John Carter (6/5/2012)

Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action.

Starring Taylor Kitsch, Lynn Collins, Willem Dafoe, Mark Strong, Samantha Morton, Ciaran Hinds, Dominic West and Thomas Haden Church

Directed by Andrew Stanton (WALL-E and Finding Nemo)

John Carter is a great movie the entire family can enjoy.

John Carter is a sweeping action-adventure set on the mysterious and exotic planet of Barsoom (or as you and I call it, Mars). John Carter is based on a classic novel by Edgar Rice Burroughs, whose highly imaginative adventures served as inspiration for many filmmakers, both past and present. The film tells the story of a Civil War veteran named John Carter (Taylor Kitsch), who is mysteriously transported to Mars where he becomes reluctantly embroiled in a conflict of epic proportions amongst the inhabitants of the planet, including Tars Tarkas (Willem Dafoe) and the captivating Princess Dejah Thoris (Lynn Collins). In a world on the brink of collapse, Carter rediscovers his humanity when he realizes that the survival of Barsoom and its people rests in his hands.

With a modest opening weekend ($30 million) John Carter may not be a blockbuster, but I’m one movie geek who is pleased they made it. I’m hardly a John Carter aficionado, but after reading a few articles about the story’s author and history, I quickly became a fan. John Carter was the lead character in the first novel by Edgar Rice Burroughs, set on a fictionalized version of Mars known as Barsoom. Written between July and September 28, 1911, the novel was serialized as “Under the Moons of Mars” in the pulp magazine The All-Story from February to July 1912. It later appeared as a complete novel re-titled “A Princess of Mars” after Burroughs found success with another series titled “Tarzan” in October 1917.

According to Wikipedia, “In 1931 Looney Tunes director Bob Clampett approached Edgar Rice Burroughs with the idea of adapting “A Princess of Mars” into a feature-length animated film. Burroughs responded enthusiastically, recognizing that a regular live-action feature would face various limitations to adapt accurately. But the test footage received negative reactions from film exhibitors across the U.S., especially in small towns; many gave their opinion that the concept of an Earthman on Mars was just too outlandish an idea for Midwestern American audiences to accept.” So the project was dropped. Had A Princess of Mars been released, it may have preceded Walt Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs to become the first American feature-length animated film.

Fast forward to the 1980s and Walt Disney tried to make a live action adaption with director John McTiernan (Die Hard) and actor Tom Cruise in the lead role. The project collapsed because McTiernan realized that visual effects were not yet advanced enough to recreate Burroughs’ vision of Barsoom. In 2004 Robert Rodriguez signed on to direct the film but after his controversial decision to resign from the Directors Guild of America, the project once again fell apart. And in 2005 Jon Favreau was approached to direct the film, but when Paramount chose not to renew the film rights, he moved on to do Marvel’s Iron Man. So after 100 years after John Carter first appeared on paper, Disney and Andrew Stanton finally brought the character to life.
Even without knowing the story or the history, you can enjoy the special effects…which are fantastic. The battle sequences are powerful enough to shake the room and since the blood is blue, it appears to be less graphic than other “epic battle” scenes in R-rated films. One of my favorites is “the arena” scene (which is included in most trailers and posters); it is some of the best I’ve ever seen. Not to mention the nine-foot-tall, four-armed Martians who are fully computer generated and controlled with motion capture. They blend CGI and human actor seamlessly, making these Martians look even better than the natives of Pandora in James Cameron’s Avatar.

One could argue that there are times when the film tends to drag clichés, but I was able to overlook those “negatives” because this was the originator of most of those clichés and because as I said earlier, it was written over 100 years ago.

In the end, John Carter is a blast of a film. The visuals are amazing, the action is fantastic and the entire movie looks incredible. Like modern classic Disney films such as Pirates of the Caribbean and The Chronicles of Narnia it’s a great adventure the entire family can enjoy. It’s “Theater Worthy!”

SHOULD KIDS SEE IT?
There is no sex or nudity, but I will say that there are a few scenes where the female wear skimpy outfits. There is some war violence, sword fighting and gun play. As far as profanity, there is one GD in the first five minutes of the film and both hell and damn are used once.

Conversations Starter:

1. Discuss what happened in John’s life back on Earth.


2. Why is John so reluctant to help the Princess and her people?


3. What does she say to John to change his mind? (She says, “If you have the means to save others, would you not make it so?”)

Read James 4:17
Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it.
4. What are some things we know we ought to do but struggle to do?


5. How can I help you do those things?