fiction book by the way from Edgar Rice Burroughs. Not even this historical story breaks the mold. Everything today gets compared to the best of Star Trek and Star Wars, so it's no wonder that most don't make the cut.
The story follows John Carter who is a former Confederate officer searching for gold. He stumbles upon a cave and is transported to Barsoom (Mars). You learn about the different races of Mars and their ongoing wars. The planet is in dismay, and the groups are in constant power struggles.
Taylor Kitsch plays our protagonist. While the performance isn't necessarily award-worthy, it gives you plenty to enjoy. Nothing is awkward, and he proves a competent hero. The other performance to mention is Lynn Collins as Dejah Thoris. The red princess of Mars is excellent being powerful and graceful at the same time.
One of the best parts of the movie is the production design combined with CGI. The landscape of Mars is true to its reality combined with bits of imagination. Alien architecture is displayed showing the different cultures of the people of Mars. Many shots in the film are beautiful. The river Iss is prominent in the story, and it is pretty in the movie.
There is an arena fight scene much like in Star Wars: Attack of the Clones. He fights the white apes which are ferocious creatures that haunt the native Martians.
Obviously, some critiques of the movie are legitimate. Some of the script is cheesy taking away from the moment. I think that parts of the film seemed rushed including Carter's escape from the Martians. The book isn't long in this part either, but it is fleshed out. An example is how the Martian dog becomes attached to Carter, and it makes sense why in the book. In the movie, it's casually mentioned after some big moments have already happened.
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