Growing up as a kid, I lived to watch cartoons that took you worlds beyond our own, retaining a semblance of humanity that the viewer could relate to yet mystifying them at the same time. Filmation and Mattel's He-Man and The Masters of The Universe served as that childhood springboard into a realm of fantasy, technology, and magic, and much of my imagination and appreciation for popculture stemmed from shows like that. Eventually, I grew to appreciate films of similar nature, namely the 80's Flash Gordon flick and the Star Wars/ Star Trek movies. Little did I know that all these concepts I enjoyed bore fruit because of one hero before his time: John Carter of Mars. Thanks to a special screening by Disney at IMAX in 3D last week, I got the chance to see this adventure, and the hero in it responsible for starting a trend that spanned generations.
Starring: Taylor Kitsch, Lynn Collins, Willem Dafoe, Mark Strong, Dominic West
Release Date: March 9, 2012
Based on legendary sci-fi writer Edgar Rice Burroughs' Barsoom series of novels, John Carter is an adaptation of the first book "A Princess Of Mars", and serves as the origin tale showing how Carter made the trip from Earth to Mars and became the hero and adventurer he was destined to be. Played by actor Taylor Kitsch (you know him also as Gambit from X-Men Origins: Wolverine), John Carter started out as a disillusioned American Civil War Confederate Army captain, who lost his family and motivation for fighting for his country. After circumstances see him transported to a mysterious world that later turns out to be Mars, Carter suddenly finds himself with enhanced abilities thanks to the planet's lesser gravity. He soon meets the inhabitants of Barsoom, namely the indigeneous aliens who live there, including the beautiful Martian princess of Helium named Dejah Thoris (played by another X-men Origins star, Lynn Collins). Thrust into the middle of a conflict and conspiracy that could determine the fate of Mars and the entire universe, the man known as John Carter must find it in himself to decide his destiny and finally be the kind of man he was born to be: A hero.
With the character's first appearance dating back to 1912, Disney's John Carter just so happens to be the centenary celebration of the character, and we owe so much to his existence for all the glorious Sc-Fi material enjoyed by millions of readers and viewers over the years. After viewing the film, I immediately compared it to another science fiction work I enjoyed in my youth, namely the Alex Raymond created comic strip "Flash Gordon" (ultimately getting the 80's live action flick of the same name I mentioned earlier). There's a lot similarities and parallels to that work and John Carter, but Burroughs' creation was first and arguably ahead of its time. The author was also responsible for creating another famous character, namely "Tarzan of the Apes", who went on to have several adventures and depictions in various forms of media and literature. "John Carter of Mars" never got that same kind of popularity, but its influence inspired people like George Lucas and James Cameron to develop Sci-Fi concepts that became blockbusters hits, namely "Star Wars" and "Avatar".
As a movie adaptation directed by Finding Nemo and WALL-E director Andrew Stanton, Disney's John Carter serves as wonderful science fiction adventure that the family can go to see. With today's technology allowing much of the special effects to become a reality in movies, bringing the world of Baroom/ Mars is literally a cinch, and the cast only guarantee a grand stage for adventure, with known actors like Willem Dafoe, Mark Strong, and Dominic West providing excellence in their roles, both for voice only and physical roles. However, after a century of inspiring other ideas that borrowed concepts from its own premise, John Carter does feel like a "run-in-the-mill"type of movie that has stuff people may be all too familiar with, not knowing it was the progenitor of it all. It's only drawback is it's a title that doesn't scream epic, rather a character who sounds like a John Doe and not something alluding to Burroughs' prized creation. Marketing has been a little low key to depict the film as an epic, but it does try to bring exposure by offering more clips of its premise, including this 10 minute exclusive sneak peek released by Disney.
As for John Carter himself, Taylor Kitsch captures the spirit of things by delivering a heroic performance, but it's going to take more than one movie to convince others of his acting chops, and hopefully this saga will spawn more sequels. I'd love to see Lynn Collins return as Dejah Thoris, and they have chemistry together as a power couple. Oh, and the aliens were funny, especially the big dog that looks like Marvel's Lockjaw. In fact, you have Gambit (Taylor Kitsch), Silverfox (Lynn Collins) Green Goblin (Willem Dafoe), Sandman (Thomas Hayden Church), and Green Lantern Sinestro (Mark Strong) in this movie... it's comic book movie all star casting here!
Undoubtedly, John Carter will divide fans with the way its presented and marketed, but those willing to step up and take a ride will be presented with an adventure that promises to be fun and captivating for generations new and old alike. It may not be recognized by many as one of the grandfathers of sci-fi adventure, but give it a chance and it may entice you to revisit Burroughs' books that started it all. All it takes is a leap of faith, so disregard whatever mixed opinions there may be... and watch something that keeps the spirit of adventure and fantasy living on forever.
Rating - 4/5
