MTF Movie Review! Does John Carter Soar Off To Mars? Or Is He Grounded Here On Earth? Doh!

John Carter… So many people are talking about how expensive it was, how the marketing was off etc… But few people are actually saying how the movie is. I was invited to a screening of the film and even though I was apprehensive about going I decided to check it out. And…

It was pretty good. I honestly walked in with zero expectations, and with little to no knowledge of the back story except its budget was $250 million dollars, it was based on an Edgar Rice Burroughs novel, and had something to do with a guy named John Carter heading off to Mars…


The good: I thought for a movie as long as John Carter was, it didn’t flounder and was fairly action packed. It had so much back story to tell but it wasn’t labored or forced. I liked the idea that John Carter was from the 1800’s and then thrown into a battle on another planet as opposed to having him in our current present day. I’m shocked that didn’t get changed when Disney started the project, and the pseudo dog was adorable. He could run really fast and joined in to help save the day just enough.

The supporting cast was great including Mark Strong as a race of aliens who set out to lead people into doing what they want them to do changing the course of the universe. Honestly, ask me their names, and I couldn’t tell you, but Mark Strong added a great sinister presence.

The action scenes were also very well done and the effects were top notch. Again there was a lot to like in this tale!

The bad: The acting was a tad… How shall I say this…? Wooden? That’s the right word. I like Taylor Kitsch, but he seemed a little out of his element here and didn’t have the personality resonating for the audience to really relate to John Carter. Lynn Collins matched Taylor Kitsch note for note in the wooded department with barely anything interesting about her character, Dejah Thoris. This is 2012 and you have to do more than act tough and wield a sword to make your female characters resonant.

Also, the green alien creatures were cool, but hell if I could tell them apart. They were all the same shade of green with four hands and two tusks. Okay, but… they all looked the same! Literally… I was like… Is he good, is he bad… Was that Willem Dafoe?

Still all in all, I didn’t think the movie was half bad, and I actually enjoyed myself. It’s not going to change the world but it certainly doesn’t deserve to be derided like it is. I say check it out and give John Carter FROM MARS a chance!