John Carter is the live-action debut of director Andrew Stanton, an Oscar winner who helmed Finding Nemo and Wall*E. It is also an appreciably big-budget movie, a would-be blockbuster from Disney that marks an early start to the summer moviegoing season. Why would Disney entrust such a big title to an untested live-action director? I can think of two reasons. One is that enough of John Carter is computer-animated that it almost counts as an animated feature. The second is that even when what's on the screen is flesh-and-blood humanity, the movie has a decidedly cartoon-ish feel.

Not that it's as good as either of those Pixar masterpieces—or for that matter, the live-action debut of Stanton's Pixar cohort, Brad Bird (The Incredibles, Ratatouille), whose recent Mission: Impossible entry was also an enticingly cartoony non-cartoon. Ironically enough, the fish in Nemo had a lot more humanity than any of the humans in John Carter, and as science fiction goes, it's not as bold or as visionary as Wall*E.

Taylor Kitsch as John Carter

Taylor Kitsch as John Carter

But let this be said for John Carter" It's terrific entertainment. Stanton has crafted a movie that is way too long and far from perfect, but it's paced to hold the audience's attention. Its world-creation is superb, its action scenes compelling. It's not really funny, but there are enough moments of humor to keep it from being too solemn. If you're a sci-fi geek or fanboy, you'll probably love this. If you hate anything involving spaceships or little green men, you won't.

Most of all, John Carter is winsome because it stays true to its roots as a semi-pulpy fiction, but doesn't ratchet up the corniness. It's based on a book by Edgar Rice Burroughs, who also created Tarzan; between the book and the film, there have been many different comic book titles carrying the John Carter name.

Lynn Collins as Dejah Thoris

Lynn Collins as Dejah Thoris

Burroughs himself is written into the movie; played by Daryl Sabara, he is summoned to the estate of his just-deceased uncle, John Carter (Taylor Kitsch). He begins reading Carter's private journey; the full story then unfolds in flashback. It begins as a Western, really, before transitioning into sci-fi. (It is light-years ahead of Cowboys and Aliens, I should say.) John Carter is seeking a cave of gold, but instead finds an amulet that whisks him away to Mars.

In the Mars of this movie (like the book), the men are clad in Roman armor, women seem to be perpetually bikini-clad, and yes, there are actual green men. There are also airships that do battle, an epic coliseum, warring races of aliens, an ancient religion of mysticism, and, in John Carter, some strange superpowers, which essentially make him a god to the people of Mars. It is not at all hard to see why George Lucas has said, time and time again, that his Star Wars is deeply rooted in the imagination of Edgar Rice Burroughs, and the John Carter books in particular.

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Willem Dafoe as Tars Tarkas

Willem Dafoe as Tars Tarkas

There is a lot to be said about the plot—which is not entirely a good thing. There is simply a lot going on in this movie, and it's probably not unfair to suggest that Stanton doesn't always have total control over where this picture is headed. And did I mention that, at two hours, it feels rather long? But no matter. What the film lacks in focus it makes up for in ambition.

In fact, I would say that it compares favorably to Star Wars, particularly the prequels; it is similarly rooted in pulp, but Stanton's movie has a boyish energy and fathomless imagination that sets it apart from the science and politics of those first three Star Wars movies. It feels less like an overt attempt to establish a mythology, more like a big-budget, B-movie matinee. It really is very entertaining, and the planet-in-peril storyline and religious undertones give it just enough weight.

Samantha Morton as Sola

Samantha Morton as Sola

Speaking of religious undertones, I couldn't help but think of C.S. Lewis during one scene, when John Carter—an Earth man stranded on Mars—is described as being either a madman or a liar. He then offers a third possibility—that he is exactly who he says he is. Those are, of course, the same three options Lewis provided for explaining Christ himself, and his claims of divinity. Come to think of it, there is a later scene that describes John Carter as a man willing to lay down his life for others—and there's even a "tomb" involved. Hmmmm.

Burroughs himself was intentional in creating a character with the initials J.C., as he also did with John Clayton in the Tarzan mythology; religious themes are recurrent throughout his works. Further, director Stanton is a committed Christian. As for this film, Slate calls it "a surprisingly Christian movie."

Of course, those echoes would probably resonate more if we were given characters we actually cared about. I don't really blame it on the actors so much as the writing, which simply doesn't leave us any room to get to know the characters. Carter is a bland protagonist; too bad he's not more of a Han Solo figure (or like Firefly's Captain Mal, for that matter). Having a bit of roguish wit—or just, you know, a personality—would have done wonders to elevate this movie.

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But there is much here that's worthy of praise. The movie looks great—maybe not cutting-edge like Avatar, but certainly convincing in its immersive world-building. And at the end, when the movie inevitably turns to a note of romance, it's actually a bit compelling, suggesting what the movie might have amounted to were the characters better-defined. Still: John Carter is a rousing entertainment, and, for sci-fi buffs, an absolute big-screen must.

Talk About It

Discussion starters
  1. Do you think that John Carter is "the kind of man" who lays down his life for others—or is there something happens, some particular motivation for him to act heroically?
  2. Do you think John Carter is right when he comes to embrace Mars as his home? Do you think he is acting nobly, or that he is simply running away from his problems in Earth?
  3. How would you assess the claim about John Carter—that he is a madman, a liar, or exactly who he says he is?
  4. In what ways might this be seen as a Christian allegory—a "godlike man," with the initials J.C., coming to save a world? In what ways is it not like the Jesus story?

The Family Corner

For parents to consider

John Carter is rated PG-13 for scenes of action and violence. Most of it is very cartoony, in a Star Wars sort of way—airship battles and such—but there are a few rather grisly scenes, including one Earthbound scene that shows some blood and gore, and another scene in which a CG character is rather abruptly decapitated. There is not a lot of foul language, but there are a handful of four-letter words, including at least one misuse of God's name. Finally, the character of Dejah Thoris spends most of the film in a somewhat scantily-clad state—but then again, so does the title character.

John Carter
Our Rating
3 Stars - Good
Average Rating
 
(19 user ratings)ADD YOURSHelp
Mpaa Rating
PG-13 (for intense scenes of violence and action)
Directed By
Andrew Stanton
Run Time
2 hours 12 minutes
Cast
Taylor Kitsch, Lynn Collins, Willem Dafoe
Theatre Release
March 09, 2012 by Disney
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