It seems many people are riding John Carter off before it makes it to the big screen, mostly because of the advertising, but I’m here to tell you to pause for a moment and rethink your decision. Andrew Stanton, the director and writer of great Pixar flicks like Finding Nemo and Wall-E, makes his live action debut with the adaptation of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ visionary novel from 1911, A Princess of Mars, and it is a debut that will rekindle your imagination and allow your inner child to reemerge from deep within you.
John Carter is about a civil war vet named John Carter (Taylor Kitsch) who, after killing an “alien” is transported to mars where he is taken prisoner by 12 foot barbarians. When Tars Tarkas (Willem Dafoe), the leader of these barbarians, discovers that John has incredible strength and can jump extremely high, he takes him under his wing. Soon after, flying vessels erupt in a battle in the sky and Carter interferes, unknowingly saving Dejah Thoris (Lynn Collins), the princess of Helium, from Sab Than (Dominic West), the prince of Zodanga and the man causing the current war on Barsoom (their name for Mars). After making a costly mistake amongst the Thark warriors, Carter escapes with Dejah and Sola (Samantha Morton), Tars’ daughter. John’s mission is to find his way home but Dejah recognizes a hero in Carter and so in exchange for his help in returning her to helium, she will help Carter return to his planet. The movie then becomes a fantastic adventure filled with epic battles and amazing effects.
First off, for those of you unfamiliar with A Princess of Mars, it was a sci-fi novel that inspired Star Wars but was written over 60 years before its release. That being said, you will see countless similarities to the franchise but don’t let that get in the way of the glorious world that was created on Mars. Andrew Stanton and his animators created an amazing and vast landscape which Carter traverses and if you’ve still got a little kid inside you then you’ll easily get lost within it. I also need to ask that you don’t let the trailers and marketing effect your decision to see this film. This film will become the Star Wars for today’s children but, more importantly, it actually succeeds where the famed Star Wars prequels failed: it has a strong, coherent story, little convolution and actually has a heart.
Viewing this film like a child comes with the bonus that allows you to dismiss most of the negative aspects but, since I’m an adult, there were a few items I noticed that I’ll dissect. Firstly, there were a few lines of dialogue that got very corny in three spots. Secondly, the leads lacked the right amount of emotion in their performances unlike their digital 
and live action supporting cast. Lastly, the movie isn’t worth seeing in 3D for two reasons: one, the post conversion isn’t that effective, and two, the movie is so vibrant but the dark glasses dim the color which ends up obstructing its beauty, something I wanted to revel in. Other than those few items you can easily get lost in Stanton’s marvelously crafted world.
Stanton is a master storyteller and his skills were truly put to the test with John Carter. The film comes in at 132 minutes and you can definitely tell it dies down for at certain moments, but Stanton does a solid job of making sure to focus on both the characters and the action so that it doesn’t even faze you. I pray that this film does well because not only is it clearly a labor of love but it is intended to be a trilogy that has the potential to be the next great family-friendly action adventure. Plus, there is this dog-like creature character that’ll put a smile on your face every time he is on screen, he’s kind of like Doug the dog from UP.
Overall, John Carter is a visual spectacle that should not be ignored. It definitely isn’t the greatest thing since sliced bread and there will be a clear divide amongst people that see it but because of its ability to seek out the inner child within you, it should manage to win the hearts of most adults and children alike. All in all, this is a movie that knows how to take its audience on an adventure and how to make the cinematical experience fun and fresh.
Rating: You’ll sit in awe, feel the wonder and experience the joy of a child in this truly cinematic adventure (6.2/10)
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