John Carter

I did only have modest expectations of this film as the trailer reminded me a bit to much of Dune. Really surprised to find a film which had a good plot line (albeit cynics will liken it to Avatar-lite), well acted, reasonable characterisations, brilliant visuals and a surprisingly good hero figure in Taylor Kitsch. I saw the preview screening this morning - don't really care how much it cost to make - what I found was a big budget film that I really enjoyed from start to finish. My advice - don't follow the cynics and naysayers - see it for yourself. I will normally not go see 3D films (they give me a headache) but the 3D wasn't too intrusive on this one.

John Carter did not get the attention that it needed! This movie should of been more successful and despite what most of the critics and viewers are saying about this movie, "that its a lot like Star Wars and Avatar", that is not true. I have found John Carter to be an amazing movie visually, and the story was actually great. Don't get me wrong, Star Wars and Avatar were great movies, but I believe that John Carter was far much different and slightly better. I saw John Carter in the theaters the week that it came out and I had a lot of fun watching this movie!. So the hell with the critics, in my opinion, John Carter kicked ass!!!!.

I LOVED this movie. I had read the books many years ago and some of the Marvel Comics series so I had images in my head of what I thought John, Dejah, Tars and Barsoom would look like...and this movie pretty much topped them all. The Tharks were better than my imagination! This is a movie for everyone. It's an adventure movie, an action movie, a science fiction movie, a fantasy movie and a romance. Please give it a chance, ignore any of the bad press and watch it for yourself. And just remember, this movie is based on books written 100 years ago by Edgar Rice Burroughs, so if you think "oh they did that in Star Wars" or wasn't something like that in (insert almost any other scifi movie)" please remember that they came AFTER John Carter not before...this movie might have been filmed later but the story was here a century ago, so those movies are drawing on John Carter's themes not the other way around. I thought the actors were brilliantly cast, they really suited my image of the characters and I loved the storyline. Yes there could have been perhaps more explanations but the gist was there and if you want to know more read the books. Give this movie a chance. Watch it more than once and you will pick up more each time you watch it. Maybe, like The Terminator, which also didn't do as well at the movies but then picked up on video, we might get to see the sequel in the near future. Are you listening Disney?

Of course John Carter is a long way from flawless, but it is also not that bad but you wouldn't think so looking at its box office failure, its reputation and also how terribly marketed it was. Sure the plot is thin as ice in places with scenes that go on for far longer than they needed to, and it is also predictable and with the odd convoluted part, with the many logical lapses not helping in its favour. Particularly at the end, which gave off a sense that the film didn't know how to end itself. The script is uneven too, a fair bit of it is actually quite intelligently handled with some entertainment and suspense but there are other points where the dialogue does make one cringe and you do wish you learnt more about the characters and that the romance wasn't so disjointed and forced. John Carter however does look incredible, the backdrops and scenery are bursting with colour and detail and don't look fake at all and the special effects are equally impressive and not cartoony at all, they are at least well modelled and move easily. Michael Giaccino's music score is outstanding being full of bombastic energy and sweeping intensity, doing all that while fitting with the action and not swamping it. There is plenty of action and it is action that is a feast for the eyes and choreographically is very well-executed, the best of them dazzlingly so. Of the characters, the most enjoyable one was Woola, a very cute and very funny dog creature- the CGI for the character is very well done and some of the best of the film actually- that children and adults alike will take a shine to. Andrew Stanton, considering that his field is more in animation and that the crew for John Carter is so huge, had a very daunting task and does so bravely, though with the odd understandable occasion where he seemed out of sorts with the live actors. While the story may not be the greatest, John Carter shouldn't be taken too seriously, it was intended to be harmless family fun and is so and it has an earnest, old-fashioned approach that works and in keeping with the source material. The performances are not bad at all, Taylor Kitsch does start off for a while ill at ease and over-serious but once he relaxes he does make for a likable hero. Lynn Collins is both feisty and human, and the supporting cast all make an effort to make much of little with Willem Dafoe, Mark Strong(in a role that suits him to a tee) and Ciaron Hinds being the most successful. In conclusion, not flawless by any stretch of the imagination but far from a disaster either. 7/10 Bethany Cox

Not a fantasy masterpiece but I like it - John Carter got some fantastic settings, some good action and even some funny moments. Yes, the main body of the story is rather a simple one but anyway the ride makes fun and is entertaining. I should add that I never read one of the original stories written by Edgar Rice Burroughs (note to myself: read one), so it is possible that readers and fans of the original stories, like some other reviews indicate, may be disappointed by the movie adaption.