JOHN CARTER

 Reviewed by Patrick Gibbs

JOHN CARTER

GRADE: A-

Screenplay by Andrew Stanton & Mark Andrews and Michael Chabon

Based on the Novel “Princess of Mars” by Edgar Rice Burroughs

Directed by Andrew Stanton

First thing’s first: yes, this is one of the dullest titles ever for a blockbuster science fiction film, and no, it has nothing to do with the character Noah Wyle played on E/R.

Shortly after the Civil War, an embittered and war weary confederate veteran named John Carter (Taylor Kitsch), goes prospecting in Arizona after the war's end. Captain Carter was quite the soldier in his day, and speaks fluent Apache, and  an Army Colonel named Powell (Bryan Cranston, one of the great actors of our time once again in a smaller role than he deserves), is eager to enlist his aid in a campaign. But Carter is done fighting - having struck a rich vein of gold, he has better things to do with his time. But while evading Powell, Carter runs afoul of the Apaches. While hiding in a sacred cave, he is mysteriously transported to Mars, called “Barsoom” by its inhabitants. Carter finds that he has great strength and superhuman agility in this new environment as a result of its lesser gravity. He soon falls in with the Tharks, a nomadic tribe of Green Martians, as the planet's warlike, six-limbed, green-skinned inhabitants are known. Thanks to his strength and combat abilities, Carter rises to a high position in the tribe and earns the respect and eventually the friendship of Tars Tarkas, one of the Thark chiefs (Willem Dafoe.).

The Tharks subsequently capture Dejah (Lynn Collins), Princess of Helium, a member of the humanoid red Martian race, and it's not long before Carter becomes embroiled in the political affairs of both the red and green men.

Based upon the novel Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs, creator of Tarzan, John Carter was planet hopping long before Buck Rogers or Flash Gordon, let alone Han Solo or Luke Skywalker. It's the prototypical B science fiction “space opera story,” and it's silly, convoluted, and at times very cheesy. It's also hands down one of the most enjoyable blockbusters I've seen in a very long time, transporting the audience back to days of childhood wonders and rousing space adventures – I found myself wanting talk my Mom into taking me to the toy store to buy all of the action figures, and then grudgingly remembering that I'm 37.

Director Andrew Stanton, who has given us some genuine modern classics, such as Finding Nemo and WALL-E, makes a major impression with his first major live action feature (thought the designation is debatable – at least two thirds of what you see on screen is C.G.I. But Stanton and the other folks at PIXAR have always known how to use the tool to tell the story, rather than letting the story be an excuse to use the tool. While those two so called “kids films” are both deeper and more profound than John Carter, the name level of commitment to detail and excellence in film making is applied here, and this movie, pulpy and goofy as it is, is so breathtaking, so exciting, and so comfortable with it's own silliness that it's very hard to find any real fault with it.

The lead performances are very solid, with Kitsch, best known for TV's Friday Night Lights and his appearance as Gambit in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, shows a surprising amount of screen presence and star potential as Carter, though at times he seems perhaps a bit young for the role, particularly in the final section. Lynn Collins, who plays Princess Dejah, ironically, is also best known for Wolverine, which begs the question: did the folks at Disney PIXAR actually watch that film and find something worthwhile? Collins also shows a lot of charisma and a commanding presence. Let's face it – neither of these two are called upon to deliver Oscar caliber performances. They are playing larger than life pulp figures, and they are there to be likable and to look good exposing as much skin as they can in a movie released under the Disney label, and they succeed. Mark Strong, the Alan Rickman for the new generation, gives what can best be described as “a Mark Strong performance.” Nothing new, nothing Earth shattering, or Mars shattering, but as always, he makes a good villain. The best performances come from the Tharks: Willem Dafoe as Tars Tarkas, Samantha Morton as Sola, and Thomas Hayden Church as Tal Hajus, go above and beyond to make these green, tusked Martians surprisingly believable. But I have to admit, for me, the movie was about the giant dog.

In addition, the Moab scenery and the rousing score by Michael Giacchino, who is well on his way to becoming the next John Williams, are both stunning.

This is not a deep, thoughtful film. It's not a great, profound story of vivid characters searching deep within their souls to find out who they are. It's a rollicking and unapologetic throwback to the golden ages of space fantasy – namely, the early '80's, the 'early '40's, and of course, 1912, when Burroughs first put pen in hand and used his imagination to influence countless others for generations. This movie is pure fun and pure adventure, and I couldn't have enjoyed it more.

John Carter is rated PG-13 for a profanity, violence and mild sensuality – don't let the Disney name make you just assume that this is suitable for all ages.