Has its moments but no cartwheels

Mar 8, 2012

Two types of people will be mainly interested in John Carter: fans of the original 1912 Edgar Rice Burroughs book series, and fans of fantasy/sci-fi in general. Whereas book fans might find the long overdue adaptation fantastic and nostalgic, the average viewer will feel a bit disappointed by the predictable plot and cardboard characters. It’s basically the Prince of Persia film on Mars.

It’s a universal story and Burroughs’ books were among the first ones to explore it. But it has inspired so many directors since (Spielberg, Cameron), that Andrew Stanton (Finding Nemo, Toy Story) just didn’t have enough space to create something different in his live-action debut. The story follows John Carter (Kitsch), as he is transported to Mars. It has life, civilisation and lesser gravity, enabling him to perform feats of an acrobatic nature. He’s captured by green, four-armed creatures, gets entangled in a war between two nations by rescuing a princess (Collins) and interferes in the plans of fate itself. We see the planet, as John travels from one place to another, making up his mind about whether to stay and help or leave.

The casting was impressive. It’s always a pleasure to see Ciarán Hinds, James Purefoy and Mark Strong act, even in tiny roles. And Willem Defoe as a green Martian king was hilarious.

The special effects were realistic, but a bit boring. Mars (Barsoom, as the natives called it) was depicted as a withered, dying planet – it looked like the Grand Canyon’s landscape: red and dusty. Sometimes, however, the action scenes were too chaotic – it was difficult to follow the characters’ movements. Supposed to create a feel of thrill and dynamism, it merely ended up being confusing. The creatures and skyships were gorgeous though.

John Carter is enjoyable, but not memorable. Somehow it feels that Disney should stick to what Disney does best – animations – and leave live-action films to others. But if you don’t mind formulaic plot devices and only crave a bit of light-hearted entertainment, it’s a pleasant enough way to spend two hours.